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Calls by a massive black church coalition to have an MSNBC host investigated were withdrawn  Monday in what they called an “inappropriate misstep.”

Amid the fawning coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’ 10-figure presidential campaign were reports of large sums of cash being doled out to high-profile supporters. Among the recipients was MSNBC host and activist Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network over which concern from the National Black Church Initiative evaporated over the weekend.

In a statement issued Monday, that was shared by Sharpton on X, NBCI president Rev. Anthony Evans contended, “The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) acknowledges that we were unaware of the existing contract or agreement with Black organizations including Rev. Sharpton’s National Action Network to conduct non-partisan Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts ahead of the election.”

“We recognize the critical importance of this work. After further research, we have found no evidence that any candidate paid for support or endorsements, nor that NBC was engaged in any partisan political activities related to Vice President Harris’ appearance on PoliticsNation,” he continued. “Furthermore, we understand that Vice President Harris has made previous appearances on PoliticsNations with Rev. Al Sharpton over the years.”

“As a result, NBCI is formally retracting its call for Rev. Sharpton to be suspended from MSNBC. This call was inappropriate, and we regret the misstep,” said Evans.

Representing 150,000 black churches, the president went on to add, “Moving forward, NBCI is committed to working collaboratively with all groups to foster greater understanding and unity toward the greater good of Black people in America. Our shared mission must center on advancing equity, empowerment, and opportunity for our communities. While we remain steadfast in our call for transparency, we believe it is essential to approach these matters with a spirit of partnership and progress.”

The changed tune followed a demand Thursday to see MSNBC investigate the $500,000 received by Sharpton’s NAN from the Harris campaign and supported his being suspended until an investigation was complete.

“In all the talk about the threat to our democracy, someone forgot to articulate that free, open, objective, and transparent press is an essential component of the building blocks to preserve our democracy’s integrity,” Evans expressed as he made the case that the suggestion of a payola raised serious questions of “significant moral and journalism ethics.”

Meanwhile, MSNBC, which continued to suffer a ratings “death spiral,” played dumb about the situation, with a spokesperson stating in late November, “MSNBC was unaware of the donations made to the National Action Network” and that, as far as consideration of any potential disciplinary action, the network would not comment on “personnel matters.”

New information may have satisfied NBCI about the situation with NAN and Harris’s campaign, which reportedly ended with $20 million in debt, but users on social media believed there was more than a misunderstanding at play.

Kevin Haggerty
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