July 3 (UPI) — Investigative reporter Brian Ross departed from ABC News on Monday after being suspended in December for an erroneous report about former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The 69-year-old Ross, who worked at ABC News since 1994, announced his plans to depart from the network along with chief of investigative projects Rhonda Schwartz in a post on his Twitter account.
“It’s time to say good-bye after 24 years at ABC News, an organization that has meant so much to us. While Rhonda Schwartz and I are signing off from ABC News, we are hardly leaving investigative journalism. There is much more to do,” Ross said.
In an email to the news division, ABC News President James Goldston praised Ross and Schwartz for their work covering topics including “international human rights abuses and fraud, uncovered dangerous working conditions, sexual abuse cover-ups and dishonest business practices,” which he noted often led to changes in policy.
“Over the years they have built a team of the best investigative journalists in our industry, and they leave behind an outstanding group that will continue to break stories for many years to come,” Goldston wrote.
The network suspended Ross for four weeks in December after he cited a Flynn confidante on-air as saying Flynn was prepared to testify that President Donald Trump instructed him to contact Russian officials during his presidential campaign.
ABC News corrected the story hours after the original report aired, stating the source later clarified Trump assigned Flynn and a few other senior advisers after the election to find ways to improve relations with Russia, specifically regarding working together against the Islamic State.
