Corporate media outlet MSNBC has claimed that it was “unaware” that Kamala Harris’s campaign gave Al Sharpton’s “nonprofit” $500,000 shortly before the failed Democrat presidential candidate sat down for a softball interview with the civil rights grifter ahead of Election Day.
The Harris campaign made two payments of $250,000 to Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN), Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show.
The two $250,000 donations to Sharpton’s organization were made in September and October.
Shortly after the campaign pumped the cash into NAN, Harris sat down with Shaprton on October 20 for a friendly interview on MSNBC.
However, neither Sharpton nor MSNBC informed viewers of the contributions or the conflict of interest before or after the interview.
MSNBC only commented on the payments after they were exposed by the Washington Free Beacon, which first broke the story.
“MSNBC was unaware of the donations made to the National Action Network,” an MSNBC spokesperson told the outlet.
The Free Beacon added that Sharpton did not inform “network brass” that his organization received half a million dollars from the Harris campaign.
The report notes that MSNBC declined to say if Sharpton would face consequences.
Sharpton appeared on MSNBC as recently as Monday on “Morning Joe.”
Harris sat down for the friendly interview with Sharpton last month on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation.”
It also happened to fall on the same day as her 60th birthday.
“Today is your birthday, and we all reflect on our birthdays, what our life would mean,” Sharpton asked.
“You called me on my birthday. Thanks again.
“What do you want, 50 years from now, history to say about Kamala Harris?”
“I hope that, and I really do work that … my life will have proven to have been a life that is about fighting for the people,” Harris said in her obviously scripted response.
“Fighting for the dignity of people.”
Sharpton then compared Harris to the first black woman elected to Congress who also made a presidential run in 1972.
“Some little girl or little boy is gonna be talking about you like you talked about Ms. Shirley Chisholm,” he commented.
The Free Beacon also noted that the Society of Professional Journalists called the move a “black eye” on both MSNBC and journalism.
Reporter Chuck Ross posted on X that MSNBC ignored inquiries related to the story until the Society of Professional Journalists spoke out.
The bombshell revelation comes amid a difficult few weeks for MSNBC.
Liberal viewers have fled the network since Trump’s victory over Harris on Election Day.
Since the election, MSNBC has been down 42% among total day viewers.
Viewer numbers are also down 52% during primetime compared to its 2024 averages.
Parent company Comcast also announced it would spin off its cable assets, including MSNBC, into a separate company over the next year.
The news leaves MSNBC staffers unsure about the fate of shared resources with NBC News.
X boss Elon Musk has even been hinting that he plans to purchase MSNBC.
The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely 😂 https://t.co/YX2EznXfoF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2024
A recent New York Times report revealed that Sharpton wasn’t the only media ally who received a payment from the campaign ahead of their sit-down interview with Harris.
According to FEC filings first reported by the Times, the Harris campaign also gave a $350,000 payment to Nu Vision Media on September 9.
Nu Vision Media is a media company run by progressive journalist Roland Martin.
Martin, a Harris supporter, interviewed the vice president on his streaming program in October.
The former CNN contributor told the Times the payment was for advertising.
“It should have been a hell of a lot more,” he said, according to the report.
“More should have been spent on black-owned media.”
The campaign also made two $500,000 payments to Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions on October 15.
The payments were made a month after Winfrey’s town hall with the vice president and weeks before the pair appeared at a Harris Philadelphia rally, FEC filings show.
However, Harris’s allies told the Times that the full price of the event with Winfrey was closer to $2.5 million.
A Harpo Productions spokesperson acknowledged to Variety that the company took money from the campaign but claimed it was for “production costs.”
