Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel said this week that those convicted following the Jan. 6, 2021 protest at the Capitol should not be freed. The comments came shortly after McDaniel stepped down from her longtime role as RNC chair and was hired as a political analyst by NBC News and MSNBC.
McDaniel told NBC Meet the Press host Kristen Welker that she would not free those convicted after Jan. 6. She said that the “violence that happened on January 6 is unacceptable. It doesn’t represent our country. It certainly does not represent my party.”
“We should not be attacking the Capitol. We should not be having violence. I said it that day,” McDaniel said.
“I put a statement out that day that this is not acceptable. If you attacked our Capitol and you have been convicted, then that should stay,” she added.
The weepy reaction of NBC on-air talent to Ronna McDaniel is downright bizarre, appallingly unprofessional and mean (if not informed by a spirit of cowardice and fear of their audience), and oh so very telling.
— Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* (@EsotericCD) March 24, 2024
The back-and-forth came as the network agreed to bring the former GOP chief on as an analyst, which received pushback from the network’s on-air figures.
McDaniel became RNC chair after a personal endorsement from former President Donald Trump after her performance helping him win Michigan in 2016.
However, McDaniel also received considerable criticism from conservatives over the results of a number of races in 2018, 2020 and 2020. She faced a significant challenge from former Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who was backed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), but McDaniel retained Trump’s support.
However, the former president said earlier this year that it might be time for changes at the RNC.
McDaniel announced that she would step down after the Michigan primary as Trump began to sew up the delegates needed for the GOP presidential nomination.
The departure of McDaniel offered a significant opportunity to restructure the Republican Party and install a number of figures loyal to Trump personally. This included voting in his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as the RNC’s co-chair.
Lara Trump has promised to use any resources possible to elect Trump in November, which she called the RNC’s top priority.
