The controversial decision by NBC News to hire former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst continues to receive pushback from MSNBC hosts and contributors.
After Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski shared their displeasure with the hiring Monday morning, a chorus of colleagues joined the dissension.
Nicolle Wallace, host of Deadline: White House, shared her thoughts on the situation. A former Communications Director for Republican President George W. Bush, Wallace shared her displeasure with the entire situation.
“This show has dedicated itself to a jarring pursuit of the uncomfortable truths about our politics and our political leaders, and our justice system, and, yes, the media. Today, this network is part of that story,” Wallace shared.
Later in the day, Rachel Maddow hosted her weekly program and urged her bosses to rescind the contract offer to the former RNC chair.
“I want to associate myself with all my colleagues, both at MSNBC and at NBC News, who have voiced loud and principled objections to our company putting on the payroll someone who hasn’t just attacked us as journalists, but someone who is part of an ongoing project to get rid of our system of government,” Maddow said during her opening monologue.
She continued by commending the leadership of MSNBC for supporting the angry employees.
“It’s my understanding that MSNBC’s leadership did not object to Ronna McDaniel being hired by NBC News when the matter first arose, but when the hiring was announced, and MSNBC staff essentially unanimously and instantly expressed outrage, our leadership at MSNBC heard us, understood, and adjusted course.”
Finally, she made her plea to leaders at the outlet.
“You wouldn’t hire a made man like a mobster to work at a D.A.’s office, right? You wouldn’t hire a pick-pocket to work as a TSA screener,” Maddow said. “So I find the decision to put her on the payroll inexplicable, and I hope they will reverse their decision.”
Lawrence O’Donnell added his comments during his primetime program.
“She called me a propagandist, but I’ve been called worse,” the host said of McDaniel. “I stopped inviting Trump liars like her on this program in 2016 because I’ve never seen a satisfying, successful interview of a Trump liar and have never thought that I alone could crack the code of how to interview a Trump liar. They are fast and furious liars, and I doubt that I could keep up.
“I would never interview Ronna McDaniel as an expert on Republican campaigns like I would my longtime friend Stuart Stevens, who ran her uncle Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign.”
He continued by noting that if he were ever forced to have McDaniel on the program, he would give her the questions ahead of time. Included in his queries were “Why did you change your name for Donald Trump?” McDaniel — who previously went by Ronna Romney McDaniel — dropped her maiden name in 2017, reportedly at the behest of Trump. The RNC denied that Washington Post report.
“How does that feel, to change her name to curry favor with the madman because he doesn’t like your uncle?”
He continued by stating he would ask about “everything she did” to try to overturn the 2020 election in favor of Donald Trump, and ask why, four years later, she is just now admitting the Republican did not win and that the election wasn’t “rigged” against him.
Ronna McDaniel joined NBC News last week after resigning her position as chair of the Republican National Committee, reportedly at the behest of Trump. She had served in that capacity since 2017. After her hiring was announced, however, MSNBC President Rashida Jones informed staffers McDaniel would not be appearing on the cable news outlet.
