WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday said it will not allow Fox News to televise any of its candidates' political debates through 2020, citing a report this week on the conservative media network's ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Recent reporting in the New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and Fox News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates," DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement provided to Reuters.
"Therefore, Fox News will not serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates," Perez said in a statement, first reported earlier on Wednesday by the Washington Post.
Representatives for Fox said they hoped the DNC would reconsider their decision and let some of its journalists moderate a presidential debate for the political party.
The New Yorker earlier this week reported on "seamlessly" close ties between Trump and the television network founded by Rupert Murdoch. It also reported on Fox's close ties with Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner.
(Reporting by Jim Oliphant and Sheila Dang; writing by Susan Heavey; editing by David Alexander and Bill Berkrot)