MSNBC’s Matthews: ‘Worst you can say about Democrats is they’re too pure’

MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews said Thursday night that “the worst you can say about Democrats is that they’re too pure” in light of recent resignation announcements made by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Sen. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) amid sexual harassment allegations.

Franken, 66, on Thursday announced his intention to resign from the Senate by defiantly stating that some of the eight accusations of sexual misconduct made against him were false while saying he remembered other encounters differently. 

Conyers, 88, stepped down on Tuesday. 

“Do you think the American public are now going to see the difference between the two parties?” Matthews asked.

{mosads}

“I don’t know how you can avoid the education in this. The worst you can say about Democrats is they’re too pure,” he later continued.

“That’s a stupid thing to say, but that’s the worst thing you can say about them, these guys set too high a standard for public office.”

Matthews’s guest Jason Johnson, a politics editor for TheRoot.com, concurred with the host’s perspective.

“I think this is wonderful because it is a standard that we should all be following,” Johnson said.

“It increases enthusiasm, it makes people much more happy about the party. It may not bring any Republicans over, but it will certainly make Democrats much happier,” he added. “They can bring some attention and excitement to what might be Keith Ellison or the woman lieutenant governor in Minnesota running for that position.”

As the Democrats deal with the resignations, a number of Republicans, including President Trump, continue to back Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore despite a number accusations against him that he made sexual advances toward teenagers when he was in his 30s.

Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones on Dec. 12 for Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s former Senate seat.