Meredith Simons
Keith Olbermann just found out the hard way that it’s acceptable to be a politically biased news commentator, but not a politically active one. MSNBC has suspended the liberal host indefinitely and without pay, after it became known that Olbermann donated $7,200 to three Democratic candidates before the midterm elections. According to Politico , the donations violate NBC policy that forbids employees from making political contributions. Mediaite called MSNBC President Phil Griffin’s reaction to the news “immediate and shocking.” Griffin said he became aware of the donations Thursday night. Olbermann admitted to making the three $2,400 donations in a statement obtained by Politico, noting that it was the first time that he had ever given money to a campaign. “One week ago, on the night of Thursday October 28 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the reelection campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords,” Olbermann said. “I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky.”
Story Compliments Of Slate.com / Mediaite
