Sam Donaldson, ABC News correspondent, to the defrocked political consultant Dick Morris during his post-election commentary on ABC's Good Morning America, when Morris turned the conversation from election results to scandal. During their conversation Donaldson also found an opportunity to mention his coming long interview with Morris on Prime Time Live, an interview expected to coincide with the January publication of Morris's book, Behind the Oval Office: Winning the Presidency in the '90s. Employees at CBS and NBC say that Random House, Morris's publisher, which contracted to pay him $2.5 million, had raised with both of the networks the possibility of an exclusive interview with Morris about his book in return for their using him as a political commentator. (Phyllis McGrady, Prime Time's executive producer, has denied any connection between Morris's appearance as a commentator and Donaldson's interview.)

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