RNC Mulls Limiting NBC’s Convention Access Over McDaniel

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The Republican National Committee is mulling whether to limit NBC’s access at its convention this summer over the network’s decision to dump former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel on Tuesday, Politico reported Thursday.

Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump and RNC Chair Michael Whatley both railed against NBC’s decision to part with McDaniel after four days due to the internal uprising over her hiring.

“We are taking a hard look at what this means for NBC’s participation at the convention,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for the RNC and the Trump campaign, told Politico. “Our priority is making sure this is a world-class event that allows President Trump to feature his message and vision in a fair way.”

The RNC doesn’t control the credentialing to the convention; the House Periodical Press Gallery does. But the RNC could impact NBC’s access to the perimeter around Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, host site of the Republican convention, according to the report. The RNC could also affect NBC’s space for live shots, transportation, and hotel space, Politico reported.

McDaniel made just one appearance — on Sunday’s “Meet The Press” — after NBC announced it had hired her as an on-air political contributor. But after days of being browbeaten on air by NBC and MSNBC talent, NBCUniversal News Group Chair Cesar Conde conceded defeat Tuesday night and announced he had parted ways with McDaniel, apologizing to his staff along the way.

“These Radical Left Lunatics are Crazy, and the top people at NBC are weak. They were Broken and Embarrassed by Low Ratings, Highly Overpaid, ‘Talent.’ Bring back free and fair press — Make America Great Again 2024!” Trump posted Tuesday night after McDaniel was axed.

Whatley accused NBC of “selective outrage” in an appearance with Newsmax on Wednesday.

“You have Jen Psaki who walks directly out of the Biden White House and onto the MSNBC set, and not a single one of their journalists cried foul,” Whatley told Newsmax.

However, Whatley told conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday that the RNC won’t be calling for a boycott of NBC/MSNBC over the row with McDaniel.

“I think we want to be able to use every single available outlet to get our message out to the American people. But people are not going to go on a network that they can’t trust, that they know they won’t be treated fairly,” Whatley told Hewitt.

“So I think you’re going to see that across the board. We know that we need to find alternative ways to talk to the American voters. We can’t just stay still. We can’t just stop. We have to be able to communicate.”