There are awkward moments on TV. And then there are Chris Matthews moments.

Newsweek reports on a Chris Matthews moment that occurred during the Wednesday broadcast of MSNBC‘s “Hardball” program:

On Wednesday, the 73-year-old asked [Sen. Kamala] Harris what she made of the suggestions the White House might assert executive privilege to fight the subpoena issued to Donald McGahn.

Democrats have subpoenaed the former White House counsel to testify before the House Judiciary Committee later this month, but the Trump administration has signaled it might prevent him from doing so.

McGahn’s testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller featured extensively in the final report on the latter’s investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential elections.

“How can he [McGahn] say ‘I won’t make the same testimony in public’ claiming executive privilege?” the broadcaster asked Harris on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews.

“I think it is sort of like virginity […] Once you have given it up, you can’t grab it back.”

Harris, a Democrat from California and a presidential candidate for 2020, did not seem particularly impressed by the metaphor and her look betrayed the awkwardness of the moment.

“I’m not gonna go with you on that metaphor Chris,” she quipped back.

Watch the segment below. Harris’s expression and reaction was priceless:

Chris Matthews: “Executive privilege is like virginity… Once you’ve given it up you can’t grab it back.”

Kamala Harris: “I’m not gonna go with you on that metaphor, Chris.” pic.twitter.com/n7p7aOeaT3

— Richard Hine (@richardhine) May 1, 2019

Curtis Houck at Newsbusters notes that a few minutes later, Matthews apologized for the comparison:

Almost three minutes after that first mention, Matthews awkwardly interrupted Harris to state: “I’m sorry about that metaphor I used before. I’ve been admonished already about it. So I really shouldn’t have used it in this context, however.”

Who thinks of bizarre metaphors like that except for someone whose mind is already in the gutter?

Matthews, if you’ll recall, got swept up in the #MeToo movement in late 2017/early 2018, according to The Daily Caller, so his track record on crude remarks/behavior is well known:

MSNBC confirmed to The Daily Caller shortly before Christmas that the network made a payment to an assistant producer on “Hardball” after she accused Matthews of sexual harassment. The network referred to the payment as “separation-related” and said that Matthews received a formal reprimand.

[…]

Six sources who spoke to TheDC say Chris Matthews has continued to run a brazenly sexist and verbally abusive news operation despite receiving the “reprimand.” The abuse was apparently so bad that some former employees joked about having “battered wife syndrome.”

Credibility is sort of like virginity. Once you have given it up, you can’t grab it back. Right, Chris?

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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–