A former top star of MSNBC admitted on-air that the cable news network’s “conspiracy theorizing” about President Donald Trump have done “real damage” to liberal causes.
In an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher“, former MSNBC star Krystal Ball — who was also once a Democratic congressional nominee — said the network’s Trump-Russia conspiracy theory would cost Democrats at the ballot box.
“Overall, I think MSNBC, in the Trump era, has done real damage to the left and I’ll tell you why,” Ball said Friday.
“I say that with love, I mean, these are my former colleagues, friends. The Russia story and what happened there was important, but it was not all-important, and they went so far in the realm of conspiracy theorizing,” Ball continued.
Citing New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait’s claims that Trump had been a Russian asset since 1987, Ball said the Russian conspiracy was “ridiculous” and “so overhyped” by MSNBC that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report ultimately hurt Democrats.
“This is ridiculous, OK? This is way out from what journalistic facts said,” Ball said. “They built up expectations so much that when the report came out, you were like, ‘Oh, this is no big deal,’ when it was a big deal.”
Ball’s show “The Cycle” was cancelled in 2015. She now co-hosts a show on The Hill‘s website.
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She later said “nearly all” of her former coworkers were “swept up in the ratings bubble that was the feverish, Russian conspiracy theories” — and called out one liberal news woman by name.
“Rachel Maddow, you’ve got some explaining to do,” Ball.
"Overall, I think MSNBC in the Trump era has done real damage to the left, and I'll tell you why." Watch @KrystalBall critique her former network's coverage on #RTOvertime: pic.twitter.com/FvgNOD0ZgR
— Real Time with Bill Maher (@RealTimers) September 14, 2019
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