Hosts at NBC News' cable outlet MSNBC continued to attack the parent organization's decision to hire former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel as an on-air analyst.
The backlash unfolded throughout the day on the progressive satellite news network, which presented a highly unusual situation in which well-known television personalities went directly to viewers to challenge a decision made by their top managers.
Open rebellion could make it difficult for Comcast-owned NBC News to move forward with any plans to use McDaniel, who resigned from the RNC last month. A representative told NBC News on Monday that there had been no change in her status. But people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment publicly said McDaniel may be out before it even starts.
Former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd opened the door to criticism when he appeared on his former show Sunday and criticized the network's decision to make McDaniel a paid contributor, citing her record of supporting former President Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
MSNBC hosts on Monday, starting with “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, commented that McDaniel would not be welcome on their daily show, a favorite of politicians and opinion leaders in Washington, D.C., and New York.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
(MSNBC)
“We were not asked for our opinion on the hiring process, but if we had been asked, we would have strongly objected for several reasons.” Scarborough said.
Brzezinski said she hopes NBC News management will reconsider its decision to bring McDaniel on board.
“Deadline: Washington” anchor Nicole Wallace praised Todd for his comments on Sunday. “He did something really brave,” Wallace told her viewers. “I spoke to him yesterday. I said I would sew a cloak for you.
Wallace, George W. Bush's former White House communications director and a longtime anti-Trump, and Joy Reid both devoted lengthy segments criticizing McDaniel's appointment. Reed called McDaniel “the master peddler of the Big Lie,” referring to Trump's election lies. Reed cited how McDaniel was on Trump's phone calls to Michigan GOP officials, urging them not to certify the state's 2020 election results.
MSNBC host Jen Psaki cited Liz Cheney's tweet noting how McDaniel once called the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol “legitimate political speech.”
“It's about truth versus lies,” said Psaki, Biden's former White House press secretary.
Rachel Maddow, MSNBC's biggest star, also asked NBC News management to reverse the decision.
“The fact that McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News — that's inexplicable to me,” Maddow said on her show. “You're not going to appoint a wise man, you're not going to appoint a man made like a mobster to work in the district attorney's office.”
Former NBC News executives took to social media to chastise the move as well. Cheryl Gould, a producer and executive with the department for 37 years, wrote an open letter on her Facebook page to Carrie Budoff-Brown, the senior vice president of political affairs at NBC News who was involved in McDaniel's hiring.
“We all make mistakes,” Gould wrote. “This happens to be a huge deal, making the network, your bosses and unfortunately yourself look misguided at best, and cowardly at worst.”
NBC has a long history of employing former government officials and politicians as contributors to its news operations. Such deals are done to gain exclusive access to insider knowledge – and to prevent high-profile speakers from standing out from the competition.
In 1977, the network gave Gerald Ford a million-dollar deal—brokered by the William Morris Agency—to be a commentator and contributor to a series of specials about his presidency.
In the same year, the network signed a similar deal with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The move prompted one of the network's top executives, Richard Wald, to leave the company in protest, because he believed the deal drained resources from journalistic projects. Wald also believed Kissinger owed it to the country to appear on NBC for free.
The political figures have split into TV news commentary and lucrative TV anchor roles ever since.
NBC already has another former RNC chairman on its payroll in Michael Steele, a co-host of MSNBC's “The Weekend.” Psaki went to MSNBC immediately after leaving the Biden White House. Wallace worked on John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign after her time in the George W. Bush administration.
All television news organizations stock up on paid contributors during election season.
But the internal hostility toward McDaniel is tied to her support of Trump's denial of the 2020 voting results, disqualifying her as a reliable source for many within the news organization. Before her appearance Sunday on “Meet the Press,” she had never acknowledged that President Biden won the election fairly.
McDaniel attributed her previous defense of Trump's claims to her role at the Republican National Committee, and said she could be “a little more herself” now that she is no longer a party official. But she continues to say there are problems with 2020 voting due to reliance on mail-in ballots.
In a memo sent Friday to NBC News staff and provided to the Times, Brown said McDaniel would bring a valuable perspective to the department's coverage of the 2024 election with Trump as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
“It couldn't be a more important moment to have a voice like Rona's on the team,” Brown said. “As we prepare for the longest general election season in recent memory, you will support our groundbreaking coverage by providing an inside view on national politics and the future of the Republican Party — which you have led through some of its most turbulent and challenging moments.” In political history.”
