History was made at last night’s debate… but not by Clinton or Trump
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has become the first openly gay person to moderate a Presidential debate.
After being selected for the job earlier this year, last night Mr Cooper hosted the second Presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Co-chairing with Martha Raddatz of ABC News, Cooper’s selection marks the first time that an LGBT person has been invited to moderate a Presidential debate.
His turn was not without controversy, with Mr Trump previously alleging that Cooper, who does not vote, is ‘biased’ in favour of Clinton.
During the debate, Trump repeatedly raised complaints in fiery exchanges Cooper and Raddatz.
He admonished the Republican early on for talking over Hillary Clinton, warning: “Allow her to respond, please. Please allow her to respond. She didn’t talk while you talked.”
On another occasion on which Trump went over his time on a question, he fumed to the moderators: “You know what’s funny? She went over a minute over, and you don’t stop her. When I go one second over, it’s like a big deal.”
Trump also attacked Cooper for supposedly failing to bring up Clinton’s email scandal – despite a question on the issue earlier in the debate.
The billionaire said: “I’d like to know, Anderson, why aren’t you bringing up the e-mails? I’d like to know. Why aren’t you bringing…”
As Cooper pointed out the issue had been brought up, Trump insisted: “No, it hasn’t. It hasn’t. And it hasn’t been finished at all.”
Trump fumed last month: “I don’t think Anderson Cooper should be a moderator, because Anderson Cooper works for CNN. He’ll be very biased, very biased. I don’t think he should be a moderator.”
One Trump-backing radio host has taken it even further, by claiming that Cooper is a CIA plant.
Alex Jones of InfoWars insisted: “The fix is in at every level. It’s rigged. This is about the rigged system imploding.
“This is history happening and so I am desperate. I know Trump’s ahead, I know he’s winning, I know they’re going to pull out every stop.
“They’ve got CIA Anderson Cooper running the next debate. He’s admittedly CIA. And so we are storming the Bastille peacefully with 21st century warfare, which is information warfare.”
Mr Cooper previously revealed he had a summer job at the CIA offices – aged 19.
The news anchor recently revealed that he takes impartiality so seriously that doesn’t even cast a vote in the election.
He told Howard Stern: “I don’t think I’m going to vote… I don’t think reporters should vote.”
He continued: “A lot of reporters don’t vote. It’s a thing.
