Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) on Thursday refused to back down from saying there is "real evil in the epidemic rate of lying" coming from the White House over health care.
Murphy tweeted the remark on July 15 and it went viral, and MSNBC host Katy Tur repeatedly asked him if he stood by using the word "evil."
I'm going to say it - there is real evil in the epidemic rate of lying that is going on right now. This is not normal. https://t.co/ifkV1GWAUH
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 15, 2017
"Real evil, is that language you stand by?" Tur asked.
"Listen, it's strong language. I don't deny it," Murphy said.
Murphy called Vice President Mike Pence a "very smart person" but said it was not true to say the GOP health care bill strengthened Medicaid.
"I mean, there is zero basis for that claim given the fact that 15 million of the most vulnerable Americans will lose their Medicaid coverage and won't be able to afford anything else because of this bill. And so I use that word because this looks like a knowing, intentional fabrication," Murphy said.
"Evil, though? Evil?" Tur repeated.
"Listen, it is not just—it's not just the line that's coming from the vice president," Murphy said. "It's the continued claims that the president makes about this bill lowering deductibles and providing good insurance for everyone when all he has to do is read the summary of the CBO report to know that's not true. I don't normally trade in words like good and evil, but there is something really nefarious about an administration that continues to put out these knowing lies about a bill that the American public hates."
"Ultimately, the Democratic Party is saying that they want to come to the table with Republicans to find a fix for health care. So when you use language like that, is that helpful to bring both sides to the table?" Tur asked.
"I'm convinced that the only way that we actually get a bipartisan negotiation is if we do everything in our power to kill this deeply harmful, malevolent piece of legislation," Murphy said.
Democrats have routinely used inflammatory rhetoric to decry the GOP health care bill. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has said "thousands" of people will die if it becomes law, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said it was "blood money" to pay for tax cuts.