Cokie Roberts called supporters of Donald Trump "morally tainted" on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," then received a heavy dose of push back from social media and others.
Roberts, an ABC News and National Public Radio political commentator, was answering a question from co-host Joe Scarborough on Tuesday about what will happen after the election to Republicans who have disagreed with Trump on various issues but continued to support his candidacy.
"They're morally tainted," Roberts said. "I mean there's just no question about that. You can't say, 'He's a racist and what he says is textbook racism, but I support him because he's the nominee of my party.'"
"Nobody's ever seen anything like this," said Roberts, "Not only did I grow up in politics, I grew up in the Jim Crow South. And we spent the last 50 years trying to bring people together instead of push people apart. And so that becomes a terrible stain on the country."
Roberts' comments brought an immediate pushback from conservatives who complained about lack of such an examination of supporters for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate.
"No mention was made of Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton, who was the subject of a year-long federal inquiry that led FBI Director James Comey to call her 'extremely careless' and 'reckless' in her handling of sensitive emails, and to say she was not truthful in public claims about her actions," said Fox News. "In addition, Clinton is now reportedly the subject of an investigation by multiple U.S. Attorneys looking at ties between her work as Secretary of State and her family’s foundation."
Roberts got in hot water with NPR for a February syndicated news column she writes with her husband Steve Roberts in which she called on the "rational wing" of the party to stop the Trump nomination, noted Fox News.
"Our journalists have clear instructions," NPR's senior vice president for news and editorial director Michael Oreskes wrote in a staff memo after Roberts' harsh column. "We do not support or oppose candidates. We don't advise political parties. We gather the news and seek as many points of view as we can. Cokie's role has evolved into being one of those points of view."
Criticism of Roberts' comments spread on social media.
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