Vice presidential debate moderator Susan Page under fire for honoring a Trump administration official in an off-the-record event at her home

The Washington Post

A Congressional investigation revealed that Page, USA Today's Washington bureau chief, hosted a "Girls' Night" event at her home in honor of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma in November 2018. Page was recently picked by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris on Oct. 7. "Her leading role in hosting the event at her home raised eyebrows on social media from observers who suggested that it conflicted with her ability to cover the administration as an impartial journalist," says The Washington Post's Jeremy Barr. "Reporters are supposed to maintain an arm’s-length relationship with their sources, and hosting parties for them arguably compromises this role."