MSNBC said it had “no knowledge” that Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign had donated $500,000 to Al Sharpton's activist group weeks before Sharpton interviewed Harris on the network. There wasn't,” he claimed.
MSNBC hasn't said what it plans to do about the shocking revelations, but one employee believes this is “a bridge too far” even for the notoriously slow-moving MSNBC, and said that colleagues It is claimed that this is frowned upon among the public.
Donate to the campaign
On November 12, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Harris campaign donated $250,000 to Sharpton's National Action Network on September 5 and again on October 1.
Then, according to Free Beacon:
On Oct. 3, Sharpton aired a video of Harris wishing him a happy birthday on MSNBC's “PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton.” “Happy birthday, Reverend,” Harris said, using Sharpton's nickname. “You have been a very extraordinary leader for many years. You have been the voice of truth and the voice of conscience.”
Sharpton, 70, gave a heated interview with Harris on Oct. 20, in which he touted her “extraordinary and historic campaign” while criticizing Trump. “It's hostile and insane,” he said. His questions were broadly consistent with the message Harris tried to emphasize on the campaign trail. Sharpton cited concerns among black voters, especially black men, about Harris' history as a prosecutor in California, where she earned the nickname “Kamala the Cop.” To put Harris' candidacy in historical perspective, Sharpton brought up Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and one of Harris' personal heroes. Ms Sharpton asked Ms Harris if men who opposed her were “misogynists”.
During that time, Sharpton never mentioned on air the $500,000 his group received from Harris and kept it a secret from his bosses at MSNBC — or so they now claim.
“MSNBC was not aware of any donations to the National Action Network,” a spokesperson for the network told the Free Beacon last Tuesday. He declined further comment, citing MSNBC's policy on “personnel matters.”
Weird Al
An anonymous MSNBC employee complained to Fox News that the Sharpton situation was “bounced all over the hall” at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
“It wouldn't surprise anyone if someone at MSNBC was rooting for Ms. Harris,” the employee said. “This feels like another level of nonsense. Are you kidding? This is weird.”
“Harris could have given Al Sharpton an interview and the result would have been the same,” he continued. “But what are you paying for?… How can this not seem strange?”
It's unclear whether Mr. Sharpton violated MSNBC policies, but the anonymous employee claims he wasn't even allowed to receive “tickets to the ball game” to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. What is known is that MSNBC's policy prohibits on-air personalities from donating to political candidates. It has been banned since at least 2010, when Joe Scarborough and then-MSNBC host Keith Olbermann were suspended for violating the rules. Mr. Sharpton's potential violation goes in the opposite direction, with donations made to his nonprofit by a political candidate.
It is almost impossible to distinguish between donations to the National Action Network and personal donations to Sharpton. The organization “paid Sharpton approximately $650,000 in 2021,” the Free Beacon wrote. “They also spent more than $900,000 on private jet and limousine services that Sharpton appears to have used.” Therefore, it is very likely that some of the Harris campaign's contributions directly benefited Sharpton. .
“That kind of money shouldn't be going to people who dress up as journalists,” an MSNBC official told Fox News. “It feels like I’m paying to play a little bit…I feel like I couldn’t get away from that.”
“Rough and crude”
Of course, MSNBC lost its credibility when it first hired Sharpton. Fraudsters who spread racial attacks, anti-Semitism, and misinformation should have no place in respectable news organizations. However, he is raking in a multi-million dollar salary.
So it's not surprising that Sharpton is given a “broader scope” than other MSNBC hosts and “doesn't have the same journalistic standards,” according to an anonymous employee, but Joy… Judging by Reed's comments, that doesn't really matter. Originally expensive.
An employee said:
Feel the presence of a real bull. People who like Al and respect him and understand his value…it ranges from disappointment to disgust. It's not really a surprise, but I'll tell you that.
There are some organizational rules. I understand he has different rules, but it's not like if you donate money you get an interview. That's not acceptable…I think a 3-year-old would find this potentially conflicting.
One reason Mr. Sharpton enjoys special privileges at MSNBC is his close relationship with the company's president, Rashida Jones. “She is a two-time recipient of the (National Action Network's) Chairman's Award,” the Free Beacon wrote. “(A) and she spoke with Mr. Sharpton at a National Action Network event the day before her donation to Mr. Harris's campaign.”
Still, MSNBC employees say their colleagues believe Mr. Sharpton has overstepped his vast limits and something needs to be done about it.
“This feels kind of dirty… These things happen, but they don't happen very often on MSNBC. It's like people just don't care,” he said. “I would say there's a deeper disappointment this time. There's a sense of, 'Oh, we don't need this.' I feel like this is tragic and terrible in a way. ”
The same goes for Al Sharpton.
