Rachel Maddow, a host at MSNBC, has joined other NBC commentators in publicly criticizing the company for hiring Ronna McDaniel, the former head of the Republican National Committee, as a contributor.
Maddow told viewers on Monday night that it's inexplicable for Ms. McDaniel to be employed by NBC News, comparing the decision to hiring a mobster to work for a district attorney.
McDaniel has played a key role in promoting Donald Trump’s anti-democracy rhetoric and casting doubt over the American election system. She has supported his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and she defended the Capitol insurrectionists while criticizing the Republican lawmakers who helped investigate the January 6 attack.
Maddow explained that throughout history, there have been men trying to gain control and overthrow the political system, and she emphasized that Trump's impact has been significant because the Republican party supported him.
“The Republican party getting behind that message is a choice,” Maddow emphasized.
Maddow emphasized that the Republican party's support for Trump was a deliberate decision.
She also highlighted that Trump's association with the Republican Party and the party's backing of him played a crucial role in his rise to power.
Maddow voiced her support for her MSNBC and NBC News colleagues who objected to hiring someone who has attacked journalists and is part of a project to undermine the government and discredit elections.
Maddow underscored the importance of resisting attempts to discredit the election process and emphasized the need to stand up and fight for the current system of government.
Maddow also warned that it is a critical time for Congress, judges, prosecutors, the media, and all American citizens to decide whether they will stand up and defend the government system.
She stated that initially, MSNBC's leadership did not object to McDaniel’s hiring at NBC News, but after the MSNBC staff expressed unanimous outrage, the leadership understood and changed their decision. She mentioned that leadership has made it clear that McDaniel will not appear on MSNBC.
Others who have publicly objected to McDaniel’s hiring include NBC’s Chuck Todd, who addressed the issue both on air and on X.
Chuck Todd emphasized that the concern is not about ideology but about truth, and he denounced the idea of honest journalists lending their credibility to someone who intentionally sought to undermine theirs.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough expressed that if they had been asked, they would have strongly objected to the hiring for various reasons. They hope NBC will reconsider their decision. They also mentioned that she will not be invited as a paid contributor on Morning Joe .
As Politico‘s Ryan Lizza pointed out, “The on-air protests represent a significant moment in political media as news organizations try to responsibly include voices from the Trump right without giving platforms to election deniers or bad faith actors who have attacked and discredited their reporters.”
