Jim Lehrer reacted Monday to reports that his colleague Gwen Ifill was "livid" that he was chosen to moderate a presidential debate.
Lehrer will moderate the first presidential debate, scheduled to take place in Denver on October 3. The appointment came as somewhat of a surprise after Lehrer vowed in November 2011 that he would not do another debate.
The New York Times reported that Gwen Ifill, who moderated vice-presidential debates in 2004 and 2008, did not react well to getting passed over for Lehrer. She told the paper that she was "indeed disappointed" that she was not chosen, but denied the Times' report that she was "livid" when she found out.
Lehrer recently spoke out about the article, telling TV Newser that it was "very upsetting" at first. "Then I moved on," he continued. "It’s foolish of me to worry about it. That’s an internal problem that says a lot about the people there. It’s for the direct supervisors of 'NewsHour' to deal with."
He said that he had not been at the staff meeting where his appointment was announced and was not sure if the report was true. Meanwhile, "NewsHour" senior correspondent Judy Woodruff denied the rumors, saying that there was "momentary surprise" at the choice.
Lehrer also told TV Newser that he has "no regrets" about changing his mind on hosting debates. Lehrer said that he went back on his promise after the Commission on Presidential Debates introduced a new format for the events.
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