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Ex-MSNBC producer: Andrew Yang was on 'list' of 2020 Dems banned from appearing on Lawrence O'Donnell's show
By Joseph Wulfsohn
Published November 23, 2020
A former MSNBC producer claimed that 2020 candidate Andrew Yang was barred from appearing on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" during the Democratic primary.
Ariana Pekary, who left her role in August as an "integral member" of O'Donnell's primetime show, appeared on Yang's podcast "Yang Speaks," but on Twitter shed some light on what went on behind the scenes at MSNBC in response to an article about the slanted media coverage of the outsider candidate.
ANDREW YANG WON'T RETURN TO MSNBC UNTIL THEY APOLOGIZE 'ON-AIR' TO HIS CAMPAIGN
"Actually, I just reviewed my journal. On 4/25/19, I was told that we were never to pursue Andrew for an interview on our show (along with several others)," Pekary tweeted on Sunday. "The list of candidates was dictated, but the reasons for allowing them or not were not explained."
She later added, "To be clear the list was unique to The Last Word (did not come from upper [management]). And looking back, I’m somewhat surprised by the list -- who was in, who was out (somewhat but not entirely). Some 'friends' of the show were out, others were in."
Yang's former Democratic primary competitor Marianne Williamson weighed in on Pekary's revelation.
"The political/media industrial complex had a pre-prescribed conversation, and a pre-prescribed list of people they were willing to allow into the conversation," Williamson said. "What voters were presented with was an illusion of choice."
In a follow-up conversating with Yang, Pekary named other candidates that were on the "list" including Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Washington, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who Pekary was specifically remembered having a "question mark" next to her name.
Yang told Pekary that the revelation brought a "sense of relief" to him and his fans who have long speculated that MSNBC had a bias against him.
MSNBC did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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Yang, who is now a CNN contributor, had a bitter feud with MSNBC during the Democratic primary over a dozen instances of the candidate being omitted from on-air graphics showing polls, which often included candidates who were doing worse than him.
He even at one point set a self-imposed boycott of MSNBC until the network offered an apology.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/msnbc-producer-andrew-yang-list