Thirty years ago, Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera was fired from ABC News, ostensibly for contributing $200 to a friend who was running for mayor in New Bedford, MA.

Last night, Rivera wondered why George Stephanopoulos, who gave $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation, has gotten off scot-free.

Washington Times:

He went on to say that the real reason he was fired was because he was “estranged” from his boss, former ABC News President Roone Arldege.

“The point is ABC treated my undisclosed $200 donation harshly because the network wanted me out for that unrelated reason,” Mr. Rivera wrote. “Now ABC is bending over backward to minimize and forgive George Stephanopoulos‘ $75,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation because he is central to the network’s recent success.”

He said that while Mr. Stephanopoulos is “pleasant” and “talented,” still, “he is in major trouble.”

“By neither informing his employer nor the public of his substantial donations to the Clinton Foundation he undermines his ability to do his job,” he argued. “Everybody has their secret favorites and personal biases. But donations cross the line for a good reason. Money raises the specter of Pay for Play.

“Up until now there’s been only George’s historic connections with the Clintons to undermine his credible objectivity as the network’s principal political reporter. The donations look like he’s trying to buy continued access to the family he served so loyally as a political operative in the 1990’s,” Mr. Rivera wrote.

He pointed out a double standard in the media, arguing that “liberal wolves would be howling” if a Fox News anchor had made a similar donation to an educational foundation run by Jeb Bush.

ABC News is not interested in double standards or hypocrisy.  Stephanopoulos is too important to the network's programming to throw him under the bus – at least, at this point.  There has been very little groundswell for ousting him from the mainstream media, and despite the outcry from conservatives, ABC is holding fast to its "he made a mistake" defense.

Republican and conservative personalities should refuse to appear on any platform of ABC News until Stephanopoulos either resigns or recuses himself from covering the 2016 campaign.  It's outrageous that ABC has tried to excuse the blatant conflict of interest, and the network should be punished for its arrogance.