2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard lamented Chris Matthews’s abrupt resignation from MSNBC despite calls for the network to fire him over sexual harassment allegations.
Matthews, who hosted Hardball for more than two decades, announced his retirement during the opening segment of his show Monday night after he had been off the air for several days. The Hawaii congresswoman and long-shot presidential candidate tweeted out her sympathies for Matthews on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m very sorry to hear of your resignation,” she wrote. “Unfortunately you were 1 of the last — if not THE last — liberals on TV willing to criticize the neocon pro-war agenda. You always treated me w/ respect & were never condescending. With aloha, sincerely wishing you the best.”
[Read more: ‘As a woman … I loved working with Chris Matthews’: Mika Brzezinski defends former MSNBC host]
.@HardballChris I’m very sorry to hear of your resignation. Unfortunately you were 1 of the last—if not THE last—liberals on TV willing to criticize the neocon pro-war agenda. You always treated me w/ respect & were never condescending. With aloha, sincerely wishing you the best pic.twitter.com/EA6eKz1YI1
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) March 3, 2020
The Hardball host announced his resignation after a tough few weeks that included a series of verbal blunders, sexual harassment accusations, and commentary that landed him in hot water.
“After conversation with MSNBC, I decided tonight will be my last Hardball. So let me tell you why,” Matthews said while announcing his decision. “The younger generations out there are ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, in the media, in fighting for their causes. They are improving the workplace.”
His announcement came after a frequent guest of the network accused him of making inappropriate remarks toward her. Laura Bassett, a columnist with GQ, alleged in an opinion piece last week that the television host made comments about her appearance.
During Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in the early voting states, Matthews argued that front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders would lose 49 states in a general election against President Trump, compared the Vermont senator’s victory in the Nevada caucuses to the Nazi invasion of France, which he later apologized for, and speculated that Democrats may be better off with Trump as president over Sanders.
