Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel has been dropped by NBC News after a single, highly controversial television appearance.
News of the divisive would-be commentator’s dismissal follows numerous complaints by high-profile figures at NBC and its sister station MSNBC about McDaniel’s association with conduct detrimental to journalism and democracy.
“After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor,” NBCU News Group Chairman Cesar Conde told the entire NBC news group in a memo, according to the network. “No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal.”
Conde began that memo by acknowledging things “have been difficult” for NBC News staffers since McDaniel’s hiring as a political pundit was announced Friday.
“I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down,” the memo continued. “While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”
Key figures at NBC and MSNBC took issue with McDaniel being added to the news stations’ lineup. She made her only appearance Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” where former host Chuck Todd, who was a guest on the program, told his successor Kristen Welker that company brass owed her “an apology” for not making it clear that McDaniel was being paid by the network prior to her being booked to appear on the program.
“Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times,” Conde continued. “We continue to be committed to the principle that we must have diverse viewpoints on our programs, and to that end, we will redouble our efforts to seek voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum.”
A MoveOn.org petition calling for McDaniel to be canned got 70,000 signatures after being online for a little more than 24 hours.
The former RNC boss was essential in pushing former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden had somehow been rigged against him. McDaniel admitted on “Meet the Press” she knows better and was taking “one for the whole team” by amplifying that rhetoric.
Todd, as well as primetime star Rachel Maddow and the hosts of “Morning Joe,” complained McDaniel lacked the necessary credibility to appear on a mainstream news channel.
McDaniel has not yet addressed her departure from NBC News. Axios reported she’s exploring “legal options.”
