MSNBC reports on new Bob Menendez indictment during daughter’s guest-host gig

 MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez found herself in an awkward position on Tuesday — breaking the news of her embattled father’s latest legal troubles.

Indicted US Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was hit with fresh allegations that a wealthy businessman pal showered the lawmaker with fancy gifts — including Formula One race tickets and a Patek Philippe watch — in exchange for an investment deal with a Qatari real estate firm.

Alicia Menendez was filling in for Nicolle Wallace as host of “Deadline: White House” when the Department of Justice slapped the senator with the superseding indictment.

“We have to take a quick break,” the senator’s daughter said with about five minutes left in her two-hour guest stint. “And we’ll be back with some breaking news right after this.”

After the commercials ended, Menendez was no longer on camera and MSNBC host Ari Melber greeted viewers with the latest allegations against the senator.

3

Alicia Menendez cut to a commercial after news of her father’s new charges broke. The host had vowed to not cover her father in September.

3

Bob Menendez was indicted in September for bribery charges and pleaded not guilty. He was slapped with a superseding indictment on Tuesday.

“Hello, I’m Ari Melber with some breaking legal news,” he said without providing viewers with an explanation for the change in hosts. “New Jersey United States Sen. Robert Menendez now facing new allegations in a second superseding indictment which was filed by a federal grand jury from his DOJ prosecution.”

Melber said he would delve into the charges on his show, “The Beat,” which would begin after the next break.

3

Ari Melber appeared after the break to deliver news of the senator’s latest legal troubles.

The anchor change was first reported by Mediaite and also noted by a Daily Beast reporter, who posted on X: “Towards the end of today’s broadcast of MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, anchor Alicia Menendez — filling in for Nicolle Wallace — hands off to Ari Melber to report Sen. Bob Menendez’s latest corruption charges. The New Jersey senator is the MSNBC host’s father.”

The scandal-plagued senator was indicted in September on bribery charges and pleaded not guilty.

After he was charged, his daughter told MSNBC viewers: “I will not be reporting on the legal case. That said, my colleagues across MSNBC and NBC News, they have aggressively covered this story, and they’ll continue to do so, as they should.”

https://nypost.com/2024/01/03/media/msnbc-reports-on-new-bob-menendez-indictment-during-daughters-guest-host-gig/