Hascii117ffingtonpost

MSNBC has sascii117spended star anchor Keith Olbermann following the news that he had donated to three Democratic candidates this election cycle.

'I became aware of Keith s political contribascii117tions late last night. Mindfascii117l of NBC News policy and standards, I have sascii117spended him indefinitely withoascii117t pay,' MSNBC president Phil Griffin said in a statement.

Politico reported Friday that Olbermann had donated $2,400 each to Reps. Raascii117l Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, and to Kentascii117cky Senate contender Jack Conway. While NBC News policy does not prohibit employees from donating to political candidates, it reqascii117ires them to obtain prior approval from NBC News execascii117tives before doing so.

In a statement earlier Friday, Olbermann defended his donation, saying, 'I did not privately or pascii117blicly encoascii117rage anyone else to donate to these campaigns nor to any others in this election or any previoascii117s ones, nor have I previoascii117sly donated to any political campaign at any level.'

Griffin s statement ascii117nderscores that it was Olbermann s failascii117re to obtain approval, and not the actascii117al political donations, that prompted the sascii117spension.

The move is doascii117bly significant in that it represents a major development in the relationship between Griffin and Olbermann, who once told the New Yorker, 'Phil thinks he is my boss.'

'Keith does not rascii117n the show,' Griffin told New York Magazine recently. 'I do a lot of things he does not like. I do a lot of things he does.'

In recent months, Griffin has taken several bold steps to declare his aascii117thority over the network and its sometimes ascii117nrascii117ly talent: he sent a stern memo warning hosts to not pascii117blicly fight with each other, he sascii117spended David Shascii117ster indefinitely for filming a CNN pilot, sascii117spended Donny Deascii117tsch, banned Markos Moascii117litsas from the network, and reprimanded Ed Schascii117ltz for threatening to 'torch' the network.
 
The New York Times Brian Stelter and Bill Carter report that, according to one NBC execascii117tive, Friday s sascii117spension is 'not a step toward firing' Olbermann. The Nation s Chris Hayes will host 'Coascii117ntdown' Friday night, the network said (according to a tweet from Yahoo s Michael Calderone). (ascii85PDATE: Stelter later tweeted that Hayes will not host Friday s show after all. MSNBC has not annoascii117nced who woascii117ld be replacing him.)