Chuck Todd, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” for the last nine years, announced on the show Sunday that he would step down from that role in the coming months.

Todd said it’s important for people not to “overstay their welcome” and touted his accomplishments of building the show into a “distinct and important political franchise.” 

“It’s been an amazing nearly decade-long run. I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade,” Todd said. “When I took over ‘Meet the Press,’ it was a Sunday show that had a lot of people questioning whether it still could have a place in the modern media space. Well, I think we’ve answered that question and then some.”

Todd said that one of the reasons he is leaving the show is so that his work doesn’t “consume” him “before it’s too late,” adding that he’s seen it happen to those around him. In his remarks, he announced his successor as Kristen Welker, NBC’s chief White House correspondent, who Todd said was a good choice and is “ready” to take over. 

Conservatives have often been critical of Todd’s objectivity, especially during the Trump administration. For example, after “Meet the Press” broadcast an inaccurately edited clip of a Trump official in 2020, President Donald Trump demanded Todd’s termination after the network apologized.

Today we close our show with an announcement from @chucktodd:

"While today is not my final show, this will be my final summer here at Meet the Press. … I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade." pic.twitter.com/sgeUcNR3C5

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 4, 2023

Though stepping down as host and moderator of “Meet the Press,” Todd will remain at NBC as chief political analyst and focus on long-form journalism, according to the network. He said he would officially hand the show over to Welker in September. 

“Through his penetrating interviews with many of the most important newsmakers, the show has played an essential role in politics and policy, routinely made front-page news, and framed the thinking in Washington and beyond,” NBC News’ president of editorial Rebecca Blumenstein and senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff said in a memo. 

Todd became the show’s host in 2014 after serving as NBC’s chief White House correspondent and host of “The Daily Rundown.” He took over the host position from David Gregory. “Meet the Press” is the longest-running show on television, NBC notes. 

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“I leave feeling concerned about this moment in history,” Todd said, “but reassured by the standards we’ve set here. We didn’t tolerate propagandists, and this network and program never will. … Being a real political journalist isn’t about building a brand. It’s about reporting what’s happening and explaining why it’s happening and letting the public absorb the facts.”

“[Chuck Todd] has been a mentor and friend since my first day at [NBC News],” Welker tweeted Sunday. “I’ve learned so much from sitting with him at the anchor desk and simply experiencing his passion for politics. I’m humbled and grateful to take the baton and continue to build on the legacy of [Meet the Press].”

Authorities in California are investigating who is behind the transportation of 16 migrants who ended up on the doorstep of a diocese in Sacramento Friday after being flown on a private charter jet from New Mexico. 

The Venezuelan and Colombian migrants entered the United States in El Paso and had been processed by American immigration officials with court dates for asylum claims, according to the Associated Press. After crossing, “individuals representing a private contractor” offered to get them to their final destination, said Eddie Carmona, campaign director for PICO California, a nonprofit that describes itself as “spiritually-rooted individuals who take action for racial and economic justice in California.” From El Paso, the migrants were transported to New Mexico and then to California, ending up at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. 

“They were lied to and intentionally deceived,” said Carmona.

No politician or group has claimed responsibility for the transportation of the migrants, the Los Angeles Times notes. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said he met with some migrants alongside California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta, who said authorities “can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida.”

“We are working closely with the Mayor’s office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases,” Newsom said in a statement. 

“My Administration is also working with the California Department of Justice to investigate the circumstances around who paid for the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping,” Newsom added. 

While admitting he was still investigating and collecting evidence, Bonta suggested the incident could be “state-sanctioned kidnapping.” He added, “We must condemn the cruelty and hateful rhetoric of those … who refuse to recognize humanity.”  

Today I met with over a dozen migrants who were brought to Sacramento by private plane, with no prior arrangement or care in place.

We are investigating the circumstances by which these individuals were brought to California. pic.twitter.com/UXY2yKvKwl

— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) June 4, 2023

“Human trafficking is not only despicable; it’s a felony,” Sacramento Democratic Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement. “Whoever is behind this must answer the following: Is there anything more cruel than using scared human beings to score cheap political points?”

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According to ABC 10, “The migrants did not know where they were and only had a backpack’s worth of belongings.” 

The L.A. Times notes a similar incident happened last year when eight Venezuelan migrants were transported from Texas to Sacramento. In that case, it was also unclear who paid for the flights.