Critical Indignation Rages Over Al Sharpton's 'Pay For Play'

Conservatives have slammed MSNBC after host Rev. Al Sharpton accepted $500,000 from Kamala Harris' campaign weeks before a gushing interview.  

The Daily Mail reports Sharpton's sit down with the vice president last month drew scrutiny for his softball questioning, with the conservative Washington Free Beacon releasing campaign finance records claiming his non-profit was paid handsomely before the gig. 

Billionaire hedge fund manager and Trump supporter Bill Ackman led the charge, telling Megyn Kelly on her show this week the payments were an attempt 'to manipulate the audience.' 

Harris' campaign allegedly gave two $250,000 payments to Sharpton's National Action Network on September 5 and October 1. 

And on October 20, Sharpton's went on to praise Harris' 'extraordinary historic campaign' in a gushing interview, and branded Donald Trump 'hostile and erratic.' 

MSNBC has stayed silent over the payment, despite suspending Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough in 2010 for making $4,000 in campaign donations.  

The payments to Sharpton's organization came as part of a $5.4 million fund the Harris campaign dished out to black and Hispanic advocacy groups, ostensibly to help bolster her candidacy among minority voters. 

However, the move spectacularly failed as Harris struggled among key demographics, including losing seven percent of Hispanic voters and eight percent of black voters compared to Joe Biden's 2020 totals. 

After the payments to Sharpton came to light, the scandal led to claims of favoritism and a clear lack of impartiality on Sharpton's part, which began even before his interview with Harris. 

On October 3, two days after her campaign's second payment, Sharpton shared a clip on his MSNBC show of Harris wishing him a happy birthday, where she referred to him by his nickname 'Rev'. 

Two weeks later, Sharpton's interview with Harris followed the same positive theme, with the Washington Free Beacon observing his 'questions lined up closely with messages that Harris sought to highlight on the campaign trail.' 

This included Sharpton invoking Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman elected to congress, in reference to Harris' 'historic' candidacy.  Sharpton also drew criticism in the interview as he questioned whether any men not supporting Harris were driven by 'misogyny.' 

MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the payments.