NBC News to drop former RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel after staff revolt: Report

After top news personnel exploded in opposition, NBC News is reportedly planning to drop Ronna McDaniel as a network contributor after less than a week on the air.

Mrs. McDaniel, the former Republican National Committee chairwoman, joined the network on Friday.

But Puck News reported Tuesday that NBC plans to drop her soon and executives are hashing out the details of her departure - after only one appearance.

After her appearance, internal discontent at NBC surfaced, with high-profile network figures openly criticizing the move on Monday.

Mrs. McDaniel’s hiring, which had gained unanimous support from the network’s executive level, sparked a significant divide within the news organization.

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 Mrs. McDaniel to a “mobster.”

And MSNBC morning stars Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski ripped their bosses, saying Mrs. 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 Mrs. 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.”