Mika Brzezinski
Mika Brzezinski, Co-Host, Morning Joe
MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski apologized Wednesday for a remark she made on air that drew criticism for its homophobic implications.

During a segment on "Morning Joe," Brzezinski blasted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his response to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo had appeared on the Fox News morning show "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday to talk about a range of topics, including the terror attack in France and U.S. border security. In the sit-down interview, he evaded the hosts' questions about Khashoggi's murder and cast doubt on evidence that said Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was involved. Later in the morning, Brzezinski expressed outrage by what she called Pompeo's "pathetic deflections."

"Is that a patriot speaking?" she asked on air. "Or a wannabe dictator's butt-boy? I'm dead serious, I'm asking. Are these the words of a patriot?"

The comment was picked up by media observers on Twitter, one of whom denounced Brzezinski for equating "homosexuality with Mike Pompeo carrying water for the murderous regime in Saudi Arabia." In response, Brzezinski expressed regret.



"Totally agree with you -SUPER BAD choice of words .. I should have said 'water boy'... like for football teams or something like that..," she tweeted after the show. She added "SO SORRY" in all caps. She also tagged Senator Dick Durbin in the tweet and apologized to him as well. Durbin was on air for the segment.A spokesperson for MSNBC did not respond to a request for comment.