MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan and journalist Matt Taibbi clashed over the Twitter Files on multiple platforms last week, including during a contentious on-air interview that spilled over onto social media. Taibbi informed his Substack subscribers of the budding drama with a midday newsletter that ridiculed Hasan as a “Peacock’s farm team member.”
The men disagreed on the significance of Taibbi’s reporting on the Twitter Files. Hasan accused Taibbi of omitting crucial context and defending his work because it revealed “quasi-state censorship” related to various issues, including censorship of conservatives.
Hasan brought up a 2021 clip of Taibbi criticizing the idea of journalists being “handed things,” suggesting that he was hypocritical as he was handed the documents needed to report on the Twitter Files. In response, Taibbi once again highlighted MSNBC’s past to underscore the network’s imperfections.
“The hilarity of this coming from MSNBC, which did nothing but vomit up fake Russiagate stories that came straight from the FBI for six consecutive years that you guys still haven’t apologized for, is unbelievable,” Taibbi said.
The duo also bickered over nude images of Hunter Biden, and whether they violated Twitter’s terms of service, Hasan displayed receipts for various things he considered to be “errors” in Taibbi’s reporting. The nearly 30-minute interview mainly consisted of hostile moments and disagreements, with Hasan tweeting portions of the discussion in viral segments.
