A CBS News exec said the network is hiring more Republicans because 'we know' they'll take over after the midterms: report
Benjamin Krain/Getty Images
- The Washington Post obtained a leaked recording of a meeting with CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani.
- He said there would likely be a Democratic "wipeout" in the midterms, so it's hiring more Republicans.
- CBS News recently hired the former Trump aide Mick Mulvaney, who's been accused of pushing misinformation.
A CBS News executive told staff that the network was hiring more Republicans as analysts because he believed there was likely to be a Democratic "wipeout" in the 2022 midterm elections, The Washington Post reported, citing a leaked recording it obtained.
The remarks by CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani earlier this month came just before the news that the network had hired Mick Mulvaney, who briefly served as former President Donald Trump's chief of staff, as an analyst. The decision sparked internal backlash, The Post reported.
While serving in the Trump administration, Mulvaney regularly launched attacks on the "fake news" media. In February 2020, he accused journalists of exaggerating the impact of the coronavirus to damage Trump. Mulvaney also played a key role in the campaign to pressure Ukraine to smear Joe Biden, which resulted in Trump's first impeachment.
In an apparent attempt to lay the groundwork for the announcement of Mulvaney's hiring, Khemlani told morning-show staff that hiring Republicans would give the network better coverage, The Post reported.
"If you look at some of the people that we've been hiring on a contributor basis, being able to make sure that we are getting access to both sides of the aisle is a priority because we know the Republicans are going to take over, most likely, in the midterms," Khemlani said, according to The Post.
"A lot of the people that we're bringing in are helping us in terms of access to that side of the equation."
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Political analysts widely expect the Republican Party to make significant gains in the midterms, with President Biden's poll rating sagging due to inflation, foreign policy performance, and other economic issues, according to a recent NBC News poll.
If the "red wave" of Republican victories materializes as many expect, the Democrats would lose control of the House and Senate, stymieing Biden's plans for domestic reform on issues ranging from the environment to voting rights.
Relations between the media and the White House were at historic lows during Trump's term as president, with top officials frequently railing against the press and picking fights with individual reporters.
Many news outlets also accused Trump and senior officials of spreading falsehoods and misinformation on issues including the COVID-19 pandemic and voter fraud.
Several former Trump officials have gone on to be employed as analysts on conservative-leaning networks, including Fox News and Newsmax, though few have found regular gigs on mainstream networks.
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