ABC debate moderator Linsey Davis admits they focused on fact-checks for Trump during debate

ABC has been lambasted by many on both sides of the political aisle for what appeared to be complete bias during the presidential debate on Tuesday in favor of Kamala Harris. Moderator Linsey Davis spoke to the LA Times about her tactics for the debate in a new interview, saying that she had decided in advance to fact-check Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump due to the debate staged between him and President Joe Biden in June.

"People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators," Davis said. She noted that she was prepared to counter remarks Trump might make about reproductive technology, IVF, and abortion as part of her and fellow moderator David Muir's plan to fact-check Trump in real-time.

After Trump's comments on abortion, Davis challenged his claims about abortion being legal in some states throughout all 9 months of pregnancy, and even situations where botched abortions result in live birth resulting in the intended death of the baby. It has been reported that under Harris' running mate Governor Tim Walz's leadership in Minnesota, babies that were attempted abortions but born alive were left to die. Walz then removed a requirement in law that required an attempt to save those babies after they were born.

Kamala Harris was not fact-checked by the moderators, despite lying repeatedly. She lied about Trump's position on abortion and IVF, lied about remarks he'd made, and repeated debunked hoaxes as though they were fact. These were hoaxes repeated by President Joe Biden as well. 

Davis did not fact-check Harris on any of this. She hosts ABC News Live Prime on ABC's streaming service. She also spoke to the LA Times "about the expectations and challenges of being a black woman journalist covering Harris."

"There is a stereotype that I am acutely aware of that I can’t be unbiased covering this moment. And the anonymous Instagram people serve as reminders every day," she said.

41 percent of independents said the debate moderators were unfair to Trump, and they favor him on the economy, per a new poll. The co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates has said moderators "bent backwards" to help Harris.