Source: Politics<\/p>\n
NBC chief political analyst Chuck Todd on Sunday publicly slammed the company\u2019s decision to hire Ronna McDaniel in a stunning on-air moment immediately following the former RNC chair’s network debut. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet me deal with the elephant in the room. I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation,\u201d Todd told \u201cMeet the Press\u201d host Kristen Welker, who previously interviewed McDaniel, during a subsequent panel discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, there’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination,\u201d Todd added.<\/p>\n
Todd further praised Welker, who took over as host of NBC\u2019s flagship Sunday show when he moved into a new role last year, while blasting NBC\u2019s decision-makers for putting her in \u201can impossible situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you did everything you could do. You got put into an impossible situation, booking this interview and then all of a sudden the rug [is] pulled out from under you, you find out she\u2019s being paid to show up. That is unfortunate for this program,\u201d Todd said.<\/p>\n
Todd joined other prominent voices at and outside the company who have publicly criticized NBC’s decision to hire McDaniel, who repeatedly criticized the media and for months supported former President Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. McDaniel first clearly acknowledged Biden\u2019s victory<\/a> almost a year after the election.<\/p>\n MSNBC columnist Marisa Kabas slammed the move in an email she said she sent to NBC, which she also posted on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cAs columnists we are held to strict standards of factuality and truth, and are expected to have a fundamental understanding of our democracy,\u201d Kabas wrote<\/a>. \u201cMcDaniel has proven time and again she adheres to none of those values, and lacks that very basic understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMcDaniel lied about the 2020 election result, was involved in a pressure campaign to get Michigan officials not to certify the vote, and has accused MSNBC of \u2018spreading lies\u2019 and employing \u2018primetime propagandists,\u2019\u201d former MSNBC host Medhi Hasan posted on X<\/a> in the wake of the news.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> that McDaniel would not be appearing on MSNBC as part of her role.<\/p>\n