Jim Acosta Quits CNN, Rejects Midnight Move

ACOSTA: “And I just wanted to end today’s show by thanking all of the wonderful people who work behind the scenes at this network. You may have seen some reports about me and this show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing an alternative time slot CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on. I am grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news. People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump. Actually, no. That moment came here, when I covered former President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator there, Raul Castro, about the island’s political prisoners. As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson: It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant. I’ve always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that here at CNN, and I plan on going — doing all of that in the future. One final message: Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope. Even if you have to get out your phone, record that message. I will not give in to the lies. I will not give in to the fear. Post it on your social media so people can hear from you too. I’ll have more to say about my plans in the coming days, but until then, I want to thank all of you for tuning in. It has been an honor to be welcomed into your home for all these years. That’s the news. Reporting from Washington, I’m Jim Acosta.”