MSNBC silent on Joe Scarborough keynote speech

By DYLAN BYERS 

Back in February, MSNBC host Ed Schultz was forced to cancel his keynote address at a Democratic fundraising event in Florida due to a network policy prohibiting hosts from participating in political fundraisers.

But now that MSNBC host Joe Scarborough is scheduled to give a keynote address at a Republican fundraising event in New Hampshire, MSNBC has gone silent. Lauren Skowronski, the network's vice president of media relations, did not respond to four emails requesting comment on Scarborough's attendance at the event. (She did respond to an email wishing her a happy birthday.)

Scarborough is slated to speak at the Cheshire County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in May, and a source close to MSNBC's "Morning Joe" said he plans to speak at the event. As Huffington Post's Michael Calderone reported earlier, tickets range from $35 to $50 and go directly to the the Cheshire County Republicans.

When MSNBC pulled the plug on Schultz's Florida fundraiser, Skowronski said Schultz had not realized the event was a fundraiser when he agreed to deliver the keynote. Scarborough's role at the Cheshire County event is certain; his appearance was reportedly secured by State Republican Party Chair Jennifer Horn.

In March, Scarborough appeared at New Hampshire's Northeast Republican Leadership Conference. MSNBC said he was a "discussion moderator," but one attendee - Jazz Shaw, an editor at the conservative Hot Air website - noted that he delivered a "speech" which earned "a standing ovation." Republican New Hampshire state Rep. Joseph Sweeney said Scarborough "energized the crowd" and was hailed as "a rock star." Tickets for that event ran from $50 to $199, with sponsorship options ranging from $500 to $10,000. All proceeds went to the New Hampshire Republicans.

Scarborough declined to comment on the appearance, though in a new blog post for POLITICO (where he is a contributor) he wrote about his desire to address conservatives when discussing his new book about the Republican party.

"Chances are good that on this book tour, I will get a lot more invitations to Lincoln Day dinners and Republican events than Democratic club meetings on New York’s Upper West Side," he wrote. The people I want to infleunce "don't live in Manhattan, Georgetown, or Beverly Hills. Instead, the voters who will have a big say in shaping the future of the Republican Party live in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. So I will take any opportunity to share my thoughts with these and other influencers on how Republicans can start winning presidential elections again."

If MSNBC lets him, that is. And if they do, it will be hard to justify why they didn't let Ed Schultz speak to Florida Democrats.