MSNBC Does Not Air White House Press Briefing Live, Sticks With Regular Programming

For the first time in nearly a month, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders held an on-camera press briefing. This was also the first time Sanders held the briefing since CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta was banned from the White House and had his press credentials restored.

However, while both CNN and Fox News carried the briefing live on air, MSNBC decided to instead monitor the presser and continue with its regular programming.

While CNN and Fox News carry the White House press briefing live, MSNBC continues with regular programming. pic.twitter.com/84jIOgDdns

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) November 27, 2018

With Sanders bringing along chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow and National Security Adviser John Bolton, MSNBC host Chris Jansing told her audience that the network was “keeping a close ear to what’s happening right now. If any news is made, we’ll certainly bring it to you.”

While showing a graphic highlighting that this was only the fourth briefing since Labor Day and that the previous three only totaled 101 minutes combined — 38 of those minutes from briefers other than Sanders — Jansing explained that “today’s briefing comes amid a slate of plot twists in the special counsel’s investigation into Russia and its interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.”

As the briefing continued, Jansing tossed it a couple times to White House correspondent Hans Nichols, who was reporting from outside the White House, to get updates. But they did not flip to the briefing while it was live.

Earlier this month, MSNBC decided to not air what was initially advertised as an immigration policy speech from President Donald Trump, with host Nicolle Wallace saying that “in an abundance of caution” they decided to monitor his remarks because the president has “used immigration in blatantly political ways.” In the end, Trump delivered a campaign-style speech that focused on fearmongering about the migrant caravan while not providing any actual policy changes or suggestions.

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.