“A former Jesuit priest who defended Richard Nixon during the low point of Watergate, he became famous as the bombastic, mercurial news show host who quickly jumped from one topic to the next as he badgered his colleagues”.
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The iconic political pundit peacefully passed away August 16th at the age of 89.
McLaughlin’s death was announced in a statement on the show’s Facebook page Tuesday afternoon. He will always be remembered.
From 1989 to 1994, McLaughlin produced and hosted “McLaughlin“, a nightly talk show on CNBC. The format involved McLaughlin talking about political issues with a group of panelists, often including Patrick Buchanan, Eleanor Clift, Tom Rogan and Clarence Page.
Aside from his “McLaughlin Group” hosting and producing duties, he was an editor for the National Review, writing a column called “From Washington Straight”. It aired here on WTTW11 on Saturday nights and was known for its lively political discussions. Buchanan began the show by recognizing that it was the first time in 34 years that the host was not present.
In 1988 a former office manager at “The McLaughlin Group” filed a lawsuit claiming she was sacked for resisting McLaughlin’s sexual advances.
His death came less than two days after he missed the first episode of his show in 34 years.
“My theory is people say under pressure for the most part what they really mean”, McLaughlin said. The McLaughlin Group airs nationwide on PBS affiliates. “Yet my spirit is strong and my dedication to this show remains absolute!”.
“These public talk shows had become very stilted”, McLaughlin said in a 1990 interview, according to Broadcasting and Cable magazine.
McLaughlin was born in 1927 in Providence, Rhode Island, and he entered the Jesuit Order at age 20 before graduating from Boston College.
In 1997, the 70-year-old McLaughlin married Cristina Vidal, 36, but the pair divorced in 2010. In 1970, he switched parties to run for senator of Rhode Island as a Republican but attracted just 32 percent of the vote in the general election.
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He opened a consulting firm and gave up his Roman collar in 1975 to marry longtime friend Dore, who served as secretary of labor from December 1987 to January 1989.
