This week, MSNBC announced that it had punished weekend host Hugh Hewitt with a “verbal warning” for meetings he had with EPA chief Scott Pruitt regarding a clean up of a toxic-waste site near his home.
MSNBC’s discipline of Hewitt followed Politico’s report on Tuesday that Hewitt personally contacted EPA chief Scott Pruitt to arrange a meeting between Pruitt and a law firm that directly pays Hewitt and represents the Orange County Water District.
On Wednesday, MSNBC told The Daily Beast, “Hugh Hewitt disclosed several times to MSNBC viewers that he has a friendship with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and also that Hewitt’s son works for the agency. As a result of those relationships, Hewitt stopped discussing EPA-related matters on MSNBC. However, after the network learned Tuesday that Hewitt set up an EPA meeting in the fall, he was given a verbal warning as such activity is a violation of our standards.”
Yet, despite the fact that MSNBC host Joy Reid has lied about people hacking her website and posting remarks on her blog that she herself admitted were “homophobic, transphobic, sexist and bigoted,” MSNBC has not disciplined her.