During an April 3 appearance on MSNBC Live, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews told anchor Tamron Hall that during an April 2 interview he “prodded” Sen. Barack Obama on his relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor of Obama's church. Matthews said to Hall: “I prodded him and pushed him a number of times during the interview. I kept saying, you know, 'Why did you stay in the church if the pastor was saying things that you thought were controversial? Why did you sit there? Why did you give him $27,000 that's in your tax returns in '05 and '06? Why did you do that?' ” But while Matthews touted his questioning of Obama, he did not provide Obama's response. After Obama told Matthews that he had “never heard [Wright] say those things that were in those clips,” which he said the media “ran [] over and over and over again,” Matthews continued: “But you did say you heard him say controversial things.” Obama responded, “Well, but I hear you say controversial things, Chris.”

Indeed, in the last few days alone, Matthews has suggested that African-Americans and college graduates are not “regular people,” and has said: "[T]his gets very ethnic, but the fact that [Obama's] good at basketball doesn't surprise anybody, but the fact that he's that terrible at bowling does make you wonder." In addition:

• During an appearance on the January 9 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, Matthews said of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Let's not forget -- and I'll be brutal -- the reason she's a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around. That's how she got to be senator from New York. We keep forgetting it. She didn't win there on her merit. She won because everybody felt, 'My God, this woman stood up under humiliation,' right? That's what happened.” Addressing the controversy that arose from these comments, on the January 17 edition of Hardball, Matthews stated: “Was it fair to imply that Hillary's whole career depended on being a victim of an unfaithful husband? No. And that's what it sounded like I was saying and it hurt people I'd like to think normally like what I say, in fact, normally like me.” He later added: “If my heart has not always controlled my words, on those occasions when I have not taken the time to say things right, or have simply said the inappropriate thing, I'll try to be clearer, smarter, more obviously in support of the right of women -- of all people -- the full equality and respect for their ambitions. So, I get it.”
• On the December 17, 2007, edition of Hardball, Matthews claimed: “Every day I pick up the paper and there's another quote out there from somebody who's a wannabe, saying whatever the Clinton people told them to say apparently.” Moments later, Matthews asked Financial Times U.S. managing editor Chrystia Freeland: "[A]ren't you appalled at the willingness of these people to become castratos in the eunuch chorus here or whatever they are?" Matthews made the comment in the context of discussing endorsements of Hillary Clinton and specifically that of former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE), who made reference following a December 16 campaign event to, among other things, Obama's middle name.
• Appearing on the December 3, 2007, edition of NBC's Today to discuss presidential politics, Matthews said of Obama: "[H]e's so fresh-faced, so brand-new, almost Third World in his sort of presentation. He doesn't click as a usual politician."
• On the December 19, 2006, edition of Hardball, Matthews compared Hillary Clinton to a “strip-teaser”; said she had “a nice, mellifluous voice" and “her hair looked ... great”; and wondered if Clinton is “a convincing mom.”
• Following the Democrats' victory in the November 2006 midterm elections, Matthews asked a guest if then-House-speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was “going to castrate” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) if he were elected House majority leader.
• During the July 11, 2005, edition of Hardball, Matthews said Clinton “looked more witchy” because she criticized the Bush administration's homeland security spending priorities on July 8, a day after the London bombings.

From the 10 a.m. ET hour of the April 3 edition of MSNBC Live:

HALL: Well, it's interesting, and I want to play a part of the interview in which you ask about the Clinton campaign hammering him, if you will, on the Reverend Wright controversy.

[begin video clip]

OBAMA: No. Look, I think -- I think that --

MATTHEWS: Are they playing that ethnic card?

OBAMA: No, look, I think that's fair game, you know, in the sense that, you know, what my former pastor said was offensive, and I think that in politics, whether I was white, black, Hispanic, Asian -- somebody would be trying to use it against me.

[end video clip]

HALL: So, Chris, Obama says it's fair game, but a lot of people want to know, is this controversy eventually going to wear on him, especially if he becomes the nominee and we head into November?

MATTHEWS: Well, he doesn't act like that; I prodded him and pushed him a number of times during the interview. I kept saying, you know, “Why did you stay in the church if the pastor was saying things that you thought were controversial? Why did you sit there? Why did you give him $27,000 that's in your tax returns in '05 and '06? Why'd you do that?” And he just said, you know, he said many good things, and I made the judgment that overall, he was saying things I wanted to hear. I mean, he would not give on this guy. He will not throw the Reverend Wright from the train.

HALL: Well, you know, it's interesting. Another point that I thought was fascinating moment yesterday was when you asked Barack Obama if he can take the heat, if he could withstand the pressure, for example, that Dick Cheney and President Bush stand when it comes to Iraq?

From the April 2 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: That said, when you hear divisive language, whether it's from your preacher or from anyone else, why didn't you walk out of that church? Why, when you heard that, what you called controversial language, why did you go back and give him $27,000 in contributions to his church? Why didn't you just say, “He's on a different side of this fight than I am”?

OBAMA: No, but -- because I think that the -- you know, what's happened is we took a loop out of -- and compressed the most offensive things that a pastor said over the course of 30 years, and just ran it over and over and over again. Now, there's that other 30 years. I never heard him say those things that were in those clips and --

MATTHEWS: But you did say you heard him say controversial things.

OBAMA: Of course. Well, but I hear you say controversial things, Chris.

MATTHEWS: But you didn't give me $27,000, either.

OBAMA: Well, no. But the point is, the -- this is a church that's active in AIDS. It's active on all kind of things.

MATTHEWS: Yeah.

OBAMA: And so, you know, this is a wonderful church. But as I said, you know, look at the amount of time that's been spent on this today, Chris. At a time when we haven't talked about a whole host of issues.

MATTHEWS: Yeah, I know, but it'll come back. You know the Republicans will bring it back.