Terry Moran Was Suspended From ABC News After Tweeting About Stephen Miller

ABC News has suspended one of the most experienced voices in its newsroom. Following a tweet from news correspondent Terry Moran on June 8, the network announced that they would be suspending Moran pending an additional investigation.

The news that Terry had been suspended left many wondering what he said that led to the suspension. Terry's tweet was about the president and comes after ABC News settled a lawsuit with the president earlier this year. Here's what we know.

Moran was suspended for a Twitter post in which he suggested that both President Trump and one of his chief advisors Stephen Miller were motivated at least in part by hate.

The post was designed, at least it seemed at the time, to be an analysis of the motivations of both Trump and Miller, two of the most important and influential men in American government. After it was posted, though, it earned waves of backlash.

"ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others," the spokesperson said. "The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards − as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation."

"He's a world-class hater," Moran wrote of Miller in the post, which has since been deleted. "You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate."

Moran wrote that, by contrast, Trump was a "world-class hater," but "his hatred only a means to an end, and that end his (sic) own glorification. That's his spiritual nourishment."

The post drew sharp criticism immediately from many on the right, who suggested that the post was offensive or derogatory. Vice President JD Vance wrote that it wasn't Miller who was filled with hatred.

"It's dripping with hatred," Vance wrote on of the post on Twitter. "Remember that every time you watch ABC's coverage of the Trump administration."

"As it happens, I know Stephen quite well," he continued. "And he's motivated by love of country. He’s motivated by a fear that people like Terry Moran make rules that normal Americans have to follow, but well-connected people don’t."

There were also plenty of people, though, who felt like Moran's post was nothing more than an attempt to explain how the president and one of his senior-most advisors operate.

The post can, of course, be read as derogatory. Suggesting a person is fueled by hate is certainly not a kind assessment. At the same time, though, reporters are asked on a regular basis to offer their best understanding of what motivates the political figures they cover. Moran has spent years covering Trump and those in his orbit, and it seems distinctly possible that this was his assessment of why they behave the way they behave. It might not be a kind assessment, but why should it need to be?