On MSNBC, WashPost's Capehart Claims Some GOP Officeholders Have Praised 'Virtues and Beauty of Slavery'

April 26th, 2014 12:57 PM

On the Thursday, April 24, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, during a discussion of conservatives rejecting Cliven Bundy after the airing of the Nevada rancher's racist comments, Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart claimed that other Republicans, including officeholders, had similarly "extol[led] the wonders and the virtues and the beauty of slavery," without naming any names, as he asserted that Bundy's words were "not an isolated statement."

Substitute host Ari Melber chimed in, "Right, and there was the whole predicate for that."

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Thursday, April 24, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC:

JONATHAN CAPEHART, WASHINGTON POST: But here's the thing. Joe (Scarborough) talked about this pattern. One thing we have to keep in mind is that what Cliven Bundy said is not an isolated statement.

ARI MELBER: Right.

CAPEHART: He's not the first person from the right or even the first Republican in office to extol the wonders and the virtues and the beauty of slavery. He's not the only one, which is why I think it resonates so powerfully. What Cliven Bundy said is not something that is strange to people who have been listening to it and hearing it for years now.

MELBER: Right, and there was the whole predicate for that.