Even outwardly liberal MSNBC host Chris Matthews won’t support Democrat Anthony Weiner in his run for New York City mayor, calling him an “embarrassment to the Democratic Party.”
On Tuesday’s episode of “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” the host was outraged over Weiner’s statement at a press conference admitting that his behavior “extended past his resignation from Congress.” Weiner reportedly continued to send lewd photos of himself to a 22-year-old woman after the initial Twitter scandal in 2011.
Matthews suggested that the only reason Weiner eventually ended the sexting relationship was to avoid hurting his chances in the upcoming mayoral election.
“It hasn’t stopped. It may never stop. Only the form of his exhibitionism has changed, from sexting to running out there live for public office,” Matthews said.
At the press conference, Weiner told journalists, “I said that other texts and photos were likely to come out, and today they have.”
But Matthews doesn’t accept that excuse.
“What reporter or what journo would take that at face value?” Matthews said. “What journo would say, ‘He said more was coming,’ …Who would buy the fact that he foretold that the problem would continue? Who would write that, even print it as a statement from this guy?”
Matthews slammed Weiner for having his wife and former Hillary Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, speak for him at the press conference Tuesday.
“When you drag your spouse out before the public only for this — never before did he use her in this way. Only for this, to cover his butt, drag out a very nice woman, a great public servant, very respected, and drags her out to stand there next to him. It makes Richard Nixon and Pat Nixon look like it was a royal marriage,” Matthews said.
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