Rachel Maddow: Fox News accuses presenter of political bias

The MSNBC anchor was also accused of being too 'polite' when interviewing Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on tough issues

MSNC anchor Rachel Maddow said she can relate to and get on with politicians from either side (Rex Features)

Fox News has accused MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow of political bias and said she was the wrong choice of moderator for the latest Democrat debate - because she has left-wing views herself.

Fox News analyst Howard Kurtz said it was “surprising” that MSNBC put Ms Maddow next to NBC’s political director Chuck Todd.

“Imagine the reaction on the left if the Fox News moderators at a debate were Bret Baier and Sean Hannity, an unabashed conservative. The criticism of Fox for fielding such a team would have been intense,” he said.

Mr Kurtz also said Ms Maddow was too “polite” when asking Ms Clinton about accepting $675,000 for speaking engagements, or Ms Clinton’s comments that Mr Sanders was “unelectable”.

“Perhaps that’s just her style,” Mr Kurtz said.

Ms Maddow, who recently hosted her TV show in Flint, Michigan, to interview those affected by the polluted water crisis, said in an interview with Lenny’s Letter that she can get on well with politicians from both sides.

“[…] I end up liking politicians, both left and right, who talk about political matters as if they are addressing a bunch of adults, as if they are capable of handling both complexity and emotional responsibility,” she said.

She added that she wanted to let people speak for themselves and not reduce anyone to a "an object of derision".

Ms Maddow also spoke about how she once cornered Bill Donohue from The Catholic League in an elevator and made him listen to the number of people she knew who had died from AIDS by the time she was 25. Mr Donohue had said that AIDS was “God’s punishment”.

“Not yelling at him and not protesting him, but him being forced to hear me as a human. I don’t want to destroy those guys. I want to make them talk to me.”