Ronna McDaniel Was Offered Better Contract to Appear on Both MSNBC and NBC News Before Her Abrupt Firing: Sources

Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel was offered a better and more lucrative contract to appear on both MSNBC and NBC News before she was fired by the network earlier this week, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In a surprising development to come after NBC announced that McDaniel would no longer appear on the cable news outlet as a paid contributor on Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter claimed that the ex-RNC chair was recruited to MSNBC by MSNBC President Rashida Jones.

NBC executives Rebecca Blumenstein and Carrie Budoff Brown were also reportedly behind the controversial decision to bring McDaniel to the network.

According to insiders who spoke to the Washington Post this week, McDaniel and Jones shared a one-on-one video call earlier this month after the pair were linked by Blumenstein and Brown.

While McDaniel was hesitant to appear on MSNBC due to the NBC outlet’s more liberal leanings, she ultimately agreed to appear on both MSNBC and NBC News after Jones, Blumenstein, and Brown offered her an “improved” contract.

Also surprising was the revelation that NBC and McDaniel’s professional relationship began even before McDaniel stepped down as chair of the Republican National Committee on March 8.

According to the Washington Post, NBC approached McDaniel late last year to help the network secure a Republican primary debate. The pair reportedly developed a rapport after the RNC agreed to let NBC host a debate.

McDaniel and NBC then reportedly discussed a potential contract last month when it became clear that McDaniel would be ousted as RNC chair.

NBC later announced McDaniel’s addition to the network as a paid contributor on Friday and, after suffering severe internal and external backlash over the decision, ultimately rescinded the offer on Tuesday.

“There is no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the News Group,” NBCU News Group Chairman Cesar Conde said on Tuesday night. “After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor.”

“No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned,” he continued. “Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal.”

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While Conde did acknowledge that the decision to hire McDaniel was a “collective recommendation by some members of [NBC’s] leadership team,” he did not cite Jones, Blumenstein, or Brown by name.

“I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down,” Conde said. “While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, McDaniel is prepared to sue NBC over her firing.

McDaniel reportedly demanded that she be paid in full for her initial two-year contract. She also slammed NBC for letting her go just days after the network recruited her.