Chris Matthews: Weiner’s Wife ‘Partly Responsible’

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews suggested on his show “Hardball” on Monday that Rep. Andrew Weiner’s wife could be “partly responsible” for the New York Democrat’s sexting scandal.

Matthews claimed that Weiner disclosed during a press conference Monday that his wife was aware of his admitted online activities, which included sending intimate photos of himself and having sexual electronic conversations with women on the Internet. Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, is an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“He says his wife knew. He laid it out on her,” said Matthews. “Maybe she’s partly responsible if she knew about it.”

His guests quickly objected to his statements, and Matthew later backpedaled: “Putting a bit of the blame on her, I don’t think that’s fair. I hope I didn’t give the impression that I agreed with that. I certainly don’t….

"For what it’s worth, Weiner did not say that his wife was aware of his recent conduct and only told her that he’d been lying about it this morning. But in any event, it’s safe to say that his wife is not in any way responsible for Weiner’s inappropriate conduct and dishonesty.”