Al Sharpton's MSNBC suspension requested by Black church coalition due to Harris campaign donations.

Rev. Al Sharpton's nonprofit received $500,000 in donations from Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, prompting a coalition of Black churches to demand that MSNBC suspend and investigate him.

The National Black Church Initiative wrote Tuesday, urging MSNBC to investigate the Harris campaign's payment, stating that this action tarnishes the moral integrity of the Black Church.

The coalition, comprising 150,000 churches and 27.7 million members nationwide, is deeply troubled by the reports that one of its leaders is suspected of selling their voting support to Kamala Harris's campaign.

"The coalition stated in a Facebook post that they will support Rev. Sharpton's suspension until the investigation is complete. They added that free, open, objective, and transparent press is crucial in preserving the integrity of our democracy."

The National Action Network received two $250,000 donations from the Harris campaign prior to a friendly interview with Sharpton on Oct. 20.

MSNBC was previously unaware of the donations made to Sharpton's nonprofit, but did not disclose whether the host had been disciplined. The network suspended Joe Scarborough and Keith Olbermann in 2010 due to political donations.

Sharpton has not addressed the matter.

"Rev. Sharpton is cherished and respected by numerous individuals in our coalition, but this does not diminish the fact that he faces substantial moral and journalism ethics issues concerning the payment or donation to the National Action Network, as Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, stated in the group's statement. "We will continue to pray for him.""

A spokesperson for MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Society of Professional Journalists condemned Sharpton and MSNBC for their perceived conflict of interest, stating that it undermines the trust of their viewers and tarnishes the reputation of both the network and the journalism profession.

"The media ethics group stated that this type of entanglement damages the trustworthiness of the journalist, the news organization, and journalism as a whole, and restoring credibility is challenging. However, despite Sharpton's self-proclaimed non-journalist status, many viewers perceive him as one."

In the weeks before Election Day, the Democratic presidential nominee paid several media figures, including Sharpton, ahead of or after interviews.

In October, Harris interviewed on Nu Vision Media's streaming program, which was funded by her campaign to the tune of $350,000, as reported in FEC filings first by The New York Times.

A former CNN contributor disclosed to the Times that the funds were for advertising purposes.

Harpo Productions received two $500,000 payments from the campaign on Oct. 15, a month after Winfrey's town hall with Harris. These payments were for production costs, as Harpo Productions informed Variety.