MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell Gets Roasted on Twitter for Cynical Defense of Feinstein

Eric Ting of SFGate.com reports that MSNBC’s host Lawrence O’Donnell defended Sen. Dianne Feinstein following anonymous statements by four Senators that she had mental health problems while on duty.

O’Donnell, who served Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan as an aide from 1989 to 1995, tried to argue there’s nothing new in this controversy. 

“I understand concerns about Dianne Feinstein but read whispers about her in this Senate context: at least 50 senators are 100% dependent on staff, most senators are over 90% dependent on staff & Strom Thurmond died in office in 2003 at age 100 long after obvious mental decline,” he tweeted.

“I struggle to think of anything less than this context in tweets,” New Republic columnist Natalie Shure tweeted in response to O’Donnell. 

Critics wanted to know if O’Donnell was seriously arguing that if Strom Thurmond did it, then Feinstein should be able do it. O’Donnell said that he wasn’t, and Feinstein “shouldn’t be” in Senate.

“I used context” he wrote. “Not defense. This context helps us understand why she is still there, when she should not be. The context also shows that this horrible idea about senators aged over 80 has a past. Strom Thurmond’s actions are not something anyone should attempt to emulate. It’s a surprise that you haven’t understood this.”

O’Donnell answered a question about whether it would be more beneficial to have a Senate that had 40-something senators rather than 80-something. Senators who are in their 40s depend on their staff 100%. Senators in their 50s & 60s are usually the most capable.”

O’Donnell has now reached 70.