MSNBCs Stephanie Ruhle clashes with Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert
MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle sparred with Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, one of the outspoke Republicans blocking Kevin McCarthy from being voted House Speaker.
A Scottish city council has demanded the Bloomberg media company release emails between MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, insisting "important evidence" in an ongoing lawsuit would be revealed.
Aberdeen City Council, a port town in Northeast Scotland, has been caught up in a legal feud with Under Armour over claims the retailer artificially inflated its share price. The Scottish town allegedly lost millions from a pension fund for local workers as a result, as it was heavily invested in Under Armour.
In 2019, a Wall Street Journal report put a spotlight on the eyebrow-raising relationship between Ruhle and Plank that included allegations she used her platform to run damage control for Under Armour.
Stephanie Ruhle hosts "The 11th Hour" on MSNBC and is a senior business correspondent for NBC News. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Four years later, Aberdeen City Council filed documents in the Southern District of New York urging communications between Ruhle and Plank to be made available. The plaintiff’s attorney asked whether the CEO of a publicly traded company’s personal communications with a financial reporter should be shielded "under the guise of the journalists’ privilege" despite a known personal friendship.
"The answer is a resounding ‘no,’" Aberdeen City Council’s attorney wrote.
Aberdeen’s lawyers served Bloomberg – where Ruhle worked before MSNBC – with a subpoena in January to see correspondence between her and Plank. The lawyers argued that "important evidence" exists in communications between Ruhle and Plank from 2015 to 2017.
Bloomberg has objected to providing documents, citing "journalists’ privilege and burden," but Aberdeen’s lawyers feel that should not apply in this case because the close relationship should be considered more than just a journalist talking to a source. The heavily redacted court document claims Ruhle was advising and counseling Plank, as opposed to practicing journalism.
A Scottish city council has demanded Bloomberg release emails between MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, insisting "important evidence" in an ongoing lawsuit would be revealed. (Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)
Bloomberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2016, Morgan Stanley published a report that downgraded Under Armour’s stock to "underweight" and reduced its price target from $103 to $62 per share, causing stock to plummet, according to the filing. The document alleged that Ruhle then offered a "detailed counterpoint" to the Morgan Stanley report on air, attacking its underlying data and essentially cheerleading Under Armour in the process.
"That Ruhle rushed to Under Armour’s aid in January 2016 makes sense given her close personal relationship with Plank," Aberdeen’s lawyers wrote.
The 2019 WSJ report headlined, "Meet Under Armour CEO’s Unusual Adviser: An MSNBC Anchor," detailed Ruhle’s relationship with the workout gear honcho that included flying on his private jet and offering her expertise on a variety of business issues.
"Ruhle’s involvement at the Baltimore company was unusual and problematic," the Journal reported, citing then-current and former Under Armour executives and "others familiar with the matter."
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The report noted that employees were "unsure how to handle her feedback because" because she was so close to Plank. However, the Journal report was also filled with various forms of denial by the Under Armour spokesperson regarding whether Ruhle played a role in business decisions at the company.
Ruhle, a banker-turned-cable news host, reportedly ruffled feathers within the board of Plank’s company. The 2019 report alleged that the MSNBC host offered advice to Plank on a critical 2016 public relations debacle, among other issues. The report also stated Plank listened to Ruhle instead of his own management when NBA star Stephen Curry’s signature sneakers were widely mocked on social media.
"Under Armour employees wanted to react on social media in the first 24 hours, but were asked to hold off on addressing the issue publicly because Ms. Ruhle said she would step in and discuss the shoes on TV," the Journal reported. "Ruhle discussed the shoes that weekend on an NBC show."
The Under Armour spokesperson told the Journal at the time that "to suggest that we waited to respond for a particular reporter is ridiculous" and that the company "wasted no time in defending our brand."
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The report also examined Plank’s use of a $166,667-per month private jet that was reportedly used to transport him, Ruhle, and others around the globe.
MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Plank transitioned out of the CEO role at Under Armour in 2019 and is now executive chair and brand chief. Current Under Armour President and CEO Stephanie Linnartz started last month.
Ruhle now hosts "The 11th Hour" on MSNBC.
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