Former liberal MSNBC host Ed Schultz hit the Hillary Clinton team for its attacks on Russia and RT, the Russian-owned TV network that now employs him.
A new profile on Schultz looks at his evolution from sportscaster to liberal commentator to Trump-sympathizing populist on RT.
“The Clinton camp is trying to do all it can to connect Donald Trump to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Schultz told the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi. “They’re trying to cast anyone on RT in a negative light. I think it’s deplorable. We’re journalists. We’re fair. We have correspondents all over the world. Yes, part of our funding comes from the government. But so does the BBC. So does the Canadian Broadcasting Network. The mainstream depiction of RT is a travesty. It’s dishonest.”
Critics say RT operates as an overtly sympathetic mouthpiece for the Russian government and President-elect Trump, during his campaign and since his election, and has taken a more conciliatory tone with Putin than President Obama.
Trump has defended his posture on Russia as a matter of fostering friendlier relations with the Kremlin.
As Farhi noted in his profile on Schultz, however, the host was one time a fierce critic of Trump — he called Trump a “racist” for questioning Obama’s birthplace — and Clinton once called him a “personal friend.”
