'A major mistake': NBC’s partner for tonight’s GOP debate platforms election deniers

The third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami, Florida will be broadcasted Wednesday night on NBC, in partnership with a media company that has spent the last few years trafficking in conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election.

Salem Media Group – which also partnered with CNN in four presidential debates in 2016 — prominently features election deniers in its hosting lineup, according to a new report in the Washington Post. Salem notably had executive producer credits on the documentary "2000 Mules." That film, made by far-right pundit and convicted felon Dinesh D'Souza, falsely suggested that several swing states President Joe Biden narrowly won conducted their elections in a fraudulent manner (Reuters fact-checked the film's claims and concluded they were baseless). Additionally, one of Salem's top podcasters is attorney Jenna Ellis, who recently pleaded guilty to a felony in Fulton County, Georgia for her attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

"This is a major mistake for NBC," political historian Brian Rosenwald told the Post. "I think it really undermines their journalistic credibility."

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Salem, which was founded in 1974 with a stated mission "to provide the best outlets and platforms for the Christian message," is a major player in the broadcasting sphere. Its website shows the network has radio stations in 19 states and Washington, DC, and the Post reports that its programming is disseminated by more than 3,100 radio stations nationwide. The network is also fervently behind former President Donald Trump, hiring former Trump White House staffer Sebastian Gorka in 2020 along with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Former Congressman Joe Walsh (R-Illinois), who was a Salem radio host between 2013 and 2019, alleges the network forced him out of its lineup after he refused to "get on Team Trump."

"I told them I can only say what I believe every time I go on the radio, and that just couldn’t stand there. You could not stand there being even ambivalent to Trump," Walsh told the Post. "[Salem] brought in these idiots whose only cachet was they were Trump cheerleaders."

NBC's partnership with Salem was reportedly foisted upon the network by the Republican National Committee when it initially organized the debate, though the Post reports that the network will maintain "full editorial control" over the questions candidates will be asked. Tonight's debate stage will feature former Governor Chris Christie (R-New Jersey), Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Florida), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina). Donald Trump — the heavy frontrunner — will not be in attendance.

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