By Elizabeth Chuck -
NBC News
NBC News reversed its decision to hire Ronna McDaniel, former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), as a political analyst after network executives faced a chorus of fierce criticism on air.
“There is no doubt that the last few days have been difficult for the News Group.
“After hearing the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be a contributor to NBC News,” NBCUniversal Group Chairman César Conde said in an email sent to staff members Tuesday.
“I want to personally apologize to our team members who have felt we have let them down.
Although this is a collective recommendation from some members of our management team, I approved it and assume full responsibility,” Conde wrote.
Ronna McDaniel, pictured on April 20, 2023, in Simi Valley, California, when she was chair of the Republican National Committee. David McNew / Getty Images file
The decision to cut ties with McDaniel comes less than a week after NBC News announced her hiring, prompting an extraordinary public outcry from the former host of its flagship Sunday morning political show, as well as many of the most popular presenters on the network's cable channel.
Rachel Maddow opened her MSNBC show Monday night by urging NBC News to change its mind about hiring McDaniel.
“The decision to put her on the payroll seems inexplicable to me, and
I hope they reconsider that decision
,” Maddow said.
MSNBC, NBC News and Noticias Telemundo are part of the NBCUniversal News Group.
McDaniel did not immediately respond to a voicemail or emails seeking comment.
McDaniel's hiring came two weeks after she left her position as head of the RNC, where she had expressed support for former President Donald Trump's baseless claims about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Conde indicated in his note that the decision to bring McDaniel on board was made “because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of points of view and experiences, particularly during these significant times.
“We remain committed to the principle that we must have diverse points of view in our programs and, to that end,
we will redouble our efforts to seek out voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum
.”
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Reporters from NBC News and MSNBC argued that McDaniel lacked credibility after The Detroit News reported that he joined Trump on a phone call as he allegedly pressured Republican officials responsible for certifying votes in his home state of Michigan, not to will certify the results of the 2020 presidential elections.
In an interview Sunday on NBC News' Meet the Press, which host Kristen Welker claimed had been scheduled before it was announced that McDaniel would become a paid contributor, McDaniel addressed the phone call with officials and said: “I didn’t tell them to do anything.”
“The pressure was on them because of the hours and hours of threats and abuse they were receiving to change their vote,” McDaniel said Sunday, adding that he told them: “I support you voting with your conscience.”
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Following her appearance, Chuck Tood, chief political analyst, stated during the broadcast that Ronna “
has credibility issues
that she still has to deal with.”
Criticism over her hiring continued from early morning to late night on MSNBC Monday, with Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski claiming that while NBC News should include conservative Republican voices to balance election coverage, it doesn't It should be someone “who used her position of power to be an
undemocratic electoral denier
.”
Television networks frequently add politicians and political operatives to their staffs to act as analysts and commentators: Jen Psaki, an MSNBC anchor, was press secretary for President Joe Biden, and Michael Steele, who was chair of the RNC of From 2009 to 2011, he is a political analyst and co-host of MSNBC.
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But McDaniel's hiring immediately raised internal unrest.
Nicolle Wallace, former White House communications director for President George W. Bush and now an MSNBC host, claimed on her show Monday that having McDaniel on the network
would embolden “election deniers
.”
“NBC News, consciously or unconsciously, is teaching election deniers that what they can do goes far beyond appearing on our broadcasts and interviews to peddling lies about the sanctity and integrity of our elections,” he claimed.