Internal discontent at NBC has surfaced following the appointment of Ronna McDaniel, former chair of the Republican National Committee, with high-profile network figures openly criticizing the move on Monday.
Ms. McDaniel’s hiring, which has gained unanimous support from the network’s executive level, has sparked a significant divide within the news organization.
Since the announcement toward the end of last week, apprehensions have grown among the staff, expressed through private communication channels including text messages and Slack.
“There’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this,” the network’s top political analyst, Chuck Todd said, citing prior “gaslighting” and “character assassination” from the RNC.
Mr. Todd went further in an X post: “The issue isn’t about ideology, it’s about basic truth. Those trying to make this a left-right issue are being intentionally dishonest. This is about whether honest journalists are supposed to lend their credibility to someone who intentionally tried to ruin ours.”
Another top host piled on. “You wouldn’t hire a mobster to work in a DA’s office. You wouldn’t hire a pickpocket to work as a TSA screener,” Rachel Maddow said, comparing Ms. McDaniel to a “mobster.”
And MSNBC morning stars Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski ripped their bosses, saying Ms. McDaniel is an “anti-democracy election denier.”
“We weren’t asked our opinion of the hiring, but if we were, we would have strongly objected to it for several reasons,” Mr. Scarborough said.
Ms. Brzezinski said NBC News should hire conservative Republicans, just not Ms. McDaniels.
“It should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier, and we hope NBC will reconsider its decision,” she said. “It goes without saying that she will not be a guest on ‘Morning Joe’ in her capacity as a paid contributor.”
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