Dana Bash's Political Affiliation Is Under Scrutiny Ahead of the First Debate

Given how visible every presidential debate is, it's perhaps no surprise that almost everything about those debates gets some scrutiny before hand. Among the things that supporters of both candidates are taking a close look at are the two moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Dana, in particular, has drawn attention in part because some want to know more about what her political affiliation is. Here's what we know about Dana's history in politics, which consists primarily of covering political topics as a journalist.

Like most high-level political journalists, Dana does not have a public political affiliation. She has covered political issues for years, and has worked for CNN throughout her career. She is currently the host of CNN's Inside Politics, a show where she is expected to interview politicians of both parties on the major issues affecting voters.

Although all journalists have personal views of one kind or another, Dana is one of many who keep those personal views private and instead use their position to dig toward the truth. So, while she may have political views, she never openly expresses them, and instead attempts to get answers out of people with power while ensuring that those answers are at least mostly true.

Dana's first husband was Jeremy Bash, who she married in 1998 and divorced in 2007. Jeremy would go on to serve as chief of staff for the CIA and the Department of Defense under Barack Obama, which is one way that some have suggested that Dana may secretly have Democratic views. In 2011, Dana also resigned from a role on the board of Jewish Women International over outrage that it advocated for abortion rights. The organization was seen as too political for a journalist to be a part of.

In spite of these incidents, there has been no indication that Dana and her co-moderator will do anything other than be fair to both candidates when they take the stage of June 27. Some on the right would like to suggest that the debate has been rigged against Donald Trump because of who is moderating it, but Dana is unlikely to take it easy on either candidate.

What's more, even if for whatever reason Dana's moderation was lopsided, it's not as if Trump would be blameless. His team agreed to these moderators, so the idea that someone rigged things against him doesn't make any sense. If he was worried that Dana would be unfair, he could have insisted that someone else sub in as a moderator.

In reality, though, Dana will be a fair and neutral moderator, and she will likely ask tough questions of both candidates that get at the issues this election has been fought on. The stakes are high for both candidates given how close the polls are. For now, then, the focus should be on the candidates' answers, not on Dana's questions.