ABC News policy required that George Stephanopolous disclose his contributions to the Clinton Foundation to management before covering stories related to it, according to an ABC spokesman who responded to a Washington Free Beacon inquiry.
Stephanopolous issued an on-air apology on Friday's Good Morning America after it was discovered by the Washington Free Beacon's Andrew Stiles that he had covered news directly related to the Clinton Foundation without disclosing that he contributed $75,000 to it.
"Staff need to disclose personal donations to a charitable organization to us before covering a story related to that organization," said Julie Townsend, who heads ABC's news communications. "He had not disclosed the Foundation donations to us before he interviewed Peter Schweizer," the author of Clinton Cash.
Townsend also noted that "employees are not permitted to make political contributions," but that "personal charitable donations are allowed."
Stephanopolous confirmed his contributions to the Clinton Foundation on Thursday, stating that he "should have taken the extra step of personally disclosing my donations to my employer and to the viewers on air during the recent news stories about the Foundation."
Stephanopolous went further in his Friday apology, saying it was a mistake for him to donate to the foundation in the first place.
"I now believe directing personal donations to that foundation was a mistake," he said.