Marc Short, the former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence and a longtime Republican consultant, has been named a contributor to both NBC News‘ “Meet the Press” and CNBC, according to three people familiar with the matter,
Short is expected to appear on “Meet the Press” this Sunday, according to one of these people. He has taken part in the program several times in recent years when not affiliated with an active campaign, turning up as recently as January. Short has typically appeared during the show’s panel section, providing a perspective from the right.
Both NBC News and CNBC declined to make executives available for comment.
Involving both an NBC News program and one of the NBCUniversal cable-news outlets in the same contributor package is somewhat unique, but there may be reason behind it. CNBC enjoyed a contributor relationship with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member, but he managed to create a “carve out” condition that allowed him to appear on Sunday programs that were not affiliated with NBC News. Gottlieb would go on to become one of the most frequent guests in the history of CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” where his expertise during the coronavirus pandemic was in high demand.
The new contributor relationship may also show NBC News and CNBC preparing for more intense coverage of the 2024 presidential election, a news cycle that typically draws more viewership and spurs higher ratings for news programs.
Short has worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and chief of staff for former Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. He also worked as Director of Legislative Affairs in the Trump administration for parts of 2017 and 2018.
