Chief news executives at MSNBC and its parent company NBC reportedly went to war this week over Rachel Maddow’s much-hyped big tease of “Trump’s tax returns.“
The alleged behind-the-scenes feud was spurred by Maddow’s decision to go live with her “scoop” while leaving higher-ups at NBC in the dark, Page Six reports.
“[MSNBC] announced it on Twitter, and [NBC] found out when [the general public] did,” a source reportedly said.
“[MSNBC president] Phil Griffin was trying to undermine [NBC News president] Noah Oppenheim,” the source reportedly added. “There was never a conversation. They overplayed their hand in a huge way.”
While an NBC representative said there’s no beef between the network heads, MSNBC’s Griffin made a not-so-subtle statement of superiority as it relates to how Oppenheim got started at NBC.
“They’ve been friends for 20 years — ever since Phil hired Noah straight out of college to work on Hardball,” the NBC rep said. “They’re super tight.”
Despite the massive buildup, Maddow’s report was one long-winded conspiracy theory-filled presentation that ultimately regurgitated what the Trump White House had already revealed — that the President paid the IRS $38 million in taxes in 2005.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @JeromeEHudson
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