BuzzFeed ends ad deal with RNC, citing concerns with Trump 'tone'

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Donald Trump responds to criticism over judge comments

Presumptive Republican nominee on 'Fox & Friends'

BuzzFeed announced Monday that it has ended an advertising deal with the Republican National Committee, citing the "tone and substance" of presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign. 

The decision was announced by company CEO Jonah Peretti, who said in an email to employees that the site would no longer accept Trump ads -- and so would be "terminating" its agreement with the RNC. Politico reported the ad deal was worth $1.3 million.

The BuzzFeed statement cited Trump's controversial comments and proposals on immigration and other topics, claiming the campaign is “opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world.”

Peretti referred specifically to Trump’s proposed temporary ban -- following a string of terrorist attacks -- on Muslims entering the U.S., which Peretti said would “make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs.”

He also compared Trump ads to those for cigarettes, saying “they are hazardous to our health, and we won’t accept Trump ads for the exact same reason.”

The RNC downplayed the impact of BuzzFeed’s announcement, noting the ad buy represented a small fraction of total reservations – and claiming they never intended to follow through with the website anyway.

“Space was reserved on many platforms, but we never intended to use Buzzfeed,” RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer said in a statement to FoxNews.com.

He added, in reference to Hillary Clinton, “Although it is ironic that they have not ruled out taking money from a candidate currently under investigation by the FBI.”

BuzzFeed is hardly the first news outlet to voice concerns about Trump’s campaign. The Huffington Post put roughly the first five months of Trump campaign coverage in its entertainment section, before returning that coverage to the politics section.

BuzzFeed made clear Monday that it will continue to cover the Trump campaign.

“This was Jonah’s call, and the prerogative of a publisher,” editor in chief Ben Smith wrote in an email, according to the company.

FoxNews.com's Joseph Weber contributed to this report.