Former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel plans to take legal action against NBC News after the network fired her just days after announcing her hiring as a paid contributor, according to conservative political commentator Hugh Hewitt. The decision to part ways with McDaniel came amid a fierce internal revolt from top MSNBC hosts, who voiced their strong disapproval of the move.
NBC News had hired McDaniel on Friday to provide political analysis on MSNBC and NBC as the November presidential election approaches. However, the network faced immediate backlash from both sides of the political aisle, with criticism from its own on-air talent ultimately leading to McDaniel's abrupt dismissal on Tuesday.
During an appearance on Fox News, Hewitt, who called McDaniel a friend, claimed that she will sue those who defamed her. "I have never seen anything this brutal since I got started in media in 1990. Ronna is going to sue everyone who defamed her for breach of contract, for intentional infliction of mental distress. They are going to sue for the destruction of her business opportunities that come from being on TV," Hewitt said.
The rebellion against McDaniel's hiring began on Sunday shortly after her debut on Meet the Press, where anchor Kristen Welker challenged her for repeating former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. McDaniel offered a conciliatory response, arguing that while she believed there were issues in the 2020 election, Joe Biden had won "fair and square."
Immediately following the interview, former Meet The Press anchor Chuck Todd told Welker on air, "I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation. She has credibility issues that she still has to deal with."
Other top MSNBC hosts, including Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Nicolle Wallace, also called on the network to reconsider its decision to hire McDaniel. Maddow, who hosts the most-watched program on MSNBC, called the hiring "inexplicable."
In an internal email to NBC employees announcing the reversal, NBC Universal chairman Cesar Conde issued an apology to "team members who felt we let them down." Conde explained that the initial decision was made "because of our deep commitment to presenting our audience with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times."
McDaniel had not publicly reacted to her firing at the time of publication.
The backlash over McDaniel's hiring exemplifies the struggle news organizations face as they seek to navigate an intensely partisan era of U.S. politics. While it is not uncommon for top networks to hire former political officials as analysts, McDaniel's association with Trump and her role in promoting his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud made her a controversial choice.
Despite Hewitt's claims that McDaniel will sue for defamation and intentional infliction of mental distress, legal experts have questioned the viability of such lawsuits. Many have pointed out the challenges McDaniel would face in proving the elements necessary for a successful claim.
