Andrea Mitchell Admits She Was ‘Imprecise’ When Claiming Ron DeSantis Didn’t Want Slavery Taught in Schools

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell offered a “postscript” to her show on Wednesday in which she admitted to being “imprecise” when claiming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) didn’t want slavery taught in schools.

In an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, Mitchell asked why DeSantis did not want “slavery or the aftermath of slavery” to be taught in Florida schools. Harris did not correct her. DeSantis has tightened regulations on materials that are allowed in Florida public schools, previously claiming he doesn’t want Critical Race Theory or explicit materials being taught. His critics claim this is a way to target LGBTQ and Black history-related material in schools.

“Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about Black history and the Black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?” Mitchell asked Harris.

Mitchell said her question to Harris regarding DeSantis was framed incorrectly, but she also took some more digs at the governor and defended her broader criticism of him.

Mitchell said:

“In my interview last Friday with Vice President Harris, I was imprecise in summarizing Governor DeSantis’ position about teaching slavery in schools. Governor DeSantis is not opposed to teaching the fact of slavery in schools, but he has opposed the teaching of an African American studies curriculum as well as the use of some authors and source materials that historians and teachers say makes it all but impossible for students to understand the broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath in the years since.”

DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin previously called Mitchell’s question to Harris “shameful” and provided a link to the Florida Department of Education’s requirements on teaching slavery.

In a Wednesday message published around the time Mitchell made her “postscript” comments, Griffin demanded Mitchell correct her original statement about DeSantis or the governor would not consider interviews with MSNBC or NBC.

“To all of the bookers and producers reaching out to our office from @NBCNews and @MSNBC for
@GovRonDeSantis to join your shows, this will be the standard response from our office until
@mitchellreports apologizes and your track record improves,” he tweeted.

Watch above via MSNBC.