ORONO, Maine - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she took “deep offense” at comments by an MSNBC anchor about her daughter Chelsea’s role in her campaign and said she still had not decided whether to participate in a debate sponsored by the network later this month.
“I am a mom first and a candidate second and I found the remarks incredibly offensive,” Clinton said at a news conference on Saturday at the University of Maine. ”I have sent a letter to the head of NBC expressing the deep offense that I took.”
She was referring to a remark from MSNBC’s David Shuster, who questioned on Thursday whether Chelsea was “sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way” by the campaign because she was making calls to voters and giving speeches advocating for her mother.
MSNBC said in a statement on Friday that Shuster had apologized to the Clintons on-air for the remark and was suspended from broadcasts except to make the apology, but Clinton suggested in her letter to MSNBC that the cable network should go further to make amends.
“Nothing justifies the kind of debasing language that David Shuster used and no temporary suspension or half-hearted apology is sufficient,” she said in the letter.
Pressed on whether she would participate in the debate that will be hosted by the network on Feb. 26, Clinton said: ”We’re going to wait and see how this plays out.”
Asked for a reaction to Clinton’s comments, the network said it stood by its earlier statement which also included MSNBC’s own apology.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Clinton greets supporters at a town hall meeting in Maine)
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No matter whose child she is, she deserves the respect and dignity every human being deserves. One may have beef with the Clintons but please don’t trivialize what happened. I for one would be very offended if some one said that about my daughter. As we wish to teach our children respect so we should practice what we preach. I am not sure if Mr. Schuster has any daughters but if he has he certainly did not set a good example by his misguided and imprudent utterances. He was on the bandwagon with Matthews, Carlson and Obberman and thought he could go one better. I certainly will have to consider watching MSNBC because I feel this mind-set, conduct and ultimately expression comes from the very top. These talking heads are just an exanthema of a much deeper sickness.
- Posted by james thomasJim
I think it is absurd that Hillary wants David Schuster to lose him job. We have so much obscene comments in politics, I think his remark was tame.
- Posted by cindy