NBC News Keeps Chasing Conservatives With Controversial Talent Moves

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Ronna McDaniel is no doubt going to create a lot of sound and fury over at NBC News. Shakespeare could tell you what it’s all going to signify.

NBC News surprised the nation’s legions of news critics (in these days of social media, it seems, anyone can be one) Friday when it unveiled a new pact with McDaniel, most recently the chair of the Republican National Committee, and, during that time, a denier of the validity of the 2020 presidential election and a frequent fault-finder when it comes to U.S.

media. One of the outlets McDaniel has frequently held up for opprobrium is left-leaning MSNBC, part of NBCUniversal’s news operations. “It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” said Carrie Budoff Brown, the NBC News executive with direct oversight of political coverage and “Meet The Press,” said in a memo Friday, noting that McDaniel would offer “an insider’s perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party.” McDaniel’s arrival sparked so much chatter that MSNBC President Rashida Jones felt compelled to soothe ruffled anchors and producers with an internal memo, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, noting that former RNC chief would not be appearing on the left-leaning cable outlet.

On Sunday, McDaniel acknowledged during an interview with “Meet The Press” moderator Kristen Welker that the 2020 election was, in fact, legitimate, though she nodded to “issues” that went largely unexplored.