There is to be no cursing on the debate stage Thursday night, Democratic presidential candidates have been warned.
According to an email sent to the campaigns from the Democratic National Committee and host network ABC News, there will no time delay during the event, meaning there's no time to edit out any obscenities to avoid breaking Federal Communications Commission indecency rules, reports CNN, which has obtained a copy of the directive.
"We will not be broadcasting on any delay, so there will be no opportunity to edit out foul language," the note read ahead of the debate, to be held in Houston. "Candidates should, therefore, avoid cursing or expletives in accordance with federal law and FCC guidelines."
According to a source, the warning is the first the campaigns have received, as the other two debates, hosted by cable networks MSNBC and CNN, didn't fall under the FCC language rules.
Several of the candidates have been using expletives on the campaign trail, particularly former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who has been known to drop the occasional "F-bomb" when he becomes agitated.
O'Rourke had told an Iowa voter he'd tone down his cursing, but after the mass shooting in his hometown of El Paso, he started cursing again in frustration over the nation's gun legislation.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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