'Embarrassed' CBS staffers react to controversial hiring of former Trump White House official Mick Mulvaney
This week, CBS News caused quite a stir by announcing its decision to hire Mick Mulvaney, who served as one of the acting chiefs of staff and Office of Management and Budget director for the Trump administration.
According to The Washington Post, CBS News staffers were not pleased with Mulvaney being brought on as a contributor due to his history of echoing false claims perpetuated by former President Donald Trump. In fact, Mulvaney also reportedly had a habit of "bashing the press. " Per the news outlet, staffers’ reception was described as "chilly."
Multiple employees weighed in with their opinion of Mulvaney's hiring. Per Yahoo! News, one CBS News employee explained how baffling the hiring is to many staffers. "'I know everyone I talked to today was embarrassed about the hiring,' mostly due to Mulvaney's history of inaccurate comments, one CBS News employee told the Post. Another employee said 'everyone is baffled' by the hire."
However, CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani has defended Mulvaney's hiring. The Post reportedly referenced a recording of Khemlani saying it "seemed to lay the groundwork for the decision in a staff meeting earlier this month, when he said the network needed to hire more Republicans to prepare for a 'likely' Democratic midterm wipeout."
"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, per the recording. "A lot of the people that we're bringing in are helping us in terms of access to that side of the equation."
Despite the opposition, CBS News is standing strong on its stance. In a statement relelased on Wednesday, March 30, a spokesperson for the television network insists CBS is focused on bringing on individuals from both sides of the political aisle.
The spokesperson said, "CBS News is continuing to build up its roster of contributors on both sides of the aisle ahead of the midterms and the 2024 election."
