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CNN to RNC: 'Reserve judgment' on Hillary Clinton documentary

CNN is telling the Republican National Committee to "reserve judgment" about its forthcoming Hillary Clinton documentary after the RNC said that it would pull the network's rights to host or sponsor a presidential debate if it did not kill the project.

"CNN Films, a division of CNN Worldwide, commissioned a documentary about Hillary Clinton earlier this year. It is expected to premiere in 2014 with a theatrical run prior to airing on CNN. This documentary will be a non-fiction look at the life of a former First Lady and Secretary of State," the network said in a statement sent to POLITICO from chief spokesperson Allison Gollust.

"Instead of making premature decisions about a project that is in the very early stages of development and months from completion, we would encourage the members of the Republican National Committee to reserve judgment until they know more," the statement read. "Should they decide not to participate in debates on CNN, we would find it curious, as limiting their debate participation seems to be the ultimate disservice to voters."

On Monday, RNC chairman Reince Priebus threatened to pull NBC and CNN's access to the 2016 Republican primary debates unless those companies pulled their Clinton-related film projects. NBC Entertainment has also announced that they are at work on a mini-series about the former Secretary of State. In a statement earlier today, NBC News said it is "completely independent of NBC Entertainment and has no involvement in this project."

(WATCH: Priebus on Hillary film: CNN, NBC promote Democrats)

In open letters to the leadership of NBC Universal and CNN International, Priebus expressed his "deep disappointment" over those networks' decisions to produce films "promoting former Secretary Hillary Clinton ahead of her likely candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016."

Should the networks fail to pull those films by the RNC's Summer meeting on August 14, Priebus writes, he will "seek a binding vote of the RNC stating that the committee will neither partner with you in 2016 primary debates nor sanction primary debates which you sponsor."

"As an American company you have every right to air programming of your choice. But as American citizens, certainly you recognize why many are astounded by your actions, which appear to be a major network's thinly-veiled attempt at putting a thumb on the scales of the 2016 election," Priebus wrote.