Report: MSNBC ‘Unaware’ of Kamala Harris Campaign’s $500,000 Donation to Al Sharpton’s Org Prior to October Interview

Report: MSNBC ‘Unaware’ of Kamala Harris Campaign’s $500,000 Donation to Al Sharpton’s Org Prior to October Interview

In the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris’s Election Day defeat to former President Donald Trump, her campaign finances were combed through to find out what money went where and just how much in the way of resources she wasted.

Among the findings was that the Harris campaign made two sizeable donations to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network non-profit, the first one on September 5th for $250,000 and the other on October 1st for the same amount.

The Free Beacon reported on it at the time, noting that the donations were sent ahead of a fawning interview Sharpton did with Harris in late October on MSNBC, just days before the presidential election:

On Oct. 3, Sharpton aired a video of Harris wishing him happy birthday on his MSNBC weekend show, PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton. “Happy birthday, Rev,” Harris said, using Sharpton’s nickname. “You have been over all of your years such an extraordinary leader. You have been a voice of truth, a voice of conscience.”

Sharpton, 70, conducted a glowing interview with Harris on Oct. 20 in which he touted her “extraordinary historic campaign” while referring to Trump as “hostile and erratic.” His questions lined up closely with messages that Harris sought to highlight on the campaign trail.

[…]

Sharpton did not disclose payments from the Harris campaign during either segment with the candidate. National Action Network did not respond to requests for comment. MSNBC also did not respond to comment requests.

Here are some clips from that interview, as well as the birthday greeting Harris gave to Sharpton:

Kamala Harris' campaign paid Al Sharpton's nonprofit a total of $500k in two payments, one in September and one in October.

Two weeks after the October payment, he gave her a glowing interview on MSNBC where he slammed Donald Trump.pic.twitter.com/nDBoRNvz3b

— Media Lies (@MediasLies) November 12, 2024

If you're Kamala Harris and people are worried you might be too progressive, it's probably not wise to go on MSNBC with Al Sharpton and let him put words in your mouth that you are, in fact, super progressive and soft on crime. pic.twitter.com/LzRo19l76A

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) October 21, 2024

My exclusive interview with US Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee, @KamalaHarris @VP just aired on #PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton.

Are you tuned in to MSNBC?

📷: @JtTheCr8Guru pic.twitter.com/oG4z1ooLo6

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) October 20, 2024

In an update to this story, MSNBC told the Free Beacon that they were “unaware” that Sharpton’s organization received money from Harris, but declined to elaborate on what steps if any they would take next:

MSNBC was “unaware” that Kamala Harris’s campaign paid Al Sharpton’s nonprofit $500,000 shortly before Harris sat for a softball interview with the cable host, a network spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon.

He wouldn’t say, though, whether the left-wing network is taking any action against Sharpton for a move that appears to violate network policy. Other network hosts like Joe Scarborough have been publicly reprimanded for their failure to disclose making, rather than receiving, political donations.

[…]

“MSNBC was unaware of the donations made to the National Action Network,” the spokesman said. He declined to say whether the network would take any action, indicating that it does not comment on “personnel matters.”

Needless to say, some of Sharpton’s colleagues at the struggling news network are not amused, with some saying it “feels like a bridge too far”:

“Everybody knows who Al Sharpton is… but this feels like a bridge too far. A big bridge too far… This is not landing well,” they continued. “This has a bit of a dirty feel to it… These things happen and they don’t bounce around MSNBC all that much. Like people just don’t care. This one feels, I’d say, there’s a deeper disappointment. There’s a sense of like, ugh, we don’t need this. This feels kind of grifty and gross.”

[…]

“I don’t care whether somebody does something to Al. I’m more interested in where does this fit into who we are,” the MSNBC insider said. “How does this s— happen? How does half a million dollars change hands?…  How can you possibly think you’re holding somebody to account in an interview when they donate money to you? We’re told not to take tickets to a ballgame!”

That said, there may be a reason beyond the obvious as to why Sharpton seems to be getting a free pass on this one:

That could be because MSNBC’s president, Rashida Jones, is close to Sharpton and has spoken at many events for the Sharpton nonprofit that got the $500k in Kamala cash

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 26, 2024

I’m not sure who this story embarrasses more – Sharpton, Harris, or MSNBC. But one thing it does confirm is that we don’t hate the media nearly enough. We truly don’t.

— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —

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