After resigning as chairperson of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ronna McDaniel accepted a controversial offer from NBC News as a political analyst.
On-air this past weekend, NBC News star Chuck Todd criticized the network for hiring McDaniel, whose history includes acknowledging during a deposition that the RNC, under her leadership, helped organize fake electors after the 2020 presidential election. (McDaniel’s deposition was shown to the public by the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack on the Capitol.)
Todd said: “There’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this, because many of our professional dealings [with the RNC] over the past six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.” He also suggested McDaniel’s deal was made in exchange “for access.”
Quite a moment on Meet the Press this morning. pic.twitter.com/1RKvAq7mj2
— Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) March 24, 2024
On Meet the Press on Sunday, McDaniel was interviewed by her soon-to-be colleague, Kristen Welker. McDaniel admitted that Joe Biden won the election, however, she also said “there were issues in 2020″ and noted “a concern” that Pennsylvania could go from recording 260,000 mail-in ballots during Trump’s election victory in 2016 to 2.6 million in 2020.
On @MeetThePress
Ronna McDaniel told Kristen Welker that she has no regrets about being part of Trump’s attempts to decertify 2020 election voters in Michigan, which should be disqualifying for a news analyst, but is not at @NBCNews.pic.twitter.com/kPwawBhlLm
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) March 24, 2024
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro responded to McDaniel’s concern and wrote: “Ronna, let me clear this up for you before you start your career as a commentator.” He listed four facts:
In 2016, Pennsylvania law didn’t allow mail-in voting.
In 2019, our Republican-held Legislature enacted it.
In 2020, Pennsylvanians legally voted by mail.
There were more mail-in votes in 2020 than 2016 because mail-in voting didn’t exist in PA in 2016.
Shapiro added: “Always best to check the facts before you spread a conspiracy theory.”
Ronna, let me clear this up for you before you start your career as a commentator:
In 2016, Pennsylvania law didn’t allow mail-in voting.
In 2019, our Republican-held Legislature enacted it.
In 2020, Pennsylvanians legally voted by mail.
There were more mail-in votes in 2020…
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) March 25, 2024
Shapiro refers to Pennsylvania Senate Bill 421, a 2019 state law (Act 77) that took effect in April of 2020. Ushering in what the ACLU described as “sweeping reforms,” the legislation created “a vote-by-mail option that will allow anyone to vote by mail without giving a reason for doing so.”
Prior to the change — that is, during the 2016 election to which McDaniel refers — “Pennsylvanians [could] only vote absentee for a limited number of reasons, which they attest to under penalty of law.”
The discrepancy McDaniel makes sound suspicious occurred, as Shapiro explains, because the 2016 mail-in votes were “absentee ballots” — accompanied by a reason for being unable to vote in person. 2020’s mail-in ballots were the result of a recently legislated convenience that required no explanation or excuse for voting by mail.