A former lawmaker took to social media last week to roast MSNBC, saying the outlet was being weaponized in favor of the Democratic party.
Tulsi Gabbard—the former Hawaii representative who made headlines in October 2022 for announcing her decision to leave the increasingly liberal political party—made the comments in a video she posted to X on August 2. She accused the outlet of manipulating a piece of an interview with Joe Rogan to falsely imply that he was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential campaign.
She described MSNBC as a “propaganda machine” that serves the “Democrat Elite,” accusing the outlet of “brazenly” working to “deceive the American people.” As Gabbard explained in her video, MSNBC took two distinct clips from Rogan’s show and combined them as if they were the same interview.
The former lawmaker said that the outlet had been “exposed” again for promoting “another set of lies” to suggest that Rogan is “singing the praises” of the Democratic nominee. According to Gabbard, the video “is not reflective” of the reality of what the host said, noting that she believed that the outlet has “since taken” down the video.
But Gabbard did not only suggest that MSNBC apologize to Rogan—who has come under fire for controversial statements and guests on his show but remains one of the top streaming podcasters in the country. The former lawmaker suggested that MSNBC’s recent stunt is indicative of “something far bigger.”
Gabbard suggested that the outlet is “working hand in glove” to promote top Democrats and Harris. She also said that such lying tactics by MSNBC might amount to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulation violation. This could be the case if the network did not disclose its promotion of Harris and instead be viewed as a secret endorsement of her campaign.
Gabbard further stated that MSNBC is a “for-profit corporation” working to benefit Harris, who is currently polling with a slight advantage to both GOP nominee Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The former lawmaker called on the FEC to investigate and hold MSNBC accountable for their actions.
