Barbara Walters Rejects George Zimmerman’s Interview Demands

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July 21, 2012

By Rebecca Shapiro, Huffington Post

Barbara Walters revealed on Thursday that she had rejected demands made by Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman in exchange for an interview.

The New York Post reported on Thursday that Walters had traveled down to Florida with the intention of interviewing Zimmerman, but walked away after he requested that ABC get him a hotel room for a month. Walters was not competing for the first interview with Zimmerman, as he had already granted that privilege to Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Hannity’s interview aired on Wednesday night.

Walters confirmed much of the Post’s story on Thursday’s “View.” According to Walters, Zimmerman said that the plans had changed, and he was refusing to do the interview unless ABC granted him one request. Walters refused to confirm that he had requested a month-long stay in a hotel. “It was a condition that, being a member of ABC News, I was unable to grant,” she said.

The drama took a bizarre twist when Walters announced that Zimmerman wanted to call into the show to speak to Walters. “He wouldn’t do the interview, but now he has something to say,” she said, later adding, “This has been an interesting day, to say the least.”

She then pointedly refused to put him on air. “Mr. Zimmerman, if you could not do the interview yesterday, I don’t think we should do a quick one today,” she said. “In the future if you feel differently, we will consider it.”

Read the full story here and watch the full 40 minute interview of Zimmerman by Sean Hannity here.

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