The scandal continues to plague MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton has been “dancing in the halls” of 30 Rock and his co-stars calling it “a bridge too far” for them, Fox News Digital has learned.
On Tuesday, MSNBC said it was “not aware” that Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign paid $500,000 to Sharpton’s nonprofit National Action Network ahead of a friendly conversation with the Democratic candidate a few weeks before the election.
“MSNBC was not aware of any donations made to the National Action Network,” an MSNBC spokesperson told reporters. Washington Free Beaconwhich first told the story.
Harris sat down for a friendly interview on Oct. 20 and Sharpton, an open supporter of Harris and the Democratic Party. After Harris lost to President-elect Donald Trump, FEC records revealed the Harris campaign made two donations of $250 to the Sharpton nonprofit in September and October. However, the MSNBC this week host did not disclose to viewers the conflict of interest before or after the interview. He also did not disclose the gifts to his superiors at the network, according to the Free Beacon.
“No one is surprised that anyone at MSNBC was looking for Harris. This feels like another level of nonsense. Like, you’re kidding me, right? This is amazing,” MSNBC’s current employee told Fox News Digital. “Harris could have given Al Sharpton an interview, and it would have gone the same way. But what are you paying for?… There’s no way this can’t be weird.”
Msnbc Was ‘Uninformed’ Harris Campaign. He Donated $500K To Al Sharpton’s Group Before Interviewing Friends
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MSNBC reportedly said it was “not aware” that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign paid $500,000 to Pastor Al Sharpton’s nonprofit National Action Network.
“Everybody knows who Al Sharpton is … but this feels like a bridge too far. A big bridge too far … It’s not landing well,” he continued. “This has a bit of a dirty feel to it… These things happen and they don’t broadcast on MSNBC very much. Like people don’t care about it. This one feels, I would say, there’s a lot of disappointment. . There’s a sense of, uh, we don’t want this.
The insider says that everyone at MSNBC knows that Sharpton is given “a wide berth” and that he is “not treated in the same way as journalists” as others at MSNBC since he is well known outside the network for his political and social skills. That said, the debate begins about the “pay-to-play” program.
“There’s a sense among the people I’ve talked to that this seems like a bad thing and that something needs to be done about it,” the MSNBC employee said. “I don’t know what that thing is… It’s a lot of money! That’s no small matter… It just doesn’t sit well with people.”
Kamala Harris Interviewers Received Large Campaign Donations For Their Groups Before The Sit-down.
One of Rev.’s employees. Al Sharpton of MSNBC said the “pay to play” controversy has been “ricocheting around the halls” of the network.
They, however, doubt that Sharpton will face any consequences, telling Fox News Digital “Usually, people do things and they seem to get away with it on MSNBC, I mean, except during Me Too.”
“I don’t care if somebody does something to Al. I’m more interested in how this fits where we are,” said the MSNBC insider. “Now— how does this happen? How does half a million dollars change hands?… How can you think you’re holding someone accountable in an interview when they’re giving you money? We’re told not to buy tickets to a ball game!”
“It’s really bull— feel it. People love Al and they respect him and they understand what his value is … it goes from depressing to disgusting. Not a whole ton of surprise, I’ll tell you that,” he continued. . “There are some rules of the organization – I understand that they have different rules, but it can’t be like that, that you give money and then get an interview. That’s not acceptable… I think that a three-year-old child can have conflicts in this.”
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An MSNBC insider said the network doesn’t hold Sharpton accountable, saying “people do things and seem to get away with it on MSNBC.”
An MSNBC employee was shocked by the network being caught in the crossfire.
“For MSNBC to start by saying they didn’t know about Otto to begin with, it’s like, wow. That’s something… Everything about this stinks,” he said. “Why, why didn’t the campaign think that this would turn out to be a bad look for them? I mean, if Kamala Harris became president, it would be a shame! … tickets to a football game but for half a million dollars!”
“That kind of money shouldn’t be changing hands for people doing journalism. Maybe it’s not a good time because I don’t know, is it a journalist? I don’t know. But it just feels a little bit like paying to play and it doesn’t feel good. In an organization that we are all part of I understand that not everyone is affected there is one, but there should be the same rules and my understanding of this is that this would be breaking the law… it seems I can’t do it,” the employee added.
MSNBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Brian Flood provided this report.
Source of article: Sharpton’s ‘pay to play’ mockery ’round the houses’ for MSNBC, insider says: ‘Unacceptable’