Former Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel tried to rehabilitate her public image during her first appearance for her new employer.
The controversial new NBC News hire spoke with Kristen Welker on Meet The Press on Sunday, March 24. McDaniel was questioned about her very vocal support for former Republican President Donald Trump's Big Lie about his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.
When asked about Trump's promise to pardon the January 6 insurrectionists, McDaniel said:
"The violence that happened on January 6, is unacceptable. It doesn't represent our country. It certainly does not represent my party ... If you attacked our Capitol and you have been convicted then that should stay."
When asked why she only recently shared her stance, McDaniel claimed:
"When you’re the RNC Chair, you kind of take one for the whole team."
"Right now I get to be a little bit more myself. This is what I believe."
You can see the moment here:
But many are calling BS on McDaniel's attempted redemption arc.
Among them is former Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney. Cheney was one of only two Republicans willing to participate in a congressional investigation into the January 6 insurrection which resulted in at least 5 deaths, injuries to over 100 members of law enforcement and millions of dollars in damages to the United States Capitol campus.
Cheney and former Illinois GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger were censured by the McDaniel-chaired RNC for participating in the January 6 riot investigation and hearings.
Cheney offered a fact check on McDaniel's claims on X, writing:
"Ronna facilitated Trump’s corrupt fake elector plot & his effort to pressure [Michigan] officials not to certify the legitimate election outcome."
"She spread his lies & called 1/6 'legitimate political discourse'."
"That’s not 'taking one for the team'. It’s enabling criminality & depravity."
Many concurred with Cheney's take on McDaniel's culpability for enabling Trump and his lies.
Former Representative Kinzinger posted:
"Putting Ronna Romney on [NBC News] is one of the most head scratching things."
"She led the censure for Liz Cheney and I (which we could care less about) and empowered Trump and neutered everyone else in the primary."
"Insane choice. Lies lies lies for NBC viewers."
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wrote:
"Hi [Ronna McDaniel] 👋🏼 I also 'regret the fact that people are being threatened for doing their job'."
"For the last 3+ years professional election workers have been threatened because of yours & others’ lies. No amount of memory lapses changes that reality."
@mic_oregon/X
McDaniel had served as chair of the RNC from 2017 until her resignation on March 8.
She was hand-selected for the position by Trump—who reportedly also told her to drop Romney from her name. Before heading the RNC, McDaniel served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
In addition to public pushback for hiring Romney as a contributor, NBC News has gotten criticism from within.
On Monday's Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski said:
"To be clear, we believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to provide balance in their election coverage."
"But it should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier."
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter