NBC's chief political analyst Chuck Todd criticized the network's decision to hire former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel during a live segment on Sunday's "Meet the Press."
"Let me deal with the elephant in the room. I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation," Todd told host Kristen Welker during a panel discussion on the weekly political talk show.
The anchor's comments followed an interview segment featuring McDaniel - one which had been booked before the network announced that the Republican strategist would soon be employed by NBC.
Welker emphasized that she was uninvolved in McDaniel's hiring and that she planned to conduct a standard news interview.
"I don't know what to believe," Todd told Welker. "She is now a paid contributor by NBC News, so I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn't want to mess up her contract."
During McDaniel's tenure as the RNC chair, she frequently criticized the media - in particular targeting MSNBC. She also supported former President Donald Trump's false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
"There's a reason why there are a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this, because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination," said Todd, who preceded Welker as moderator of "Meet the Press."
During the "Meet the Press" interview, Welker asked McDaniel if she believed that President Joe Biden was legitimately elected.
"Fair and square, he won," McDaniel responded. "It's certified. It's done."
"Ronna, why has it taken you until now to be able to say that?" Welker asked.
"I'm going to push back a little because I do think it's fair to say there were problems in 2020 and to say that does not mean he's not the legitimate president," McDaniel said.
NBC executives say that McDaniel will be an important addition to the network - one who will enhance news coverage by contributing a new ideological lens.
"She will support our leading coverage by providing an insider's perspective on national politics and on the future of the Republican Party," wrote Carrie Budoff Brown, the senior vice president of "Meet the Press," in a memo to staff members.
Other individuals affiliated with NBC also publicly criticized the decision to hire McDaniel. MSNBC columnist Marisa Kabas shared an email on social media that outlined her issues with the network's decision.
"As we approach the 2024 election, it has never been more important for viewers and readers to have trust in their news outlets," Kabas wrote in the email she sent to Brown. "Rehabilitating the reputation of an enabler of a government coup will completely undermine that trust."
