MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell gave a “postscript” to her show Wednesday and said she was “imprecise” after receiving criticism for making comments about Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
During a Friday interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, Mitchell asked why DeSantis didn’t want “slavery or the aftermath of slavery” to be taught in Florida schools. While DeSantis rejected an AP course in January that included components of Critical Race Theory and queer theory, he did not ban nor remove the study of black history or slavery from Florida’s curriculum.
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Mitchell acknowledged the lie on Wednesday, but went on to further criticize the governor. (RELATED: NYT Columnist John McWhorter Says DeSantis ‘Did The Right Thing’ By Prohibiting AP African American History Course)
“In my interview last Friday with Vice President Harris, I was imprecise in summarizing Governor DeSantis’ position about teaching slavery in schools,” Mitchell said. “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.”
Mitchell’s comment comes just as DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said the governor swore off all interviews with MSNBC and NBC until Mitchell “apologizes” and the network’s overall “track record improves.”