RACHEL MADDOW (CO-HOST): One of the things we should just mention that's been happening tonight, that's received a lot of discussion, a lot of buzz in Cleveland -- it's not as big as nominating a presidential nominee for the Republican Party, but it is also a seismic potential event in conservative politics, and in Republican politics specifically, is that literally, while the roll call vote was happening,to nominate Donald Trump to be president, the New York Times and the Washington Post both ran stories quoting an attorney who represents Roger Ailes, the chairman and CEO of Fox News, saying that he is in the final stages of negotiations with parent company of Fox News, to leave that network.
If you know anything about the intersection of media and politics in this country, you'll know that that is just a seismic event, in terms of the Republican Party, the conservative movement and the swath of American media that leans toward the Republican side of the ledger.
Roger Ailes essentially started Fox News 20 years ago. Within five years of starting it, it was the number one cable news network in America, and has maintained that grip all of these years. It's almost impossible to imagine the Republican, modern Republican Party without Roger Ailes' Fox News. Again, this is not finalized reporting. What is being reported tonight by multiple news sources is that Ailes is in the final stages of negotiations that will result in him leaving that company.
If that, in fact happens, if he's announced that he's leaving, if it's announced that he's leaving on the same night that the Republican Party nominates Donald Trump to be their nominee, this will go down in history for a lot of different reasons, in the history of the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Just impossible to overstate the importance of that news.
