Roy Moore's lawyer says MSNBC host's 'background' would help him understand why Moore would date teenage women
- Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore's attorney Trenton Garmon suggested Ali Velshi would understand Moore's relationship with teenage girls because of his "background."
- Garmon has a history of making strange comments about hosts on cable news.
Embattled GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore's attorney suggested that an MSNBC anchor understood Moore's history of dating teenage girls because of the host's "background."
In an interview on MSNBC's "Velshi and Ruhle," Trenton Garmon attempted to defend Moore over allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed several teenagers when he was in his 30s, saying he had a handwriting expert to study a victim's yearbook Moore allegedly signed.
During the discussion, host Stephanie Ruhle asked Garmon why Moore said he needed permission from the mothers of the women he dated if they were not underage.
"Culturally speaking, there are differences. I looked up Ali's background, there - wow, that's awesome that you have such a diverse background, it's really cool to read that," he said.
Ruhle immediately cut Garmon off.
"What does Ali Velshi's background have to do with dating children, 14-year-old girls?" Rhule asked.
"Sure. In other countries there's arrangement through parents for what we would refer to as consensual marriages," he said.
"Ali's from Canada," Rhule interjected.
"I understand that. And Ali's also spent time in other countries," Garmon said.
"So have I," Ruhle said.
"I don't know where you're going with this, Trenton," Velshi said.
The interview immediately went viral online, as many observers said that the comments were racially charged. Though his family is of Indian descent, Velshi grew up in Canada, and he was born in Nairobi, Kenya.
Garmon's comments came just a few days after he made other bizarre comments directed at another television host.
On Friday, Garmon dubbed CNN host Don Lemon "Don Easy Peasy Lemon Squeeze-e," a moniker he repeated during the interview.
Watch the clip via MSNBC: