MSNBC continues to feature Al Sharpton as both a guest and host despite the revelation that his nonprofit, National Action Network, received a substantial $500,000 from the Kamala Harris campaign shortly before he conducted a seemingly favorable interview with her. The Washington Free Beacon initially reported this transaction on November 12th, yet MSNBC claims it was "unaware" of the donation at the time.

Since the news broke, Sharpton's guest appearances on the network have seen a slight dip, dropping from 30 appearances between October 1st and November 11th to seven appearances following the report, including a spot on "Morning Joe." He also continues to host his weekend show, "PoliticsNation."

The Media Research Center (MRC) has been tracking Sharpton's appearances. Bill D'Agostino, a senior research analyst at MRC, criticized MSNBC's handling of the situation, telling Fox News Digital, “Every aspect of MSNBC’s handling of this case demonstrates a wild disregard for journalistic standards. They ignored the story for days, then pled ignorance and moved on.” He expressed skepticism that the network would take any meaningful action, predicting Sharpton's on-air presence would soon return to normal levels.

The Harris campaign made two separate donations of $250,000 each to Sharpton's organization in September and October, according to FEC filings. The interview, which aired on October 20th, included Sharpton offering Harris birthday wishes and comparing her to influential Democrat Shirley Chisholm. Sharpton did not disclose the campaign contributions to viewers or to MSNBC, as reported by the Free Beacon.

D'Agostino highlighted MSNBC's heavy promotion of the interview, noting at least 17 promotional instances in the days surrounding its airing, several of which featured Sharpton discussing the interview himself. An MSNBC spokesperson, when contacted by the Free Beacon, simply stated that the network was "unaware" of the donations and has not provided further comment. This lack of transparency has drawn criticism from figures like MRC president Brent Bozell, who called Sharpton a “racial ambulance chaser” and questioned his continued role as a news host.

Internal reactions at MSNBC range from discomfort to outright disapproval, with one employee describing the situation as “grifty and gross” and expressing concern about the implications of such large sums of money being exchanged with someone in Sharpton's position. This employee questioned whether Sharpton should even be considered a journalist and expressed a feeling that the situation resembled “pay to play.”