‘Nothing Against Martin Luther King…’ MAGA MSNBC Focus Group Member Slams Raphael Warnock for ‘Always’ Quoting MLK

A self-described “MAGA conservative” on an MSNBC focus group slammed Sen. Raphael Warnock for “always using Martin Luther King,” saying he thinks quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is “race-baiting.”

On Friday morning’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, political analyst Elise Jordan played footage from two focus groups with Georgia voters that produced some interesting moments.

A racially-diverse Democratic-leaning group criticized GOP candidate Herschel Walker on the basis of his political inexperience and perceived lack of policy positions, and praised the incumbent Reverend Warnock for his focus on lowering costs for prescription drugs.

An all-white group of conservative-leaning voters — several of whom self-identified as “MAGA” or “Ultra-MAGA” — had different takes on the political landscape. While they were generally skeptical about the inexperienced and troubled Walker, the group took turns trashing Sen. Warnock as a “false preacher,” raising discredited allegations against him, and grumpily decrying the invocation of Dr. King:

ELISE JORDAN: Raphael Warnock. How do you gauge his performance?

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: What has he done? I’ve not heard anything. Now he’s on TV spouting off stuff and I still don’t know what he’s done.

REPUBLICAN VOTER SARAH: I said “false preacher.”.

OFF-CAMERA FOCUS GROUP MEMBER: Yeah.

OFF-CAMERA FOCUS GROUP MEMBER: Oh, yes.

REPUBLICAN VOTER SARAH: That’s what I said.

ELISE JORDAN: What’s a false preacher?

REPUBLICAN VOTER SARAH: Well, he’s a preacher at Martin Luther King’s Church. But he’s also, he has a history of battery against his wife. He has a lot of other things in his closet that have come out in the past 2 to 4 years.

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: But still on the same side though, so does Herschel. Herschel has battery charges as well, or was it. It was I think it was battery, right. With his first wife.

ELISE JORDAN: He had some allegations.

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: Yeah, allegations, too. That’s what I’m saying. I understand what you’re saying. I agree. To me, when you say false preacher. To me, it’s almost like, okay, I’m I’m legally able to steal now because I pay taxes because I’m now part of a church.

REPUBLICAN VOTER SARAH: Right. That too.

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: So to me, it’s just all this is all about it’s all about money. Well, he also, and he also wants to use Martin Luther King. And now I’ve gotten so sick and tired — I mean nothing against Martin Luther King, but it’s always just, you know, it feels like it’s race-baiting, right? It’s like I’m going to say Martin Luther King, and the black vote folks are going to listen to me now.

REPUBLICAN VOTER SARAH: Right, right, right.

OFF-CAMERA FOCUS GROUP MEMBER: It’s an authentication stamp.

ELISE JORDAN: So, but I mean, he’s a seismic figure in American history. Republicans talk about Ronald Reagan a lot. So is that…

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: But I don’t want to, I didn’t agree with everything Ronald Reagan did either.

AMERICA FIRST REPUBLICAN SUE: I feel like his commercials, he’s trying to make him seem trustable when he keeps saying, “Oh, I used to, or I’m a preacher. And I think that he’s trying to get people to be, you know, believe that he’s honest and that’s enough to get him through. And he’s not really… He’s using that preacher to… title…

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: “Reverend.” Why you have to, “Reverend,” just say, “I’m Raphael Warnock. I’m running for U.S. Senate.”

AMERICA FIRST REPUBLICAN SUE: I think he’s using that to…

MAGA CONSERVATIVE CRIS: I know, that’s what I’m saying, though, he’s, yeah, it’s…

WOMAN FOCUS GROUP MEMBER: Correct. That’s what he’s doing, it’s selling himself.

At the end of the segment, co-host Willie Geist let out a stunned “Whoo!” and he and Jordan performed a quick fact-check:

WILLIE GEIST: Whoo! Where to begin there, Elise? There is a lot in there. First of all, we should say that Senator Warnock is the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, one of the most famed churches in the country, of course, where Martin Luther King preached. And also the allegation from his wife was not borne out, that he drove over her foot with a car. So to sort of, you know, make that parallel with what Herschel Walker has admitted in some cases and been accused of in others, is a little bit of false equivalency there. But…

ELISE JORDAN: Yes, and Raphael Warnock has a Ph.D. from the seminary, so he is indeed a real preacher.

Watch above via MSNBC.