The Republican National Committee has told NBC News it will not continue with plans for a scheduled February 26 debate on NBC–fallout from what Republican leaders say was a mishandled debate this week on CNBC.
“CNBC network is one of your media properties, and its handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a letter to NBC News chairman Andrew Lack. “We simply cannot continue with NBC without full consultation with our campaigns.”
NBC responded, saying in a statement “this is a disappointing development. However, along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party.”
The RNC says it will still hold a debate on Feb. 26, without NBC. “We understand that NBC does not exercise full editorial control over CNBC’s journalistic approach. However, the network is an arm of your organization, and we need to ensure there is not a repeat performance,” wrote Priebus.