NBC News’s new paid contributor, former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, was informed on Monday by the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that she would not be invited as a guest on the show due to her assistance with former President Trump’s efforts to void the results of the 2020 election.
In their Monday show, co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski vehemently denounced the network for hiring McDaniel and urged NBC News to reevaluate the choice.
“To be clear, we believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to provide balance in their election coverage. But it should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier,” Brzezinski remarked during the broadcast.
“And we hope NBC will reconsider its decision. It goes without saying that she will not be a guest on ‘Morning Joe’ in her capacity as a paid contributor,” she continued.
When NBC decided to add the former chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) as a contributor, it unleashed a barrage of internal criticism.
Workers at NBC News, especially on-air talent, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the choice, pointing out how McDaniel not only alluded to Trump’s frustrations with his defeat in the 2020 race, but also highlighted her criticism of specific NBC News journalists.
During his Sunday morning appearance, Chuck Todd, the former anchor of “Meet the Press,” also criticized his network for making the choice.
Sunday marked McDaniel’s first appearance as a paid contributor on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” when she spoke with Kristen Welker.
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