‘Was a Blatant Lie’: DeSantis Team Rejects Andrea Mitchell Saying She Was ‘Imprecise’ on Gov’s Education Views, Vow to Freeze Out NBC

Andrea Mitchell’s on-air admission that she did not correctly summarize Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s position on teaching history was not well-received by the governor’s team.

On Wednesday, Mitchell wrapped up her show by admitting she was “imprecise” in an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris where she suggested DeSantis doesn’t want slavery taught in schools.

“Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about Black history and the Black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?” Mitchell asked Harris.

After the comment was disputed by DeSantis’ team, Mitchell took to the air and claimed she was “imprecise,” but she also dug into DeSantis and his efforts keeping Critical Race Theory and “woke” materials out of schools.

Mitchell said:

“In my interview last Friday with Vice President Harris, I was imprecise in summarizing Governor DeSantis’ position about teaching slavery in schools. Governor DeSantis is not opposed to teaching the fact of slavery in schools, but he has opposed the teaching of an African American studies curriculum as well as the use of some authors and source materials that historians and teachers say makes it all but impossible for students to understand the broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath in the years since.”

DeSantis deputy press secretary Jeremy Redfern blasted Mitchell’s correction in a message that was shared by other DeSantis spokespeople like Bryan Griffin and Christina Pushaw.

“Once again, [Andrea Mitchell] is ‘imprecise’ in her description because she relies on unnamed ‘historians and teachers.’ Florida statute requires the teaching of slavery and its aftermath. We just know that ‘queer studies’ has nothing to do with Jim Crow,” Redfern tweeted.

He also included a link to the Florida Department of Education website and the state’s requirements for teaching slavery and Black history.

“Saying one was ‘imprecise,’ when what they said was a blatant lie, is not an apology. @MSNBC/@NBCNews should not be viewed as an objective media organization. Stop letting the corporate media be the gatekeepers of truth,” Redfern wrote.

The consequence of this reaction may be that DeSantis will cut ties completely with MSNBC and NBC if Mitchell did not issue a correction.

Mitchell’s “imprecise” comments were made the day Griffin posted the threat that DeSantis would skip all NBC Universal-related appearances.

Taryn Fenske, communications director for DeSantis’ office, tweeted after Mitchell’s comments that the MSNBC host owes an apology to both DeSantis and the vice president.

“[Andrea Mitchell] not only owes an apology to [Ron DeSantis], but also to [Kamala Harris]
for baiting her into another lie & verbal mess,” she tweeted. “Doubling down on an ‘imprecise’ statement is NOT an apology.”

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