MSNBC Chief Phil Griffin: Chris Matthews Is a ‘National Treasure’

According to MSNBC chief Phil Griffin, Hardball host Chris Matthews is one of the network’s most prized possessions.

POLITICO was present at a Tuesday evening book party for Matthews’ new book, Tip and the Gipper: When politics worked, and reported on what Griffin said during his introductory remarks. “Everything [Matthews] does, especially as he gets older and succeeds, is really impressive,” he told the crowd.

“Chris is now either the number one or two guy every night since we moved him to 7 p.m.,” Griffin continued, according to POLITICO. “He also beats everybody in the competition — meaning Fox, our big challenger — one out of three nights. And we hope to do that regularly. It’s impressive what he’s done.”

The praise continued: “We call him a national treasure at MSNBC. If you’ve ever seen Chris at an airport, you know what that means. Everyone comes up to him.”

“We asked everybody who’s on air at MSNBC to tell us what was the most impressive thing about your first day at MSNBC. By far the leading person to be talked about — by over a third of the persons — was joining a network with Chris Matthews,” Griffin added. “He’s beloved at MSNBC and around politics.”

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