Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max SYMONE SANDERS doesn’t really care if you don’t think she’ll cover the Biden administration fairly. “I think about every white man who has worked in politics, who has worked for a president or a vice president, or gotten a president or vice president elected who has gone onto host a television show or have a successful media career,” she said. “Nobody has ever asked them if they need to reintroduce themselves.” The former press secretary for Vice President KAMALA HARRIS says she feels no need to reintroduce herself as anchor of her new weekly program, “Symone,” which premieres Saturday on MSNBC. For Sanders, the new show presents an opportunity to tackle subjects the way she wants to; and that, she insists, won’t involve regurgitating talking points on behalf of someone else. “I’m not the spokesperson for the Biden administration. It’s just me,” she said. “That’s why the name of the show is ‘Symone.’ I’ve spent my career being the spokesperson for other people, now I have something to say.” “I’ve had a run in with just about everyone in the press corps,” she said, laughing. “Now it’s my turn to put my money where my mouth is, when I talk about covering real stories that people care about and not high class gossip.” The product will, of course, speak for itself. But Sanders is far from the first former administration official to get questions about navigating the revolving door between politics and political television. During the previous administration, CNN took tremendous heat when it briefly employed COREY LEWANDOWSKI following his stint as DONALD TRUMP ’s 2016 presidential campaign manager. The network also was forced to backtrack on its decision to hire former Trump Department of Justice spokesperson SARAH ISGUR for a newsroom editorial role. JEN PSAKI, who announced on Thursday that she’ll be leaving the White House later this month, faced some uncomfortable questions when news leaked about her almost-certain landing at MSNBC as an on-air host in the near future. ABC News’ decision to hire GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS in 1996 following his stint as a communications official on the Clinton campaign and then in the White House was described by media ethicists as a “disturbing phenomenon.” But that was then. The television industry is less disturbed these days. It’s practically expected that any high profile administration figure who leaves a post will at least entertain the idea of picking up a side gig as a broadcast analyst or commentator. There may still be fears that such high ranking officials would fill television news shows with propaganda but those tend to be overshadowed by a desire for dynamic personalities and the viewers they bring in. Fewer personalities in politics are as dynamic as Sanders’. Between her stint on Sen. BERNIE SANDERS’ 2016 presidential campaign and on JOE BIDEN’s in 2020, she elevated her profile as a CNN contributor, becoming a breakout political panel mainstay on the network at a moment when it was in desperate need of compelling younger commentators. MSNBC is clearly invested in the venture. Sanders will host a show two days a week on the streaming service Peacock, and each weekend afternoon on MSNBC. Network executives have gone to lengths to ensure that she knows her value at the company: MSNBC president RASHIDA JONES threw Sanders a celebratory dinner last month in D.C. with network bigwigs and prominent journalists. The network also has paired her with experienced executive producer CATHERINE SNYDER , a veteran of shows like CNBC’s Mad Money. And, unlike some other hosts who pull double duty on Peacock and MSNBC, her staff is the same across both shows. Sanders is energized by the new role, which she said will allow her to explore her curiosities and passions beyond politics. She repeatedly emphasized that she doesn’t plan to stay in the political lane — she wants to ensure culture, music, and art also have a place on the show. But she won’t shy away from talking about her former place of work. As Sanders tells it, the experience working for Biden is much more of an advantage than a disadvantage. For example, she noted that she has been with the vice president during sensitive discussions around immigration policy, and in the room when Sen. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) and then President-elect Biden discussed student loan forgiveness during the transition. “Something that my show will be able to offer that is different than any other show is keen insight into the people, the policies, and the plans of this administration and the current president and vice president of America,” she said. And she said she is not afraid to ask tough questions of her former colleagues — though she promised she’d keep the exchanges respectful. She’ll have that chance when she sits down with first lady JILL BIDEN, who is a guest on her first episode. “Sometimes it means we’re asking questions that could be critical of the administration because they’re the questions that people want to know,” she said. TEXT US — ARE YOU outgoing press secretary JEN PSAKI? We (still) want to hear from you. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.
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