MSNBC CEO Rashida Jones tries to distance herself from Ronna McDaniel hiring, while NBC execs throw each other under the bus

MSNBC President Rashida Jones was on a mission to clear her name as one of the executives who turned to former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who pressured the network to hire her in an ill-fated move that threw the network into disarray.

McDaniel was quickly dropped after the MSNBC talent sparked a revolt over airing pro-Trump politics on air.

We were told that at 10am. On a call with Talent on Thursday, Jones was telling staff that reports had “overstated” her involvement in the network’s decision to hire McDaniel.

The insider also told us that it now feels like “a battle of executives throwing each other under the bus on 30 Rock” in the wake of McDaniel’s fiasco.

Sources described a frustrated Jones on the call as “fed up.” One insider said she was “very strict.” “She was the most a*sertive in the situation.”

However, another source described her as “defensive”, telling us that Jones “talks very fast and says it’s a bunch of lies in the media.”

Outlets from The Washington Post to Bock have reported on Jones’ involvement in McDaniel’s hiring.

“She didn’t say much and didn’t take any questions. The only thing she said was that the media’s lies distracted them from their work,” the source said.

Jones began the call, we heard, by explaining: “I want to take a second, just one second, to address all this nonsense and false reporting out there. “I just want to make sure you hear this directly from me again,” she said.

Jones’ “stern plea” came after reports that she was actively involved in McDaniel’s recruitment.

Several NBC anchors — including MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow — have been vocal about the decision to hire McDaniel, which helped push a message of disapproval of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election.

“The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News, to me, is inexplicable!” Maddow, for example, said on her Monday night radio show.

Chuck Todd and “Morning Joe” stars Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski also joined the chorus in attacking the network’s decision, which ultimately led MSNBC to fire McDaniel before she could even provide an audio segment on “Meet the Press.”

We’re told Jones has been sending individual texts and making phone calls to her talent in an attempt to distance herself from the employee following the backlash.

Sources tell us that in Thursday’s call, Jones said, “It was very clear from everyone how she felt about her role here, and I appreciate the fact that you guys came to us and we can have these kind of open discussions.”

The sources added: “You have made it very clear that you are not expected to appear on our air. Your anchors in particular heard it from me on Friday. Many of them said it on TV, I said it out loud on this call on Monday. These are the facts,” the sources added. And anyone can check the facts. Every prime-time host heard from us live that it was important that we, MSNBC, maintain our editorial independence and how we covered that.

She also told employees: “You guys know, I supported this wholeheartedly. You can ask anyone involved. We’ve had a lot of conversations about this before and after.”

Multiple sources told us that Carrie Budoff-Brown, who leads the networks’ politics and elections coverage, and Rebecca Blumenstein, NBC News’ chief editorial officer, were the masterminds behind McDaniel’s contribution deal.

“They wanted this to happen. They are responsible for all the chaos. They are the ones who approached her and did all the vetting. They were leading the attack,” another source said, describing the situation as “a huge mess.”

“Now, they’re all throwing each other under the bus. It’s like they’re planting stories about each other. It’s a circus,” they added.

However, we’re told Jones was involved. “But it was more of a ‘heads up, this is our new shareholder’ kind of thing. I’m not sure how excited she is about that,” the source said.

But “people who talk to the press and say that Rachida has signed the marriage contract, it doesn’t sit well with her. She’s not the driver at all, and she says, ‘That’s enough,'” our first source said.

Ultimately, Cesar Conde, president of NBCU Universal, took “full responsibility” for allowing McDaniel to be hired.

In a memo he sent to employees on Tuesday, which was obtained by The Post, he said: “I want to personally apologize to those members of our team who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I agreed with it and take full responsibility for it.

Meanwhile, Jones encouraged her MSNBC team to be above the drama on her morning call.

“I’m very proud of the way we’re performing. It’s in these moments of chaos where we have a choice. We can feed the drama, we can let it distract us, or we can realize that they only attack when we’re at the front of the pack and not let that happen,” she said. .

“We have to look forward. We have to watch everyone in the real rearview mirror. I know it hasn’t been easy this week,” she also said on the call.

“But I think it’s important for us not to get caught up in the lies and the bullshit… The main reason we’re a strong organization on every metric and every front is because we have a culture that doesn’t allow that to happen. We can’t allow others to erode that,” she added.

The network spokesman did not comment.