Leaked recording shows CBS made widely criticized Mick Mulvaney hiring to get more 'access' to GOP
CBS News this week came under fierce criticism when it decided to hire former Trump White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to serve as an on-air commentator.
A leaked recording given to the Washington Post now reveals that CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani told staffers that he wanted to bring on Mulvaney to get more "access" to Republicans going forward.
“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,” he said. “A lot of the people that we’re bringing in are helping us in terms of access to that side of the equation.”
Mulvaney has been a particularly controversial hire because of the way he zealously defended Trump's actions, no matter how seemingly indefensible.
In 2019, for example, he flat-out said that Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine as part of a quid-pro-quo arrangement, and also claimed the media was trying to "bring down the president" with its coverage of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
One CBS News employee who spoke with the Washington Post said that the decision to hire Mulvaney has badly hurt morale at the network.
"I know everyone I talked to today was embarrassed about the hiring," they said.
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