A planned documentary about Hillary Clinton that had aroused much controversy among Republicans will not be going forward:
CNN is canceling a documentary about Hillary Rodham Clinton after its director withdrew because of push back from the potential 2016 presidential candidate’s inner circle and the Republican National Committee.
Director Charles Ferguson wrote in a Huffington Post article that he decided not to go forward because “nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film. Not Democrats, not Republicans — and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons, wants access to the Clintons or dreams of a position in a Hillary Clinton administration.”
CNN said in a statement that Ferguson “has informed us that he is not moving forward with his documentary about Hillary Clinton. Charles is an Academy Award-winning director who CNN Films was excited to be working with, but we understand and respect his decision.” CNN said it “won’t seek other partners and are not proceeding with the film.”
Ferguson specifically cited being “interrogated” by Clinton aide Nick Merrill. He also said that Philippe Reines, a longtime Clinton adviser, “contacted various people at CNN, interrogated them and expressed concern about alleged conflicts of interest generated because my film was a for-profit endeavor.”
The filmmaker also cited the RNC’s decision to withhold CNN as a potential debate sponsor in 2016 if it went ahead with the project.
This comes just weeks after NBC bailed on its Hillary documentary, and likely means that the RNC will withdraw its objection to Republican Primary debates hosted by either of these networks.
