MSNBC Cooled on Booking Trump-Russia Analyst Malcolm Nance After Mueller Report Dropped
MSNBC cooled on booking national security analyst Malcolm Nance in the wake of the Mueller report, according to a scoop from journalist Yashar Ali.
Nance was once a regular fixture on MSNBC — where he reliably blasted the Trump administration and unleashed dire speculations about the Russia investigation — up until April 13. After that, Nance didn’t appear on the network for weeks, even after the Mueller report dropped on April 18. He reappeared on Joy Reid’s show this weekend.
According to Ali, MSNBC brass told bookers in two emails that if they wanted to invite Nance on their programs, they would first have to run it by the director of booking.
MSNBC declined to comment when reached by Mediaite.
The first email was sent in March, one day after a Daily Beast report noted a dip in MSNBC’s ratings following Attorney General William Barr’s summary of the Mueller report. The Beast report emphasized Nance’s hyperbolic commentary on the Russia investigation.
“The next morning, the first email ordering bookers to consult with higher-ups before booking Nance was sent out,” Ali reported.
The second email to bookers was sent the week the Mueller report was released. Nance’s disappearance from MSNBC’s air during a story that fell within his field of commentary was not lost on his fans, including Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who tweeted: “BRING BACK @MalcolmNance ASAP!!!”
What’s more, Ali reported that the week of the Mueller report, Nance was “booked for programs but was unbooked by MSNBC brass.” Ouch.
Per Ali, this tweet from Nance also alarmed MSNBC executives, who saw it as “unprofessional and hyperbolic.”
A TRAITOR SAYS WHAT NOW? I can’t hear you over my Schadenfreude meltdown. Someday soon you’ll get a swift Blackbag rendition by your FSB Secret Police friends & I’ll be waiting outside EDVA courthouse!#IWouldWorry https://t.co/iCtldKKoKv
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) April 11, 2019
It’s worth pointing out that networks practice discretion when it comes to who they invite on air and the frequency with which they use contributors. But Nance’s disappearance during such a momentous news cycle — following months of ubiquity on the network — is noteworthy.
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