Donna Brazile is parting ways with Fox News after declining to accept an extension offered by the outlet. She confirmed to The Daily Beast last week that the split was amicable.
“When my contract expired, they offered me an additional two to four years,” the former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman said. “But I decided to return to ABC.”
Brazile, a Democrat, sparked controversy in March 2019 when she signed a contract with Fox, describing the decision as “rooted in the belief that you cannot make progress, let alone reach compromise, without first listening to, and understanding those who disagree with you on critical issues,” and saying that she had all her “marbles” when she made the decision to join the outlet.
“There’s an audience on Fox News that doesn’t hear enough from Democrats,” Brazil said. “We have to engage that audience and show Americans of every stripe what we stand for rather than retreat into our ‘safe spaces’ where we simply agree with each other. For there is no safety in self-limiting numbers.”
Amid her departure, Brazile said “all is good” with the outlet. Adding The New York Times in an email that “with the election and President Biden’s first 100 days behind us, I’ve accomplished what I wanted at Fox News.”
On the May 23 edition of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Brazille made her debut appearance as an ABC contributor.
Brazile’s move to Fox came after a 2016 WikiLeaks email showed that the then CNN contributor had leaked debate questions to Hillary Clinton, a presidential candidate at the time.
Brazile called her decision to leak the questions, a “mistake I will forever regret.” She was terminated from CNN following the leak.
While at Fox, Brazile was a source of irritation for former president Donald Trump, who was unhappy that the outlet featured her commentary.
“So @donnabrazile gives Crooked Hillary the Questions, and now she’s on @FoxNews!” Trump tweeted in August 2019.
“Focus on your job!” Brazile said in response.
“Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Jedediah Bila and White House correspondent Kristin Fisher also recently left the outlet. Since the 2020 presidential election, Fox has amplified voices on the right, and situated rightward voices in the 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. slots.
While at Fox, Brazile did not shy away from bold confrontations with other commentators.
In an exchange about the RNC Convention, Brazile accused conservative commentator Tammy Bruce of ignoring “400 years” of racism in America. “It sounds like I will never be an American in your world because after 400 years; my family cannot walk out of this house without fearing violence,” she said.
