A CNN correspondent at the center of a nefarious report that cost the network at least $5 million for defaming a US Navy veteran is leaving the struggling network.
Chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt landed in hot water earlier this year after a Florida jury ruled that he defamed Zachary Young in 2021 by claiming the former soldier illegally exploited Afghans during the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from the country.
Sources told former CNN media correspondent Oliver Darcy that Marquardt was fired — citing “editorial differences” with his higher-ups at the network.
Marquardt — who worked at CNN for eight years and recently spearheaded its coverage of the Russian-Ukraine war — did not mention the legal debacle or the reason for his exit in announcing the departure Monday.
“Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” Marquardt wrote in a post on X.
“Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad.”
CNN declined to comment.
In January, a Florida jury awarded Young $5 million after deliberating less than nine hours following a two-week trial in Panama City state court.
An undisclosed settlement was reached to resolve the matter before jurors calculated punitive damages, which could’ve added millions more to the total award.
The verdict added fuel to President Trump’s fiery criticism that CNN is biased.
During the trial, it was revealed that the ratings-challenged network ignored evidence that countered its narrative.
In a damning message to a CNN colleague, Marquardt wrote that CNN is going to “nail this Zach Young motherf—er,” according to court records.
A producer said that the plaintiff had a “punchable face.”
The segment, which aired on Jake Tapper’s program “The Lead,” described the US government’s evacuation of citizens.
It went on to say Afghans “trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demand of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”
The segment then turned to Marquardt, who described the situation of a man located in the US whose family remained in Afghanistan and said that he found people on Facebook charging $10,000 per person to be evacuated.
Marquardt stated, “according to Afghans and activists we’ve spoken with, desperate Afghans are now being exploited” because of the “exorbitant” and “impossible” amounts charged, pointing to a LinkedIn post from Young advertising his services and texts between him and people inquiring about his business.
CNN stood by Marquardt after the verdict.
“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” the network said at the time.
Marquardt previously worked as a foreign correspondent for ABC News based in Moscow, Jerusalem, Beirut and London.
He has won multiple honors, including Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards for an undercover investigation of underage sex trafficking in the Philippines.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
