NBC News' Chuck Todd teed off on the network's decision to hire former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor.
On Sunday, NBC News' Kristen Welker interviewed McDaniel on her new position with the network after stepping down from the RNC in late February.
Todd addressed the addition of McDaniel to the network during a Sunday broadcast of Meet the Press.
“Let me deal with the elephant in the room,” Todd told Welker. “I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation because I don’t know what to believe."
"[McDaniel] is now a paid contributor by NBC News. I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract," Todd said. “She wants us to believe that she was speaking for the RNC when the RNC was paying for her, so she has credibility issues that she still has to deal with."
“Is she speaking for herself or is she speaking on behalf of who is paying for her?” Todd asked, adding that he believed NBC News reporters were "uncomfortable" with McDaniel joining the network “because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting ... [and] character assassination.”
“When NBC made the decision to give her NBC News’ credibility, you have to ask yourself, ‘What does she bring NBC News?'” he added.
Todd conceded the network had more access to the Republican Party with McDaniel's hiring.
“If you told me we were hiring her as a technical adviser to the Republican convention, I think that would be certainly defensible,” he said.
McDaniel announced she would step down from the RNC after a private meeting with former President Donald Trump last month. Trump initially tapped McDaniel to lead the RNC after winning the 2016 presidential election.
“President Trump deserves to have the team he wants in place at the RNC,” McDaniel said, announcing her resignation.
“I will do everything possible to re-elect President Trump in November,” she continued. “And I ask all of you out there who worked so hard during this primary season or supported another candidate, that you come in and join me in supporting our president as well.”
Co-chair of the RNC Drew McKissick also announced his resignation from the committee on the same day of McDaniel's resignation.
“I’m honored to have had the privilege to serve as RNC Co-Chair for this past year, as well as to have worked with so many grassroots leaders to help make our party successful. It’s what drives me,” McKissick said. “And of course being willing to put self aside for the sake of building a team and focusing on winning is a big part of being successful.”
