Al Sharpton and MSNBC Caught in Major Ethics Fail After Accepting Kamala Harris’ Campaign Money

The literal and figurative accounting of what went wrong for Kamala Harris’ campaign and how it blew through over $1 billion has only just begun. But the exchange of money between the Harris-Walz war chest and members of Hollywood and the media is increasingly raising eyebrows. 

In addition to a $1 million payment to Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions in the wake of a Michigan town hall event hosted by the former talk show host and $100,000 price tag on a set for Harris’ appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, it now appears as though Rev. Al Sharpton’s nonprofit was the beneficiary of a rather large donation from the Democrat ticket.

On Wednesday’s show, Megyn took a closer look at the contributions and why they represent a very serious ethics violation.

The Payout

Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network (NAN), a progressive civil rights group that Megyn called “very sketchy.” He is also the host of PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton on MSNBC. The Washington Free Beacon reported that campaign finance records show the Harris campaign gave two payments of $250,000 each to NAN on September 5 and October 1.

Just two days after the second check was cut, the vice president was seen wishing Sharpton a happy birthday on his weekend show. On October 20, Harris was back for a very friendly interview with the reverend in which he praised her  “extraordinary historic campaign” and asked questions that teed up her go-to talking points.

According to the Free Beacon, the payments to Sharpton’s organization were part of some $5.4 million the Harris campaign gave away to black and Latino advocacy groups in the closing weeks of the race.

‘A Black Eye’

Sharpton did not disclose the donations during either of Harris’ appearances, and NAN and MSNBC have yet to comment on the story. Megyn said there is no way around the fact that this is a very serious ethics violation for any outlet that purports to be a news organization.

“I’m dying from the conflict of interest. I’m dead… The bias is coming out of the ears. This is so irresponsible, unethical, and not allowed,” she said. “It is so egregious… You cannot make a donation to an anchor’s charity on the side of $500,000 as a presidential candidate, then go sit with the anchor and he didn’t disclose it… This is not a news organization, but they continue to masquerade as one.”

Fox News reported that Nielsen Media Research data shows MSNBC primetime viewership is down more than 50 percent in the wake of Donald Trump’s win last Tuesday and many shows saw their lowest ratings of the year on Friday. 

If the trend continues, Megyn speculated ethical concerns may be the least of Sharpton’s worries. “I think he is going to be fired soon,” she explained. “They’ve got to fire Joy Reid, and they’ve got to fire Al Sharpton because, honestly, this is one of the more egregious breaches of journalistic ethics I have ever seen.”

Regardless of Sharpton’s fate, Megyn believes MSNBC will be forced to respond. “They can’t get away with this,” she concluded. “This is an absolute black eye for the entire profession that has already made a fool out of itself, but this is just beyond.”

You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 943 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.