Two MSNBC panelists compared Rep. Mark Meadows‘ (R-NC) Lynne Patton moment in Congress on Wednesday to a slave auction. Patton, who is an administrator with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, had been sitting behind Meadows while he questioned former Trump attorney Michael Cohen during a hearing.

Later in that hearing, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) accused Meadows of having Patton there as a “prop” for the Republican party. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes doubled that on that accusation Wednesday night, calling out the “bizarre” moment when Patton stood up during Meadows’ statements as one used to flaunt her as his token black friend.

Building off Hayes’ words, All In panelist Danielle Moodie-Mills called the spectacle an “auction block” on which Meadows demonstrated “the epitome of racism.”

“The fact that he thought that was going to be like a ‘got you’ moment is incredible to me. Incredible,” said Moodie-Mills.

Thursday morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, political strategist Sophia A. Nelson expressed a similar sentiment about Meadows and accused Patton of allowing herself to be used as a “visual exhibit” for Republicans who “can’t tell you what she thinks.”

“Shame on Lynne, first of all, for agreeing to do it. But to bring a black woman out and have her stand there like she was on the auction block?” said Nelson, sarcastically adding, “Thank you.”

Nelson said she was “horrified” and “appalled” at Republicans for not asking enough questions of Cohen and for bringing a black person to the hearing and using her appearance to show that President Donald Trump is not a racist.

“She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t speak, you couldn’t swear her in, and there’s this visual: ‘Exhibit A, American people. There’s a black person here. And we have a black person who can’t tell you what she thinks. We’ll tell you how she feels, and that’ll prove that Donald Trump is not a racist’ is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen the Republican party do in a really long time. And that is saying a lot,” said Nelson.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/2BX0sZy