CNN staff are furious after the husband of their top news chief was nominated for US ambassador to Israel — claiming the move is a conflict of interest, The Post is told.
Tom Nides, 60, was nominated to the Middle East role by President Biden earlier this month, the White House announced.
But the nomination has left more than a few eyebrows raised over at CNN as Nides is married to Virginia Moseley, CNN’s “powerhouse” senior vice president of newsgathering in the US.
“People are mad, they see it as a big conflict of interest, even if Virginia works in domestic news, this all still plays into domestic politics and deals closely with Biden’s administration,” a network source told The Post.
“It has conflict of interest written all over it.”
Nides is currently the managing director and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley. He is expected to make the move to Israel by himself, while Moseley stays in New York at CNN headquarters.
The couple has two adult children, daughter Taylor, 31, and 26-year-old son Max.
Mosely, 59, is described by those at the network as “the powerhouse under Jeff Zucker,” while Nides previously served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources under Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2013. He was also awarded the secretary of state’s Distinguished Service Award in January 2013.
Asked about the issue, a CNN spokesperson said: “Virginia Moseley oversees domestic newsgathering and if there is ever any question about a Middle East story becoming a domestic newsgathering event she will recuse herself from covering it.”
The White House declined to comment as government sources said it was for CNN to work out. Nides could not immediately be reached for comment.
Aaron Keyak, who served as a Biden-Harris transition official and has been in regular contact with Nides, told the Jerusalem Post: “He speaks with the authority of [someone with] extensive private and public sector experience … He’s trusted by this administration and speaks with the authority of the president, which might be the most important characteristic the ambassador has, especially dealing with leaders in a tough region.”