Politics

Former CNN Commentator Paris Dennard Sues Arizona Board Of Regents

(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Thurgood Marshall College Fund)

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Former conservative CNN commentator Paris Dennard is suing the Arizona Board of Regents, claiming that they leaked information that damaged his career.

Dennard was suspended from his role at CNN after The Washington Post published a story last year claiming Dennard had been dismissed from his faculty job at Arizona State University for “making sexually explicit comments and gestures toward women,” which Dennard denied. Dennard left the network months later. Dennard was employed by Arizona State’s McCain Institute for International Leadership from 2013 to 2015. (RELATED: Trump Supporter Paris Dennard Hits Back Against Accusation Of No Black People In The Trump Administration)

The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal district court in Phoenix, Arizona, according to Breitbart.

Symone Sanders, Bill Kristol, Paris Dennard (CNN)

Symone Sanders, Bill Kristol, Paris Dennard (CNN)

The timing of The Post’s report about Dennard came under scrutiny, as it was published days after Dennard’s commentary had drawn the attention of President Donald Trump. (RELATED: Over 90,000 Sign Petition To Rename Street Outside Trump Tower After Obama)

Trump had praised Dennard for defending him on the network, after Dennard sparred with former CIA analyst Phil Mudd, who took offense to Dennard’s suggestion that intelligence officials profit off their security clearances.

“Just watched former Intelligence Official Phillip Mudd become totally unglued and weird while debating wonderful [Dennard] over [Former CIA Director John] Brennan’s Security Clearance,” Trump tweeted at the time. “Dennard destroyed him but Mudd is in no mental condition to have such a Clearance. Should be REVOKED?”

Before his time at Arizona State and CNN, Dennard had previously served in the George W. Bush administration from 2005-2009.