MSNBC was "unaware" that the Harris campaign had given $500K to Al Sharpton's group before the friendly interview.

MSNBC was "unaware" that Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign made a $500,000 payment to Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network nonprofit before a friendly interview with the Democratic nominee ahead of Election Day.

On Oct. 20, Harris had a friendly interview with Sharpton, an open supporter of the Democratic Party. However, after Harris lost to President-elect Trump, FEC filings showed that the Harris campaign made two $250,000 donations to Sharpton's nonprofit organization in September and October. Despite this, Sharpton did not disclose the contributions or the potential conflict of interest to viewers before or after the interview.

The National Action Network received donations without MSNBC's knowledge, according to an MSNBC spokesperson who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.

According to a report, Sharpton did not inform "network brass" that his nonprofit received money from the Harris campaign, and MSNBC declined to say if Sharpton would face consequences.

MSNBC declined to provide additional comment to Planet Chronicle Digital, despite Sharpton's recent appearance on "Morning Joe" on Monday.

Last month, Harris was interviewed on MSNBC's "PoliticsNation" for a friendly chat, which coincided with her 60th birthday.

"What do you want, 50 years from now, history to say about Kamala Harris?" Sharpton asked, reflecting on the significance of birthdays and the meaning of life.

"I hope that my life will have proven to be a life dedicated to fighting for the people's dignity," Harris stated.

Sharpton compared Harris to Ms. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress who ran for president in 1972, stating that "some little girl or little boy is gonna be talking about you like you talked about Ms. Shirley Chisholm."

The Society of Professional Journalists criticized MSNBC's handling of the story, calling it a "black eye" on both the network and journalism. Reporter Chuck Ross on X reported that MSNBC ignored inquiries related to the story until the Society of Professional Journalists spoke out.

MSNBC has experienced a decline in viewership among liberal viewers since Trump's victory over Harris on Election Day. The network has lost 42% of total day viewers and 52% of primetime viewers compared to its 2024 averages. Additionally, Comcast has announced plans to spin off its cable assets, including MSNBC, into a separate company, leaving MSNBC staff uncertain about the future of shared resources with NBC News.

A recent New York Times report unveiled that Sharpton wasn't the only media ally who received a payment from the campaign to his organization before their sit-down interview.

According to FEC filings, the campaign made a $350,000 payment to Nu Vision Media on September 9. Nu Vision Media is a media company run by progressive journalist Roland Martin, who interviewed Harris on his streaming program in October.

The former CNN contributor told the Times the payment was for advertising.

"According to the report, he stated that it should have been a lot more and more should have been spent on Black-owned media."

According to FEC filings, the campaign made two $500,000 payments to Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions on Oct. 15, a month after Winfrey's town hall with Harris and weeks before the pair appeared at a Harris Philadelphia rally.

The Times reported that the full price of the event with Winfrey was closer to $2.5 million, according to Harris allies.

A spokesperson for Harpo Productions admitted to Variety that the company received funds from the campaign, stating that it was used for "production expenses."

This article was written by Stepheny Price, Kristine Parks, and Lindsay Kornick of Planet Chronicle.