"Three months short of my current contract I sent the following to the boss, Phil Griffin: ‘Phil, Just wanted to give you the heads up that my situation with MSNBC has become so unrewarding for me that I've decided to move on,'" he wrote this morning on his Congressional Quarterly blog.
"I simply could not any longer endure being a cartoon player for lefty games, just gotta move on to higher ground even if there's no oxygen," Crawford later elaborated on a comments-thread.
Crawford will likely be best remembered for work his work during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries - drawing much ire from MSNBC compatriots - for vigorously defending the biggest Democratic threat to MSNBC's golden-boy:
"I really think the evidence-free bias against the Clintons in the media borders on mental illness," Crawford said at the time.
Evidently, his tenure at MSNBC has been difficult since then and the parting will not be amicable. Additional threads written by Crawford:
"Can't tell ya how hard this choice was to make. I've had a difficult time with MSNBC since the presidential primaries, should have pulled the trigger long ago. but my scotch-irish blood keeps me loyal long past the bitter end, which has long past, sadly."
"i have never and never will forgive Chris for calling me a racist after the West Virginia primary (the last time I will ever go on air with him). Probably should have resigned then and there, but better late than never."
Crawford told Mediaite via email, "I haven't felt like a good fit for MSNBC since the presidential campaign, and the hard turn toward point-of-view programming. No particular event brought this on, just my desire to try other outlets and have more fun."
He went on, "As far as Chris is concerned, on Morning Joe after the West Virginia primary he accused me of always defending Clinton and what he claimed to be her racially motivated campaigning. That's the problem. Trying to be fair became seen as bias in the new thinking over there. But I do wish my many pals at MSNBC nothing but good things."
For now he is keeping his options and did not rule out Fox News as a possible destination, writing, "i'm going to play the field for a while and see what shakes. i'm a free agent now, by choice."
Crawford will be appearing on "Fox & Friends Monday" March, 8.
Image via: http://www.hillarynme.com/
