In a stunning fallout that exposes CNN’s recklessness and bias, longtime chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt is out the door after a Florida jury slammed the network with a \$5 million defamation verdict over a reckless smear against a U.S. Navy veteran.
Marquardt, who had been with CNN for eight years and was once the network’s lead reporter on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, found himself at the center of a costly legal scandal that CNN can’t afford to ignore. The veteran, Zachary Young, sued after Marquardt aired a 2021 segment accusing him of “exploiting” desperate Afghans during the chaotic Biden administration withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The story was riddled with falsehoods and distorted claims that linked Young, a former sailor, to illegal profiteering from Afghan evacuees. In reality, a Florida jury found that CNN and Marquardt had defamed Young, awarding him \$5 million after less than nine hours of deliberation. The verdict came after a two-week trial in Panama City, Florida, and CNN was forced into a settlement before even larger punitive damages were added.
Sources close to former CNN media correspondent Oliver Darcy report that Marquardt’s exit from the struggling network was due to “editorial differences.” But insiders say the defamation ruling was the final nail in the coffin.
Marquardt’s parting message on X (formerly Twitter) was characteristically vague, offering no explanation of the costly legal defeat or his firing. “Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” he wrote Monday, thanking his team but dodging the controversy.
CNN refused to comment on Marquardt’s departure.
The defamation trial exposed the deep rot at CNN, a network already reeling from plummeting ratings and President Trump’s relentless criticism of its left-wing agenda. Court documents revealed chilling internal messages where Marquardt vowed to “nail this Zach Young motherf—er,” showing a disturbing intent to smear the veteran regardless of facts. Even producers reportedly described the plaintiff’s face as “punchable,” laying bare the toxic culture inside CNN’s newsrooms.
The segment in question, aired on Jake Tapper’s *The Lead*, alleged that Afghans trying to flee their homeland were victims of a black market charging exorbitant fees. Marquardt spotlighted a LinkedIn post by Young advertising evacuation services, implying he was preying on the vulnerable. But the jury decisively rejected that narrative.
Despite the verdict, CNN doubled down, claiming it remained “proud” of its journalists and committed to “strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting”—a statement that rang hollow to many observers watching the network’s credibility erode.
Before joining CNN, Marquardt had an impressive foreign correspondent resume with ABC News, reporting from Moscow to Jerusalem and Beirut, and earned multiple Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. However, his involvement in this costly defamation suit now overshadows his career.
This episode is yet another black eye for CNN, a network that has increasingly blurred the lines between journalism and activism. It serves as a stark reminder that left-wing media elites will go to any lengths—even reckless defamation—to push their political narratives, with little regard for truth or accountability.
For conservative Americans demanding fairness and respect for veterans, this saga underscores why it’s critical to challenge the media’s left-wing bias—and why networks like CNN continue to face legal and reputational consequences for their dangerous reporting.
