NBC News’ Chuck Todd Compliments RNC’s Decision To Block NBC From GOP Primary Debates

UPDATE: RNC Responds to CNN Hire of Participant Media Exec Courtney Sexton

NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd — the guy who complained NBC News would only “own the negative” aspects of NBC Entertainment’s planned Hillary Clinton miniseries, seemed in a much better mood this morning, after NBC Entertainment said late Friday the mini might never be programmed. Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Todd said the Republication National Committee’s announcement Friday morning that it would block NBC from the GOP primary debates because of the miniseries (as well as CNN, over its planned Hillary Clinton docu) was “smart” if it limited the number of GOP primary debates, weeding out fame seekers. “About half the Republican field from 2012, if they didn’t have the debates, they would not have run. They simply ran for exposure — to get a talk show…to get a radio deal, a column, or a deal with Fox [News]. It wasn’t really because they thought they had a viable shot,” Todd said. He added, “One of the things in the whole celebrification of the presidential cycle is that it has allowed for this underbelly of candidates to say ‘Hey, I can show up, I get to be on national television’.” He then imagined if the RNC “had put as much effort as they put into this, to getting immigration reform passed.”

Related: RNC Votes To Block CNN, NBC From Primary Debates

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