According to a statement from the RNC it is ending its partnership with NBC for its scheduled February GOP Debate in Houston, and has instead awarded the debate CNN for broadcast.
In October RNC Chairman, Reince Priebus sent a letter to NBC head Andrew Lack (in a statement) criticizing the Peacock Network's property CNBC for its handling of the October 28th GOP debate.In the letter, Priebus slams CNBC's handling of the debate, which he claims “was conducted in bad faith.” Priebus goes on to say, “CNBC’s moderators engaged in a series of “gotcha” questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates.”
RNC Chairman, Reince Priebus said in a statement on Monday that the decision was made in order to give “a full and fair opportunity to lay out their vision for America’s future,” which, he says, is the sole responsibility of the RNC during the primary elections. CNBC and NBC News are both owned by NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast, but have different management teams and operate out of separate buildings.
Scott Olson/ Getty Images
The RNC voted via conference call on Monday, according to Politco. The decision was made after failed negotiations with NBC. CNN has hosted two previous GOP primary debates and is set to host another one in March. The debate is just days before the much anticipated “Super Tuesday” in which Republican voters in 14 different states head to the polls and caucuses to support their candidates.
“I have tremendous respect for the First Amendment and freedom of the press.” Priebus said in the statement. “However, I also expect the media to host a substantive debate on consequential issues important to Americans. CNBC did not.” The upcoming Houston debate, which was initially scheduled for February 26th, has now been pushed up to February 25th.
Updated: RNC replaces NBC with CNN for February debate https://t.co/auB88dLhJk | Getty pic.twitter.com/vkxmlYOGCX
— POLITICO (@politico) January 19, 2016
-Bronte Price
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