MSNBC Says It Was Unaware Of Sharpton-Harris Pay For Play Deal

MSNBC was "unaware" that Kamala Harris's campaign paid Al Sharpton's nonprofit $500,000 shortly before Harris sat for a softball interview with the cable host, a network spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon.

He wouldn't say, though, whether the left-wing network is taking any action against Sharpton for a move that appears to violate network policy. Other network hosts like Joe Scarborough have been publicly reprimanded for their failure to disclose making, rather than receiving, political donations.

The Harris campaign made a $250,000 contribution to Sharpton's National Action Network on Sept. 5 and another on Oct. 1, just weeks before Sharpton conducted a favorable interview with the Democratic nominee, the Free Beacon reported.

Sharpton did not inform MSNBC viewers of the contributions during the segment, nor did he inform network brass, a network spokesman said.

"MSNBC was unaware of the donations made to the National Action Network," the spokesman said. He declined to say whether the network would take any action, indicating that it does not comment on "personnel matters."

MSNBC has reprimanded hosts over similar violations in the past. In 2010, then-MSNBC president Phil Griffin suspended host Joe Scarborough over $4,000 in political contributions Scarborough made years earlier, including to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.). Griffin also suspended host Keith Olbermann that same year over donations made to Democratic campaigns, saying in a statement that "it is critical that we enforce our standards and policies."