"Judge Judy Cases": Matthews Minimizes Kennedy, McKinney Matters

Some people might think that striking a police officer, and almost striking a police car while driving under the influence of . . . something, are serious offenses.

Not Chris Matthews.

Here's how Matthews introduced this evening's Hardball, running down the rap sheet of various government officials who have had run-ins with the law in recent times:

"Tonight, putting on the squeeze, putting on the sleaze. Another House aide cops a plea in the Abramoff case. "Dusty" Foggo quits over the poker-and-prostitute scam. Bill Jefferson gets tagged by a witness wearing a wire. Claude Allen, the president's top domestic kick [sic] gets nabbed for shoplifting. David Savafian, his top personnel man [sic: he was a procurement official] gets arrested. Then there are the Judge Judy level cases. Cynthia McKinney who punched a cop and Patrick Kennedy who almost ran into one."

Note that Chris had to reach back to September 2005 for the Savafian matter. But in any case, do you think Matthews would have written off the alleged assault on a police officer and the drugged-driving cases as trivial, "Judge Judy" matters if Republicans had been involved? Neither do I.