MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and Sen. Chuck Schumer went toe-to-toe Thursday morning about Sen. Harry Reid's comments that billionaire philanthropist David Koch is "un-American."
"I'm asking a simple question here and I have respect for you. Do you think David Koch is un-American or should Harry Reid apologize?" Scarborough asked after Schumer had danced around previous questions.
"I think the commercials he is running are against the American grain and un-American, yes," Schumer responded. "I think what Harry Reid was saying was the actions are un-American and they are and they should change."
"So you think David Koch's actions are un-American? Do you think David Koch is un-American?" Scarborough asked again.
"In giving to charity, no," Schumer said. "In running those ads, absolutely."
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Reid took direct aim at the Koch brothers in February in a speech on the Senate floor, where he called them "un-American." Schumer said ads, financed in part by donations by the Kochs, were "against the American grain and un-American."
Recent Democratic attacks have focused on Koch and his brother Charles, billionaire brothers known for their donations to the arts and medicine, as well as to Republican political issues.
Schumer targeted the Koch brothers Wednesday in a speech where he laid out the Democrat's agenda for the elections in a message that pits the middle class against the wealthy.
"Democrats are fighting for a fair shot for everyone, while Republicans are doing the bidding of the Koch brothers, the wealthy, and huge corporations. Those people already have a fair shot. Middle class people need a fair shot. That's the distinction we will draw in November," Schumer said Wednesday.
"David Koch's commercials, which are huge amounts of money, I think they should not be allowed," Schumer told the "Morning Joe" panel.
The Democrat agenda will focus on "things that average Americans talk about around the coffee table," Schumer said. He said that included making college affordable, luring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., and tax incentives for child care.
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