Candy Crowley: Moderator Role in Town Hall Debate Includes Asking Followup Questions

Candy Crowley was on CNN's "The Situation Room" this afternoon, and addressed complaints that the campaigns have made to the Commission on Presidential Debates. They say that she is planning to take a more active role as moderator, i.e. asking followup questions, than those that are spelled out in a debate agreement each campaign agreed to earlier this month.

Mark Halperin of Time got a hold of their debate agreement, which states, “In managing the two-minute comment periods, the moderator will not rephrase the question or open a new topic … The moderator will not ask follow-up questions or comment on either the questions asked by the audience or the answers of the candidates during the debate or otherwise intervene in the debate except to acknowledge the questioners from the audience or enforce the time limits, and invite candidate comments during the two-minute response period.”

But Crowley told Wolf Blitzer today that although it will be those in the audience asking the questions, she will do followup queries. "It's a town hall meeting.  There will be questioners to the right and left of me and in front of the candidates.  And they will have the questions.  And as was the case in the Charlie Gibson town hall meeting and the Tom Brokaw town hall meeting in presidential campaigns past, there is a time after that for follow-up and for furthering the discussion."