Anti-Trump radio host and ex-GOP Congressman Joe Walsh lashed out over reports MSNBC benched Muslim anchors amid the Israel-Hamas war — which MSNBC vehemently denies.

Semafor’s Max Tani filed a report Friday that made an explosive charge: ” MSNBC has quietly taken three of its Muslim broadcasters out of the anchor’s chair since Hamas’s attack on Israel last Saturday,” Tani wrote in the tweet promoting the story.

The premise of the article is that MSNBC hosts Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Velshi, and Mehdi Hasan have been sidelined in the face of pro-Israel sentiment — a charge that MSNBC vehemently denies, and denied when Tani contacted them about the story.

But Walsh said Saturday that he has sources — whom he did not identify — who say the allegation is true and blasted MSNBC in a post on X/Twitter:

I’ve been told this is true. That @MSNBC has silenced three of its Muslim broadcasters since the Hamas attack. This is utter bullshit. This is wrong. @AliVelshi , @mehdirhasan , & @AymanM are total pros – objective, tough, fair journalists. I may disagree on their perspective on the Middle East, but we need to hear their perspective. Shame on MSNBC.

Walsh also responded to a user who pushed back:

Respectfully, the article doesn’t talk about their reporting. The article says they’ve been pulled out of their anchor chairs since the war started. Big difference. And, if true, despicable. Will @AliVelshi be anchoring his show this am? @mehdirhasan @AymanM https://t.co/bMDwE8zcZY

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 14, 2023

An NBCU News Group spokesman told Mediaite in a statement that “We have and will continue to cover the barbaric terrorist attacks on defenseless civilians in Israel last weekend and the tragic war it has provoked thoroughly and in all their dimensions.”

And a source with knowledge pointed out additional background in addition to what MSNBC gave Tani to paint a different picture. Tani noted “Mohyeldin has appeared on several programs on MSNBC as a guest including shows hosted by Reid and Chris Hayes,” and that “Hasan’s Peacock show is taped, and the network official said his show was shelved in favor of keeping coverage on the NBC streaming service more up-to-date.”

But in addition, the source pointed out that Symone Sanders-Townsend and Lindsey Reiser have had their schedules affected by coverage needs, and that Velshi has been reporting from Israel every day, getting more air time than he gets most weeks. In fact, as of Friday night, Velshi has been on air 39 times and Mohyeldin 15 times since the news broke.

Moyheldin joined Alex Witt for a segment Saturday afternoon, and is scheduled to co-anchor several hours later in the day, while Velshi tweeted Saturday morning to announce he’s on his way home, and to urge viewers to watch his colleagues:

Hi friends. I’ve left Israel. Please tune in to my colleagues @AliciaMenendez @LindseyReiser @AlexWitt & @jrpsaki, who will be providing special @MSNBC coverage of the Israel/Hamas war in the times during which @VelshiMSNBC would normally air this weekend.

— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) October 14, 2023

The source was vehement that “no one is being benched.”

Tani also reported, through emails and chat logs, that the war has created a significant divide among MSNBC employees behind the scenes.

“Many people, not only here, but across the country and the world, have understandably been struggling to comprehend the horrors that occurred last weekend and the ensuing war. We are giving our team members the support and space that they need during this time.” NBCUniversal News Group Executive Vice President of Communications Stephen Labaton told Tani in a statement.

The post ‘This Is Bullsh*t!’ Anti-Trump Host Lashes Out Over Report MSNBC Benched Muslim Anchors — Which MSNBC Vehemently Denies first appeared on Mediaite.

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