Media

April Ryan backs out of Buttigieg interview: Campaign didn’t mention ‘venue would be a fundraiser’

by Joe Concha - 10/18/19 2:17 PM ET

CNN political analyst April Ryan on Friday withdrew from a scheduled interview with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, saying his campaign failed to mention that the event venue would be a fundraiser.

“I agreed to interview Pete Buttigieg this weekend – the campaign was not clear that the venue would be a fundraiser. We’ll be rescheduling the interview to a more appropriate time/place,” Ryan, who is also a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, wrote on Twitter. “Looking forward to asking him the tough questions the AURN audience wants answers to.”

I agreed to interview Pete Buttigieg this weekend – the campaign was not clear that the venue would be a fundraiser. We’ll be rescheduling the interview to a more appropriate time/place. Looking forward to asking him the tough questions the AURN audience wants answers to.

— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) October 18, 2019

Tickets for the fundraiser with the South Bend, Ind., mayor cost as much as $500. The event will be held Saturday in Washington, D.C.

{mosads}Promotion of the event was first noted by @PolPartyTime, a Twitter account managed by OpenSecrets, a group that tracks political fundraisers.

The Buttigieg campaign and American Urban Radio Network did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A CNN spokesperson directed The Hill to Ryan’s tweet.

Tomorrow, there will be a grassroots fundraising event for @PeteButtigieg in Washington DC.

Tickets range from $15 up to $500 pic.twitter.com/g4gjamVoGk

— Political Party Time (@PolPartyTime) October 18, 2019

In September, Buttigieg invited Ryan to be his guest at a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) dinner.

“Thank you @PeteButtigieg for inviting me to be your guest at the CBC Dinner. The last time I was invited to the dinner by a presidential candidate was @barackobama. You know what happened after that!” she wrote on Twitter.

Thank you @PeteButtigieg for inviting me to be your guest at the CBC Dinner. The last time I was invited to the dinner by a presidential candidate was @barackobama. You know what happened after that! We also… https://t.co/ONias6pQg7

— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) September 15, 2019

Ryan’s announcement on Friday came the same day the Buttigieg campaign said it will be removing former attorney Steve Patton as a sponsor of a Chicago fundraiser scheduled for later that day, The Associated Press reported.

Patton led an effort to block the release a video depicting the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager in Chicago whose death by a police officer prompted months of protests that eventually ended in the officer’s conviction.

“Transparency and justice for Laquan McDonald is more important than a campaign contribution,” Buttigieg campaign spokesman Chris Meagher said in a statement. “We are returning the money he contributed to the campaign and the money he has collected. He is no longer a co-host for the event and will not be attending.”

Tags Chicago CNN Pete Buttigieg Washington D.C.