Bill Maher Scolds Guest for Joking About Trump Trying to Get ‘More Rapists’ for Cabinet

Comic, pundit, and podcast host Bill Maher scolded author and podcast host Sam Harris for joking that President-elect Donald Trump’s strategy is to get “some more rapists” into his administration.

Harris — whose cultural brand is similar to Maher’s liberal-who-takes-on-liberals persona — was the guest on this week’s edition of Maher’s Club Random Podcast.

Maher — a frequent critic of what he views as excessive “wokeness” in liberal politics — noted that Trump appears to have gone too far “the other way” with his cabinet picks, diversity-wise.

When he brought up Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth (whom he identified as “Pete Hegsmith“), Harris drew a flag with his joke about “rapists”:

BILL MAHER: Now Trump people. Maybe they go a little too far. I mean, I don’t think there’s any, maybe there’s one person of color that he picked, but it’s just not the way he thinks. And, you know, I don’t know. One side is I’m too far one way. He’s too far the other way.

But generally, merit does need to make a comeback. (LAUGHS) Not that the people that you picked have anything to do with merit.

SAM HARRIS: That’s really not– to a degree that is fairly –.

BILL MAHER: Did I say bad example? I mean Pete Hegg-Smith.

SAM HARRIS: Hegseth yeah.

BILL MAHER: Hegseth, whatev–

SAM HARRIS: Well, I mean, it’s like, can we get more rapists in here? I mean, like, how is it that you just–.

BILL MAHER: Okay. Well, that’s. That’s a very strong word. (LAUGHTER) You know.

SAM HARRIS: Well, we’ll find out. We’ll find out with this person. I–. I don’t think this person will come forward because.

BILL MAHER: Oh the Pete Hegseth woman? Yeah–

SAM HARRIS: I think he’s given this I mean, the woman freedom to come forward.

BILL MAHER: Would I be shocked? I would not.

But I also think in these incidents, since Bill Clinton has been credibly accused of doing the same thing as Trump has done, I mean, past just being handsy. Right? That since the Democrats never really seem to care about that. You’ve already lost the high ground on this. Yeah. You know, you apparently only care.

SAM HARRIS: There’s a lesson in that. Don’t lose the fucking high ground. And then, like. Like, actually have integrity.

Watch above via Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast.