Personnel at the left-leaning MSNBC expressed strong disapproval upon learning that NBC News had enlisted former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel as an on-air political contributor.
Reports emerged on Friday revealing McDaniel’s hiring to join NBC News’ roster of political analysts. However, MSNBC President Rashida Jones, in response to internal backlash, indicated to staff that McDaniel would not feature in any of the cable channel’s original programming.
Various anchors and commentators at MSNBC exhibited frustration when discussing their network’s decision to bring on someone associated with former President Donald Trump.
Following McDaniel’s appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, former host Chuck Todd informed current host Kristen Welker that “our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation.”
“Many journalists at NBC News are uncomfortable with this because numerous professional interactions with the RNC over the past six years have been met with gaslighting,” Todd shared with Welker.
On-air personalities and hosts at MSNBC were swift to voice their anger regarding McDaniel’s hiring, as reported by Politico.
“This isn’t about partisan politics. This is about truth versus falsehoods,” remarked MSNBC host Jen Psaki, who joined the network after serving as President Joe Biden’s press secretary. “Commitment to the nation versus allegiance to one individual bent on undermining our democratic principles. That is the kind of background that Ronna McDaniel brings to the table.”
“It suggests that we must entertain the notion that the election was fraudulently swayed on an equal footing with our commitment to upholding a diverse democracy,” stated MSNBC host Joy Reid. “That isn’t impartiality; it’s acquiescence to an autocrat in advance by agreeing, ‘Yes, we will accept your loyalist and grant them a platform alongside us.'”
“What we have essentially communicated to election deniers is not only can they air their views on our platform, but they can do so as one of us, a recognized employee of NBC News, as paid contributors on our esteemed platform,” expressed MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace.
“There’s a simple way to avoid the controversy NBC News has stumbled into: Refrain from hiring individuals with close ties to wrongdoing. That’s what occurred with the Nixon administration,” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell remarked, alluding to Watergate.
“None of the individuals involved in recruiting Ronna Romney McDaniel were alive during that period in history. Some of them hadn’t even been born yet.”
“Erroneous decisions are inevitable. Mistakes will happen. However, a part of our resilience as a democracy involves recognizing when decisions are misguided and rectifying them,” asserted MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. “Pause for a moment. Acknowledge that perhaps it wasn’t the correct decision. It demonstrates strength, not weakness, to admit when you are wrong.”
