MSNBC Suspends Joe Scarborough

Suspended

MSNBC has suspended JOE SCARBOROUGH for making political contributions, the same infraction that led to KEITH OLBERMANN's suspension earlier this month. SCARBOROUGH will be kept off his "MORNING JOE" show for two days. The contributions were to friends and family members and totaled $4,000; NBC NEWS has taken a hard line on staffers' political contributions, even for those labeled commentators and acting as partisan on the air like SCARBOROUGH and OLBERMANN.

The suspension followed a request by POLITICO for comment from the network about evidence that SCARBOROUGH gave the donations, all at $500, to local Republican candidates in his PENSACOLA hometown.

"I recognize that I have a responsibility to honor the guidelines and conditions of my employment, and I regret that I failed to do so in this matter," a statement issued by SCARBOROUGH read. "I apologize to MSNBC and to anyone who has been negatively affected by my actions."

SCARBOROUGH hosted a radio show with his MSNBC co-host MIKA BRZEZINSKI for CITADEL MEDIA and previously hosted a show for WESTWOOD ONE; the CITADEL show went on "hiatus" in APRIL but SCARBOROUGH said in AUGUST that he would be returning to CITADEL Talk WABC-A/NEW YORK "soon."

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