Alex Marquardt Exits CNN After Defamation Lawsuit Loss Over Afghanistan Withdrawal Report

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5 days ago

CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, whose 2021 report portraying a U.S. Navy veteran as illegally exploiting Afghans was found to be defamatory earlier this year, is leaving the network.
'Tough to say goodbye but it's been an honor to work among the very best in the business,' Marquardt wrote in a Monday post on X (formerly Twitter). 'Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I've worked with in the US and abroad.'
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Marquardt has been among the centerpieces of CNN's coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. He was also the focus of a defamation lawsuit against the network from Zachary Young, who sued over a report saying that he charged Afghans exorbitant fees to be evacuated in the aftermath of the U.S. military withdrawal from the country.
In January, a Florida jury awarded Young $5 million. Following the verdict, a settlement was reached to resolve the entirety of the case before jurors calculated punitive damages, which is intended to punish malicious conduct and could've added millions more to the total award, for an unspecified amount.
The decision may have amplified the perception of alleged bias from CNN amid President Donald Trump's persistent criticism of the network.
After the verdict, CNN said at the time, '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 disputed segment opens with Jake Tapper describing the U.S. government's evacuation of citizens. He goes 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 switches to Marquardt describing the situation of a man located in the U.S. 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 spoke 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 chat logs between him and people inquiring about his business.
Discovery wasn't kind to Marquardt or CNN, with internal emails suggesting that the network ignored evidence contrary to its narrative for the segment. In a message to a CNN colleague, he wrote that CNN is going to 'nail this Zach Youngmfucker.' A producer said that the plaintiff had a 'punchable face.'
CNN declined to comment for this story.
Before his eight-year stint at CNN, Marquardt was ABC News' foreign correspondent for roughly the same amount of time. He has won Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards.
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