‘Very Sad’ Morning Joe Touts Matt Lauer as 'Loved' 'Mentor' and 'Friend'

As Wednesday’s Morning Joe was just starting the second hour of its broadcast, the news broke that Matt Lauer had been fired from NBC for his “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” In a similar manner to their coverage of the sexual harassment accusations against Democratic Representative John Conyers, the MSNBC morning show’s panelists went out of their way to praise Lauer as a man of “class” and “dignity” who was a “loved” “mentor” and “friend” to those who have worked for the Today show, where Lauer was an anchor for two decades. Host Joe Scarborough also took the opportunity to promote the idea that perhaps the flurry of recent sexual misconduct allegations against people like Lauer are doing too much damage to liberal heroes in the media and politics.