Maddow said MSNBC staffers “immediately expressed outrage en masse” after McDaniel's hiring was announced on Friday, but that the cable network's executives “heard us, understood us and wanted us to take direction.” “We have adjusted this,” he said.
“We were told in no uncertain terms that Ronna McDaniel would not be appearing on our broadcasts, and that Ronna McDaniel would not be appearing on MSNBC,” Maddow said.
Deadline reported earlier Monday that MSNBC president Rashida Jones told staff that whether to book McDaniel would be up to individual programs to decide. A person familiar with the thinking of the cable network's leadership said Mr. Jones made it clear that the show would always have editorial control and that decisions about booking performers could change based on news.
Mr. Maddow said he wanted to explain what MSNBC executives allegedly said about Mr. McDaniel not appearing on the cable network's broadcasts. That's because “there was a level of effort in other parts of the company to cover it up and make it seem like it wasn't happening,” according to MSNBC. I can definitely say that's what happened on MSNBC. ”
NBC News and MSNBC declined to comment late Monday.
MSNBC's “The Readout” host Joy Reid said McDaniel's relationship with Trump was not about “getting Republicans on board” or “fairness and balance” on the NBC news platform. said.
Reed said hiring her ahead of the 2024 election, in which Trump is the Republican nominee, would be “a way of telling the dictator in advance, 'Yes, we're going to take your apparatchiks and promote them. “We're going to allow you to share a platform with us.' That's surrendering.” Hey journalists. ”
Nicole Wallace, anchor of MSNBC's “Deadline: The White House” and former White House communications director under President George W. Bush, said McDaniel's appearance will embolden “election deniers.” Ta.
“What we said to election deniers is not only that they can do it on our airwaves, but that they can do it on our airwaves, as one of our own, as an employee with an NBC News badge.” That means you can do it as a member of the party and as a paid contributor to our sacred airwaves,” said Wallace, who has been critical of the party under Trump.
Earlier Monday, MSNBC's “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said they would not ask McDaniel to guest star.
“Let me be clear: I believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to balance our election coverage,” Brzezinski told viewers. “But it should be a conservative Republican, not someone who used his position of power to deny an anti-democratic election.”
“And I hope NBC reconsiders its decision,” she added.
On Sunday, McDaniel made his first media appearance since stepping down as RNC chairman this month, participating in “Meet the Press.”
“Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker told viewers that McDaniel was coming for a news interview, and her appearance comes weeks before her role as a paid contributor for NBC News was announced. He said it was already scheduled.
Mr. Welker asked Mr. McDaniel if he had been ousted as RNC chairman, a position he held for seven years.
“He absolutely wanted me to be on the sidelines, and he wanted Michael Whatley and Lara Trump to be on board,” McDaniel said, referring to Trump and the current RNC chairman. “I was there,” he said.
“I don't think the people who committed the acts of violence on January 6 should be released,” McDaniel said in an interview as he parted ways with Trump.
McDaniel also said President Joe Biden won the 2020 election “fairly and squarely,” adding, “He's the legitimate president.”
Her appearance later in the show drew criticism from NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd, who objected to her appearing as a paid contributor.
“She's now a paid contributor for NBC News. I don't know if the answer she gave you was because she didn't want to mess up the deal,” Todd said in a roundtable after the interview with McDaniel. told Welker. “She thinks she wants us to believe that she was speaking on behalf of the RNC when the RNC is paying for it. So she still has to deal with it.” It has unavoidable reliability issues.”
In announcing McDaniel's role at NBC News, Senior Vice President for Politics Carrie Budoff Brown said McDaniel will “provide an insider's perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party. They will support our major reporting.” It was the most turbulent and difficult moment in political history. ”
“NBC News has a tradition of serving our viewers with reporting that reflects and examines the diverse perspectives of the American electorate,” the announcement said, adding that NBC News has a long tradition of serving viewers with reporting that reflects and examines the diverse perspectives of the American electorate. The network's other political analysts, who represent the same opinion, expressed their opinions. Vice President Mike Pence's staff and Ben Rhodes, who served as a speechwriter and national security adviser under President Barack Obama.
Another former RNC chairman, Michael Steele, became a political analyst for MSNBC after he finished leading the party in 2011. He currently co-hosts a weekend show on the network. Jen Psaki, a former White House press secretary under the Biden administration, began appearing on MSNBC in 2022 and also hosts a show on the network.