The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced Monday that it is officially severing its partnership with NBC for February's GOP debate next month in Houston, following the manner in which sister network CNBC handled the October debate. Instead, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said that it will partner with CNN to broadcast the event.
"The Republican National Committee has decided to move forward without NBC's participation in the February debate in Houston, Texas. The RNC has awarded the debate to CNN, who will broadcast it on Thursday, Feb. 25 in Houston at a location to be decided," Priebus said in a statement, according to Politico. Priebus also said that NBC-owned Telemundo, National Review and Salem Communications will remain partners.
The RNC declared in late October that it had suspended its partnership and would likely cut ties with NBC for the February debate because of the conduct of CNBC moderators during the third Republican debate in Colorado. "While debates are meant to include tough questions and contrast candidates' visions and policies for the future of America, CNBC's moderators engaged in a series of 'gotcha' questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus wrote in a letter to NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack, The Hill reported.
The 2016 Republican field largely supported Priebus' statement. NBC, which said it had no editorial control over CNBC's debate, responded, by saying, "This is a disappointing development. However, along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party," according to NBC News.
The Houston debate, which comes just ahead of the Iowa caucuses and is sure to draw a large viewership, will be the third Republican debate hosted by CNN. They are scheduled to televise a fourth debate in Florida in March.
