RNC Votes To Lock Out NBC And CNN From Hosting 2016 Primary Debates

By Alex Weprin 

Just In: The Republican National Committee has unanimously passed a resolution locking out NBC News and CNN from hosting any 2016 GOP primary debates. The channels can still host debates, but the RNC will not sanction them, nor will they partner with them.

“There are forces out there that want to divide our party. But we’re not going to let them get in the way of our mission—whether they’re naysayers or news networks,” RNC chairman Reince Priebus said at an RNC meeting this morning. “That’s why we said to the media, with a united voice, that a network that spends millions to spotlight Hillary Clinton is a network with an obvious bias. And that’s a network that won’t be hosting a single Republican primary debate.”

The lockout is the result of an RNC campaign to get NBC and CNN to cancel programming both channels have ordered about former First lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. NBC ordered a miniseries about Clinton, and CNN ordered a feature film.

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The projects are not being produced by the news divisions of the companies, but that is largely irrelevant when it comes to public perception. Journalists at NBC News and CNN acknowledged that the projects were problematic for that very reason.

“We’re done putting up with this nonsense. There are plenty of other outlets. We’ll still reach voters, maybe more voters. But CNN and NBC anchors will just have to watch on their competitors’ networks,” Preibus said in his address.

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