MSNBC host Chris Matthews came under fire this week from some progressives for pressing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on why she believed a woman who had accused former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg of pressuring her to have an abortion while she was an employee for his company.
“MSNBC needs to fire Chris Matthews. Today,” Shaunna Thomas, president of the women’s advocacy group UltraViolet, said in a statement. “Matthews’ refusal to believe women, and history of sexual harassment, make it clear that he is not fit to continue to cover this election. MSNBC can and must do better, and they can start by firing Chris Matthews.”
After the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday, Matthews asked Warren during an interview why she believed the accuser and not Bloomberg. Warren had brought up the accusation during the debate.
“You believe he is lying?” Matthews asked, referring to Bloomberg.
Warren reiterated that she believed the woman, with Matthews then asking why Bloomberg would lie.
“Just to protect himself?” Matthews asked.
“Yeah, and why would she lie?” Warren responded.
In a lawsuit filed against Bloomberg, a female employee alleged that he told her to “kill it” after he found out she was pregnant. The language was interpreted by the employee as ordering her to have an abortion in order to keep her job, The Washington Post reported.
Bloomberg has repeatedly denied making the remark.
Lauren Duca, a journalist and activist with more than 400,000 Twitter followers, called Matthews’s questioning of Warren “insane.”
“He actually cannot wrap his head around believing women,” she added.
MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The criticisms against Matthews come shortly after the “Hardball” host apologized to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for comparing his Nevada caucus victory to the Nazi invasion of France in 1940.