Skip to main content
Politics

Chuck Todd blasts NBC News for hiring former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel

Share

NBC News is facing criticism from within its own ranks following the recent addition of former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel to its team. Chuck Todd, a prominent political reporter and former moderator of “Meet the Press,” expressed strong disapproval of the network’s decision during Sunday’s program to current moderator Kristen Welker.

Todd, now serving as NBC News Chief Political Analyst, raised concerns about McDaniel’s credibility and potential conflicts of interest given her new role as a paid contributor.

“Because I don’t know what to believe,” Todd remarked, questioning whether McDaniel’s responses in a recent interview were influenced by her contractual obligations to NBC News. He highlighted the difficulty in discerning whether she was speaking for herself or on behalf of her payers, suggesting McDaniel still has credibility issues to address.

The hiring has reportedly caused discomfort among NBC News journalists, with Todd noting their previous experiences with the RNC involved “gaslighting” and “character assassination.” He emphasized the network executives owe Welker an apology, following her interview with McDaniel, which took place just minutes before Todd’s commentary.

It is common for news outlets to hire people with political backgrounds. Another example, NBC hired former White House press secretary Jen Psaki as a contributor for its politics coverage and as a host on MSNBC.  

Welker, at the start of the show, informed viewers that McDaniel’s booking occurred weeks prior to NBC’s announcement on Friday, March 22, of her hiring. During the interview, McDaniel stated that individuals charged with attacking the Capitol on January 6 should not be released, contradicting former President Trump’s claims of potential pardons. Additionally, McDaniel acknowledged President Biden’s legitimate victory in the 2020 presidential election, while still mentioning there were voting issues.

Tags: , , , , , ,

[KARAH RUCKER]

NBC NEWS IS FACING CRITICISM FROM ONE OF ITS TOP POLITICAL REPORTERS OVER THE RECENT HIRING OF FORMER REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR RONNA MCDANIEL.

ITS COMMON FOR NETWORKS TO PULL PEOPLE WITH A POLITICAL BACKGROUND TO CONTRIBUTE TO PROGRAMS.

FOR EXAMPLE – FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JEN PSAKI IS ALSO A CONTRIBUTOR AT NBC.

BUT FORMER “MEET THE PRESS” MODERATOR CHUCK TODD BLASTED HIS NETWORK’S EXECUTIVES FOR HIRING MCDANIEL IN A SEGMENT THAT AIRED ON MEET THE PRESS SUNDAY — MINUTES AFTER MCDANIEL WAS INTERVIEWED ON THE SHOW.

[TAKE ‘MEET THE PRESS’ CONTROVERSY3-25 SOTVO]

LABEL: MARCH 24, 2024

SUPER: CHUCK TODD | NBC NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST

“Because I don’t know what to believe. She is now a paid contributor to NBC News. I don’t have any idea if any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract. She wants us to believe she was speaking for the RNC when the RNC was paying for her. So she has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself or is she speaking on behalf of who’s paying for her?”

TO START SUNDAY’S SHOW — HOST KRISTEN WELKER TOLD VIEWERS THAT MCDANIEL WAS BOOKED AS A GUEST WEEKS BEFORE NBC’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SHE WOULD BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE INTERVIEW WITH MCDANIEL —  SHE SAID THOSE IN JAIL FOR JANUARY 6TH OFFENSES SHOULD **NOT BE FREED – DESPITE TRUMP RECENTLY SAYING THE OPPOSITE.

MCDANIEL ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED PRESIDENT BIDEN LEGITIMATELY WON THE 20-20 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – THOUGH SHE DID SAY THERE WERE VOTING ISSUES IN THAT ELECTION.