Longtime CNN Pundit At Heart of Defamation Disaster is Out: ‘Tough to Say Goodbye’

Now-former CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt officially confirmed his departure from the news outlet, capping off a tumultuous six months for both the reporter and the network.

Marquardt took to X Monday morning to offer an otherwise detail-less announcement of his departure, while also offering thanks and appreciation to his ex-peers and co-workers.

You can view the post for yourself below:

Some personal news: I’m leaving CNN after 8 terrific years. Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business. Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad.

— Alex Marquardt (@MarquardtA) June 2, 2025

“Some personal news: I’m leaving CNN after 8 terrific years. Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” Marquardt posted.

“Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad.”

While Marquardt was mum on details, his fellow former co-worker at CNN, Oliver Darcy, shed just a little light on what led to the separation.

Scoop: CNN has dismissed its chief national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, citing editorial differences, I’m told. The dismissal comes months after CNN settled its lawsuit with U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young. CNN declined to comment. More details tonight in @status.news.

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy.bsky.social) June 2, 2025 at 8:01 AM

“CNN has dismissed its chief national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, citing editorial differences, I’m told,” Darcy posted to BlueSky on Monday. “The dismissal comes months after CNN settled its lawsuit with U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young.”

The lawsuit being referenced was a notable financial disaster for the network.

In January, CNN was found guilty of defaming Young after a November 2021 Marquardt report airing on Jake Tapper’s show portrayed the veteran as having exploited Afghans in need, per The Hollywood Reporter.

That erroneous portrayal eventually cost the network — and its lawyers — big time, with courts ordering CNN to pay Young a sizable $5 million in damages.

While neither Marquardt nor CNN appear to be offering much in terms of details, speculation has run rampant that the $5 million payout played a big role in Marquardt’s departure.

“Obviously, the court case is a core reason why, that is obvious,” one CNN insider told Fox News.

“He has not done anything else that is wrong,” the source added. “So if he was terminated, that has to be a core reason why. It’s just the logical thing,” the source continued.

Fox pointed out one particular message Marquardt sent that got lots of attention from Young’s legal team.

“We gonna nail this Zachary Young mf—er,” a 2021 message from Marquardt to a co-worker read.

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