After donating money to three Democratic candidates before the elections, MSNBC has suspended host Keith Olbermann.
The network has a rule against political donations, as they feel it is a breach of journalistic independence to contribute to the candidates they cover.
Olbermann said:
“One week ago, on the night of Thursday October 28 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the reelection campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky.
I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns, nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level.”
At least he admits it, but the head of the network isn’t happy!
Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, stated:
“I became aware of Keith├óΓé¼Γäós political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”
Sad. Wonder if he’s coming back!