Former GOP strategist Tara Setmayer had zero patience on Thursday's edition of MS NOW's "All In" in response to the explanation by Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) why he didn't feel the need to resign or face accountability for his actions, after being accused of an array of scandalous behavior, including sexual misconduct and domestic violence.
"I just want to be clear that he has not been charged with any crimes that are classified as assault," said anchor Chris Hayes. "And he is — he denies wrongdoing. So I just want to be clear about that, about where things stand. He is being investigated by the ethics committee. Tara, I want to play for you his own defense of himself. Why he says his is different than ... the two cases of Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell. Take a listen."
"I don't even fall into the category of Swalwell, Gonzales," said Mills in the clip. "One, I'm not married, so there's one, and two, I've never sexually harassed and/or had any complaints by any staffers or interns on the Hill. It's just not even a fair comparison. This is obviously a political Democrat attack, so I'm not even going to entertain it."
"Do you think that's going to work?" asked Hayes.
"No," said Setmayer. "And everyone in politics knows if you're explaining, you're losing, saying, well, I'm not quite as bad as those guys. That's not - what kind of explanation is that? You know, Abraham Lincoln said that moral character is the foundation for a stable republic. Do you think that moral character is at the top of anyone's mind in Washington and the Republican Party right now, given the people who are in power, who continue to get away with the types of things they're getting away with?"
"It's all because of Donald Trump," she continued. "It flows from the top ... Donald Trump is an immoral, indecent character. And he's a person who, you know, you know, if they, if they hold Republicans accountable for this type of behavior, they have to explain why they're not holding Donald Trump accountable for it. And particularly with the issue of women — you know, I run a women's super PAC. Women's issues are very important to us. And what's happening right now is almost like a political reckoning. I feel like it's the political equivalent of the Me Too movement and the casting couch. We're hearing more and more stories about young women or women involved in politics and with politicians and what they're going through."
"And I applaud the Democrats for acting swiftly and saying, we're not going to tolerate this, because you can't have any kind of moral credibility on this if you don't stand up and say, no, you know, enough is enough. There's no gray area here," said Setmayer. "So Republicans, they've had concerns about Cory Mills ... for a year now, but because of politics and they're worrying about control of the House, it doesn't matter. Well, you know, we're going to have to turn a blind eye. I mean, it's more than just women. It's corruption. It's, you know, his business dealings. I remember a time when lesser things would get you thrown out of Congress, or at least you'd have the decency to resign."
"So this is an important moment," she added. "I think we're at a we're kind of at a crossroads here in politics. Either we are going to finally believe women because our voices matter, our experiences matter, our stories matter, and our votes matter. And the people of Florida need to take a look at who they're electing and decide that they deserve better."
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