NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Ken Strickland sent the following internal memo to staff announcing DC political correspondent assignments:
As we now prepare to cover a new administration and Congress, I’m excited to share a few key shifts among our correspondent lineup to strengthen our reach:
Hallie Jackson becomes an NBC News White House correspondent, joining our outstanding team at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Over the last year and a half, Hallie has earned a reputation as a tireless and versatile reporter covering the roller coaster Republican primary battle and the rise of President-elect Donald Trump. Her reporting will serve NBC News on all network platforms as well as on MSNBC, where she will continue to anchor the 10am hour on weekdays.
Kristen Welker, who covered Hillary Clinton’s campaign alongside Andrea Mitchell, continues her seasoned run on the White House beat where her experience will be indispensable as we cover the new administration. Before hitting the 2016 trail, where she broke stories like Biden’s decision not to run, Kristen covered the Obama administration for the last five years, traveling extensively with the President and First Lady both domestically and internationally. She will also continue as a guest anchor for “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” “MTP Daily,” and other shows on both NBC News and MSNBC.
Katy Tur, our lead reporter on the Trump campaign day in and day out since June of last year, will continue her essential role in our political coverage from New York and anchor MSNBC’s 2pm hour through the first 100 days of the Trump administration. More to come soon.
Kasie Hunt returns to her familiar stomping grounds further down Pennsylvania Avenue, now as the NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent. Kasie hustled throughout the campaign season – first covering the Republican field, then the Sanders campaign, and then joining our Clinton team – and now she will leverage her experience on the Hill to report on the new Congress for all network broadcasts.
Few know Capitol Hill like Kelly O’Donnell, who will now lead the Capitol Hill beat for MSNBC as the cable network presses forward with its strategic focus on live, breaking news. Kelly — a true pro with deep sourcing, institutional knowledge, and inside intel — will amplify MSNBC’s around-the-clock coverage of the legislative branch and as well as our reporting across all platforms.
National correspondent Peter Alexander, who also spent 2016 on the campaign trail, will resume his invaluable reporting and skilled storytelling on all platforms, and broaden his role for TODAY covering the political world and beyond. Peter will also continue as a frequent guest anchor for both MSNBC and NBC News.
Of course there is no one in the business like our chief foreign affairs correspondent, Andrea Mitchell. Andrea was not only “dean of the Clinton press corps” on the campaign trail, but she also left most of the press corps in her dust – all while delivering MSNBC’s biggest 12 p.m. total viewer audience ever for the year.
The success we all share would not be possible without the producers, crews, embeds, politics desk, and other behind-the-scenes teams who contribute to our collective work.
From the campaign and election into the transition, our political journalism stands out above the rest under the guidance of our political director Chuck Todd.
I’m confident it will continue to do so as these Peacocks take on their beats, effectively immediately.
Team ball.
