CNN parted ways with its chief national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, Monday and many of his now-former colleagues say it’s “obviously” tied to the network’s costly defamation trial earlier this year.
“Obviously, the court case is a core reason why, that is obvious,” one CNN insider told Fox News Digital.
Marquardt was at the center of a defamation case brought against him and CNN in January by U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young. A Florida jury found that CNN defamed Young and ruled that he could seek punitive damages as a result of a November 2021 report by Marquardt. The report branded Young as a shady profiteer who exploited “desperate Afghans” trying to flee Afghanistan during the Biden administration’s chaotic military withdrawal from the Taliban-run country, implying Young was operating on a “black market.”
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The jury had initially awarded Young $5 million in financial and emotional damages before Young and CNN reached an undisclosed settlement, suggesting the network gave Young significantly more money. The jury foreman later told Fox News Digital they were prepared to make CNN pay “somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million to $100 million” in punitive damages.
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“He has not done anything else that is wrong. So if he was terminated, that has to be a core reason why. It’s just the logical thing,” the CNN staffer said.
Despite the certainty among CNN staff that Marquardt’s departure was directly linked to Young’s settlement, they remained puzzled by the timing since it came nearly five months after the trial.
The first staffer said, “I’m not sure how much strategizing is going into things these days.”
It seemed like Marquardt was in good standing with CNN even after the trial as he continued making regular on-air appearances, most recently last Tuesday. He even served as a fill-in anchor on Memorial Day.
“Alex is on our air because he is an experienced, veteran reporter with valuable insights on the news,” a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital in late January after the trial.
But according to the Status newsletter, Marquardt’s dismissal was the result of a “post-settlement ethics compliance review” launched by CNN earlier this year in which he and others involved in the defamatory report were interviewed. Marquardt was informed about the network’s decision on Friday, citing “unspecified editorial differences.”
The bar for proving defamation in court is historically high as many lawsuits are either dismissed or result in a settlement before going to trial. Young’s lawsuit against CNN was a rare instance where a jury did find the network liable for defamation, yet a settlement was later reached. Perhaps it was because of the damning evidence Young’s legal team gathered during discovery, much of it involving Marquardt himself.
“[W]e gonna nail this Zachary Young mf—er,” Marquardt told a colleague in a 2021 message exchange before finishing the report. That comment was repeatedly referenced by Young’s attorneys throughout the trial.
“I always thought he was a professional. But those internal messages left CNN with no other choice,” a second CNN staffer told Fox News Digital.
The second CNN staffer insisted, “It’s hard in my mind not to make a connection” between Marquardt’s abrupt exit and the defamation trial.
“He was a chief correspondent. A chief. There was no send off. Nothing like that at all. It all went into the quiet goodnight,” the second CNN insider said. “He was a great reporter in the field, really good in war zones. That’s what makes it a shame.”
Marquardt was vague about his sudden exit from CNN, posting on X, “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.”
CNN declined to comment, citing a policy not to discuss “personnel matters.” The network did not respond to additional requests for comment. Marquardt did not respond to requests for comment.
In a post-trial interview, Young said he hadn’t forgiven Marquardt, calling him out for remaining defiant on the witness stand at the trial.
“We’ve given Mr. Marquardt plenty of opportunities during deposition and then again at trial to apologize. And, you know, the answer was no,” Young told Fox News Digital. “He still stands behind his work. He’s very proud of what he did. His hit piece on me to destroy my life.”
“He’s not my biggest fan,” Young added.
On the witness stand, Marquardt insisted his report was not a “hit piece” on Young and that he was proud of his work.
“I wasn’t looking to take anyone down. I didn’t take anyone down,” Marquardt testified.
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CNN issued an on-air apology in March 2022 after Young threatened to take legal action. But throughout the trial, Marquardt and several CNN staffers testified they didn’t feel the apology was necessary. CNN senior vice president Adam Levine admitted to the jurors that the apology was merely a legal decision.
“Alex Marquardt had put in an email, ‘I’m going to nail this Zachary Young.’ At that point it seemed as though he had put a target on Mr. Young’s back, and he was not going to let up until he reached his goal… It was obvious to the entire jury that he was out to get him,” jury foreman Katy Svitenko told Fox News Digital in February.
That was the moment Svitenko decided it was defamation with malice.
“The jury pretty much agreed… those emails among the CNN employees were pretty bad. And not just one, it was several, at various levels throughout the corporation,” she said.
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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