Chris Matthews Addresses Bashir’s Palin Comments: ‘I’m Not a Media Critic’

With the exception of Joe Scarborough, none of MSNBC’s on-air talent has dared utter a single syllable about Martin Bashir‘s disgusting Sarah Palin remarks. So during an event promoting his book, WaPo media blogger Erik Wemple tried to get Matthews’ thoughts on it, and the Hardball host gave a less-than-candid response.

Bashir’s comments have certainly inspired much fierce discussion on MSNBC’s cable competitors, but there has been near-dead silence from Bashir’s colleagues. And while Wemple tried his best to elicit a comment from Matthews, Matthews wouldn’t bite.

He’s the entire back-and-forth, as transcribed on the Erik Wemple Blog:

EWB: Do you have any comments about the trouble that Martin Bashir got himself in?

Matthews: Not really. I work in that company. I don’t have any comment on it. I can understand that you’d ask the question, but I work for MSNBC.

EWB: Well, it’s just a question, though. I mean, he’s a colleague, he said something. You have opinions. You’d have an opinion if someone else worked at another network…

Matthews: I’m not a media critic.

EWB: Oh, yes you are.

Matthews: No, I’m not…He’s a colleague of mine.

Matthews has long resented the idea of being called a media critic, and the closest he’s ever come to engaging with a rival pundit was that time he and Bill O’Reilly inhaled helium together.

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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