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Donald Trump<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: AP)
Donald Trump is claiming another political win: Removing the New Hampshire Union Leader from co-sponsorship of a debate in the Granite State.
The Union Leader and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>ABC News have split because the newspaper has endorsed one of the candidates in the Republican race, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>creating what Trump called a conflict of interest in co-sponsoring a Feb. 6 debate in the state.
"This is really unfair and a conflict for all the other candidates," Trump tweeted. "I said it should not be allowed and ABC agreed."
Since the Christie endorsement, Trump and the Union Leader have taken turns attacking each other.
In reporting that it had been dropped,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Union Leader<span style="color: Red;">*</span>publisher Joseph W. McQuaid said that "we are<span style="color: Red;">*</span>amused by ABC News apparently just discovering that we endorse candidates and write editorials. We have been doing both for many years and it has never been a problem with ABC or other debate sponsors." He described ABC as "spineless."
The paper reported that, in an e-mail to McQuaid,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>ABC News Vice President Robin Sproul said the network respects the Union Leader, but the endorsement raised questions of bias.
"We felt that the current war of words with Trump, coupled with the endorsement already made, put us in a difficult position," Sproul said. "There was just too much distraction from what we need to accomplish in the debate."
The Feb. 6 debate takes place three days before the New Hampshire primary.
USA TODAY
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