On MSNBC, Chris Matthews accused Newt Gingrich of using Juan Williams’s first name in a racially charged way.
Last night, Williams asked Gingrich in the debate if his suggestion that public schools should hire some of their students to perform janitorial duties was demeaning toward minorities. The crowd booed its disapproval, before Gingrich supplied his response. Matthews noted:
That use of the name ‘Juan,’ the way he did it. You can’t argue these things. You either see them or you don’t. It’s just the way he did that. . . . So it’s stupid to say it but, honestly, if you notice it, you sort of ought to blow the whistle. Because there is a dog whistle going on here.
Watch video of Matthews’s comments below. (Hat tip: Mediaite.)