Joe Scarborough introduced a resolution to condemn Al Sharpton back in 2000, when Scarborough represented Florida in the House of Representatives.
Nearly 20 years after the resolution was introduced, President Trump attacked Sharpton and many have jumped to his defense, despite the spotty history that Scarborough referenced in the resolution.
The resolution, titled “Condemning the racist and anti-Semitic views of the Reverend Al Sharpton,” read in part, “Whereas the Congress strongly rejects the racist and incendiary actions of the Reverend Al Sharpton; Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as ‘bloodsucking [J]ews’, and ‘Jew bastards’; Whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as ‘white interlopers’ and ‘diamond merchants.’”
It goes on to describe Sharpton’s role in the Tawana Brawley rape hoax, the Crown Heights riot, and the heightened tensions following the murder of Amadou Diallo.
Al Sharpton would always ask me to go to his events. He would say, “it’s a personal favor to me.” Seldom, but sometimes, I would go. It was fine. He came to my office in T.T. during the presidential campaign to apologize for the way he was talking about me. Just a conman at work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2019
The president attacked Sharpton on Monday morning, tweeting, “Al Sharpton would always ask me to go to his events. He would say, ‘it’s a personal favor to me.’ Seldom, but sometimes, I would go. It was fine. He came to my office in T.T. during the presidential campaign to apologize for the way he was talking about me. Just a conman at work!”
Scarborough interviewed Sharpton on Morning Joe following the president’s tweet about it, and described him as a “good friend.”
[Related: Al Sharpton responds to Trump: I’m happy to make trouble for racists and people like you]
Thanks to those reminding me of how stridently Al Sharpton and I opposed each other 20 years ago. We take pride in our friendship today because of that history, recognizing Jesus’s words that all have fallen short of God’s glory and we should forgive each others 70 x 7 times.
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 29, 2019
The MSNBC anchor addressed the seeming contradiction of his current support for Sharpton on social media.
“Thanks to those reminding me of how stridently Al Sharpton and I opposed each other 20 years ago,” Scarborough tweeted. “We take pride in our friendship today because of that history, recognizing Jesus’s words that all have fallen short of God’s glory and we should forgive each others 70 x 7 times.”
Scarborough did not respond to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
