The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr uncovered the likely real reason CBS News hired noted fabulist and ex-Trump aide Mick Mulvaney as a paid, on-air contributor via a recording of a staff meeting earlier in the month:
“If you look at some of the people that we’ve been hiring on a contributor basis, being able to make sure that we are getting access to both sides of the aisle is a priority because we know the Republicans are going to take over, most likely, in the midterms,” CBS News’s co-president Neeraj Khemlani told the staff of the network’s morning show, according to a recording of his comments obtained by The Washington Post. “A lot of the people that we’re bringing in are helping us in terms of access to that side of the equation.”
The reaction from CBS News employees to Mulvaney’s hiring was as chilly as the reaction on social media, where many journalists and political commentators suggested that the network was jeopardizing its long history of journalistic excellence.
Of course, CBS claimed publicly it was Mulvaney’s cred that got him the job:
The network’s announcement Tuesday of Mulvaney’s appointment mentioned his varied experience as a public servant, first as a member of Congress, then as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, and then as interim White House chief of staff.
C&L’s John Amato wrote about why Mulvaney should never be given any legitimacy anywhere:
In C&L's archives we have tons of articles and videos pertaining to him (that any credible news source should scan through) before hiring any former Trump guy.
Mulvaney's worst moment may have been at CPAC at the end of February of 2020, when he claimed the media was hyping COVID to take down Trump's presidency.
"The press was covering the hoax of the day because they thought it would bring down the president. The reason you're seeing them paying so much attention today is that they think this (COVID19) is what brings down the president. That's what this is all about."
Look, it’s probably not easy finding an honest, trustworthy MAGA-ite. Barr pointed out that CBS just hired former national security adviser H.R. McMaster as a contributor two weeks ago. But he has become a Trump critic and will probably not help with “access” to his old peeps.
Meanwhile, CBS is plowing ahead with legitimizing Mulvaney. Here’s anchor Anne-Marie Green introducing Mulvaney as “a former Office of Management and Budget director,” without noting it was during the Trump administration, in order to criticize discuss President Biden’s billionaire minimum income tax. Green did say how happy she is to have Mulvaney on board.
Former OMB Director @MickMulvaney, who joins CBS News as a contributor, breaks down President Biden’s tax plan on wealthy Americans pic.twitter.com/Wh1m823631
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 29, 2022
