News/Commentary

CNN reporter OUT after costing network millions in defamation case

June 3, 2025 | | Print Article

The leftist reporter who cost CNN millions of dollars in a defamation lawsuit over his smearing of a U.S. Navy veteran has left the network, his longtime employer.

Earlier this year, a Florida jury found that Alex Marquardt defamed Zachary Young by falsely stating that he exploited Afghans whom he helped to evacuate from the war-torn country after former President Joe Biden cut and ran, a claim that aired on “The Lead with Jake Tapper” in 2021.

“Some personal news: I’m leaving CNN after 8 terrific years. Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business. Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad,” Marquardt announced in a Monday post to X.

While his missive was vague about the reason for the split, former CNN media correspondent Oliver Darcy reported that Marquardt was fired over “editorial differences.”

The network neither confirmed nor denied Darcy’s reporting, declining to comment due to “personnel matters.”

In January, a jury in Bay County ruled in favor of Young, the victim of Marquardt’s dastardly implication that he illegally profited from the “black market” for assisting people with getting out of Afghanistan during the military withdrawal when the disgraced former president surrendered the country to the Taliban.

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Young argued that CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” after Marquardt suggested that he was profiteering at the expense of “desperate Afghans” trying to flee before the Islamic zealots took over.

During the segment Marquardt said that “according to Afghans and activists we’ve spoken with, desperate Afghans are now being exploited” because of the “exorbitant” and “impossible” amounts that were charged, referring to a post on networking platform LinkedIn from Young that advertised the services along with texts between the business owner and potential customers.

During the trial, a damning text from Marquardt to a colleague boasting that “we’re gonna nail this Zachary Young mf—er,” was cited often, a message that seemed to have less to do with honest reporting than a personal vendetta. A producer also referred to the plaintiff’s “punchable face.”

The jury awarded Young $5 million, with an undisclosed settlement reached before jurors would determine the amount of punitive damages, which would have added millions more to the tab.

X users weren’t shedding any tears over Marquardt’s departure.

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“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 network said after the verdict.

Chris Donaldson
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