Tempers flare on MSNBC as Mehdi Hasan argues with Israeli official: Your government ‘killed children’
MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan clashed with Mark Regev, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over civilian deaths and misinformation in the Israel-Hamas war.
A former MSNBC contributor ripped the cable channel for canceling Mehdi Hasan's Sunday evening show in a column published on Monday and said the left-wing media outlet was becoming the "television arm of Democratic Party leadership."
Perry Bacon Jr., a liberal Washington Post columnist, called on MSNBC to reinstate Hasan's show in a column headlined, "MSNBC should be careful not to become DNC-TV."
"The network should reverse its decision on Hasan and make clear that it embraces progressive criticism of President Biden and other Democratic leaders," he wrote.
MSNBC announced it would be canceling Hasan's weekend show and streaming program on Friday.
MSNBC canceled "The Mehdi Hasan Show." (MSNBC)
Bacon Jr. noted that Hasan's show was "not a ratings blockbuster," and wrote that Hasan "is fairly left-leaning but not a partisan Democrat."
"MSNBC had a lot of reasons to keep Hasan as a host and no obvious ones to remove him," he added.
Bacon argued that MSNBC was boosting staffers who are more aligned with the Democratic Party.
"But sidelining Hasan, one of the network’s most frequent critics of the Democrats, while boosting staffers most aligned with the official party, communicates to other MSNBC personnel that the way to succeed at the network is to be a party loyalist and that dissent could be a career risk," he continued.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference by the Congressional Progressive Caucus on the threat of default, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
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"The best version of a left-leaning news network would be one where guests agree that Trump should not be president again but are free to debate basically everything else, from the United States’ role in Gaza to whether Biden is running a flawed reelection campaign," Bacon wrote.
"A pro-Democrats network is fine. MSNBC should make sure it doesn’t become MSDNC," he continued.
Democrats in Congress, including "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., criticized the move by MSNBC as well.
"It is deeply troubling that MSNBC is canceling his show amid a rampant rise of anti-Muslim bigotry and suppression of Muslim voices. Anyone who cares about free expression should be concerned," Omar posted on social media.
Mehdi Hasan appears on stage at 2022 VidCon at Anaheim Convention Center on June 24, 2022, in Anaheim, California. (David Livingston/Getty Images)
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., argued it was "bad optics" for MSNBC.
"It is bad optics for MSNBC to cancel @mehdirhasan's show right at a time when he is vocal for human rights in Gaza with the war ongoing," Khanna wrote. "As a strong supporter of free speech, MSNBC owes the public an explanation for this decision. Why would they choose to do this now?"
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MSNBC staffers are also frustrated by the decision, as one MSNBC insider told Fox News Digital that there was a "deep disappointment."
"Across the board [at the network], there's deep disappointment at this. People there do operate in some awe of him, whether you agree with him or not. The guy’s brave, the guy says what is on his mind," an MSNBC insider told Fox News Digital.
Fox News' David Rutz and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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