Chuck Todd slammed NBC News over its decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as he made a surprise appearance on Sunday’s episode of “Meet the Press.”
Todd, one-time moderator for MSNBC’s interview show, joined current host Kristen Welker to address “the elephant in the room” just minutes after McDaniel made her debut on the network.
“I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation,” he told Welker, who said her show booked McDaniel weeks before NBC announced she was coming on board as a contributor.
“Because I don’t know what to believe,” Todd went on, pointing to McDaniel’s history of “credibility issues’ given her time with the RNC.
“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,” said Todd, who is NBC News’ Senior Political Analyst.
After praising Welker for “exposing” McDaniel’s “contradictions” during their interview, Todd continued, “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.”
“So when NBC made the decision to give her NBC News’ credibility, you got to ask yourself, ‘What does she bring NBC News?’” he asked, going on to question McDaniel’s journalism credentials.
“This interview is always going to be looked in the prism of who is she speaking for,” Todd went on, before applauding Welker for how she handled an “impossible situation.”
Welker appeared blindsided by NBC News’ hiring choice ahead of Sunday’s “Meet the Press.”
Before airing her interview with McDaniel, she told viewers, “This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring.”
McDaniel officially announced she was leaving her role at the RNC in late February.
Hinting at a rift with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign in a statement, she said, “The R.N.C. has historically undergone change once we have a nominee, and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition.”
Watch Todd’s full appearance on “Meet the Press” via NBC News.