Gov. Ron DeSantis will boycott NBC Universal and its affiliates until MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell "corrects the blatant lie" about the Florida governor's stance on Black history in schools, DeSantis' press secretary said.
During an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, Mitchell incorrectly said DeSantis was against teaching Florida students about slavery and its aftermath.
In truth, DeSantis in April signed a law that prevents school districts from teaching critical race theory. The Republican also has targeted the removal of books from elementary and middle schools that talk explicitly about sex.
Following criticism of her comments, Mitchell ended her Wednesday show by saying she had been "imprecise in summarizing Governor DeSantis' position about teaching slavery in schools."
However, she added that DeSantis "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."
Minutes after Mitchell said she had been "imprecise," DeSantis' press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said the governor would not consider doing anything related to NBC.
"I think we need to take a step back," Griffin tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "There will be no consideration of anything related to NBC Universal or its affiliates until and at least Andrea Mitchell corrects the blatant lie she made about the governor ([Governor DeSantis] says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren" – this is false), and NBC and its affiliates display a consistent track record of truthful reporting. Please feel free to pass this up and around the network."
Griffin introduced that statement by saying: "To all of the bookers and producers reaching out to our office from @NBCNews and @MSNBC for @GovRonDeSantis to join your shows, this will be the standard response from our office until @mitchellreports apologizes and your track record improves."
Earlier this month, the College Board revised its new Advanced Placement (AP) high school course on African American studies after DeSantis said it was based on a "political agenda."
He later said he wants to reevaluate the state's relationship with the College Board.
DeSantis, generally considered a top contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, could announce his entry into the race after the Florida legislative session ends.
A new nonprofit group is helping the governor expand his reputation outside of his state. "And to the Republic" is the name of the group that hosted events DeSantis held Monday in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago, Politico reported.
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