Say Hello to NBC News' Latest Political Analyst

If Ronna McDaniel needed a long vacation after stepping down from her seven-year role as the head of the Republican National Committee, she's putting that break off till later. The 51-year-old is starting a new gig as political analyst for both NBC News and MSNBC, with her first appearance set for Sunday on Meet the Press, an NBC rep confirms to Politico. McDaniel's addition to the network's talent roster "adds a reliably conservative voice to NBC's stable of political analysts," notes the New York Times, which first reported on her new job Friday morning.

• An NBC welcome: "It couldn't be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna's on the team," Carrie Budoff Brown, who heads the news outlet's political coverage, said in a memo, adding that McDaniel would offer "an insider's perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party." A big part of her duties will be providing her takes on the 2024 election, including during coverage on election nights.

• Pushback: Not everyone is thrilled with the hiring choice. "What is NBC News even thinking?" writes Tori Otten for the New Republic, raising an eyebrow at McDaniel's history of backing up Donald Trump's election-fraud claims. "Her hiring looks more like a shameless grab for viewers," Otten notes.
• Precedence: Other conservatives who've recently popped by as contributors on NBC include Marc Short, who used to serve as former VP Mike Pence's chief of staff; and Brendan Buck, an adviser back in the day for then-House Speaker Paul Ryan and also press secretary for Ryan's predecessor, John Boehner. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side of the aisle, MSNBC has over the past couple of years recruited former White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Symone Sanders, a former rep for Vice President Kamala Harris.

(More Ronna McDaniel stories.)