Joe Scarborough took aim at his own employer Wednesday, arguing that MSNBC is “exactly the same” as Fox News Channel.
Scarborough was sparring with his “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski over the Republican National Committee’s ultimatum to NBC and CNN to drop planned productions about Hillary Clinton or risk losing the right to broadcast GOP presidential debates in 2016.
When Brzezinski suggested that it’s hypocritical for Republicans to cry foul at CNN and NBC when the party has its “own network” — a reference to Fox News – Scarborough said that liberal-leaning MSNBC is analogous to the conservative cable news channel.
“Every time you bring up Fox, you gotta to bring up MSNBC,” he said.
Brzezinski said that, unlike Fox News chief Roger AIles, MSNBC isn’t trying to prop up prospective presidential candidates.
“And everything you read is that Roger Ailes gets behind Republican candidates, he hires them, he puts them on the air,” she said. “It is a mouthpiece for the Republican Party.”
Scarborough later drew a comparison between the primetime programming on MSNBC and Fox News.
“I can’t be quiet here. What do you think MSNBC is at night?” Scarborough said.
“It’s not the same at all,” Brzezinski said.
“It is exactly the same,” Scarborough fired back.
By the end of the conversation, the conservative pundit and former Republican congressman joked that his candor would lead to his firing.
Watch highlights from the segment:
