STATE TV? MSNBC Host Al Sharpton Meets with Speaker Pelosi to Advise On Policy
Rev. Al Sharpton heads his organization, National Action Network, in addition to his duties as an MSNBC host and contributor. On top of those jobs, he’s also advising the Speaker of the House on policy, it seems.
Sharpton tweeted a photo on Wednesday that had some buzzing about conflicts, as it was a shot of his private meeting with the most powerful Democrat in the country, Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Meeting with Madam @SpeakerPelosi in her office. I am briefing her on NAN’s priorities coming out of our convention. pic.twitter.com/ANwR1MWnFa
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 8, 2019
The fact that one of his jobs, his most visible role, is that of an MSNBC host, is a big sticking point — Free Beacon’s Andrew Kugle noted on Twitter — and compared the relationship to that between Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity and President Donald Trump.
MSNBC host advising the Speaker of the House on policy.
Are the same reporters who criticize Hannity's relationship with Trump going to speak out about this? https://t.co/CDpoOK19dU
— Andrew Kugle (@AndrewJKugle) May 8, 2019
Sharpton’s National Action Network held their annual convention last month. Most of the Democrats running in 2020 were in attendance and delivered remarks. Sharpton has met with many of the 2020 candidates one-on-one, as he met with Pelosi Wednesday, to discuss his organization’s priorities and policy preferences. He has a significant role in the party, and also hosts a show on MSNBC and contributes to other shows on the network.
Sean Hannity’s relationship with President Trump has been under constant fire for both its closeness and for the blurring of the lines between media and the administration. The question raised most often with respect to Hannity is whether he acts as a propaganda outlet for the President.
The question raised today was whether MSNBC, through Sharpton, should be subject to the same criticism.
