Hayes Guest On Hagel Hearing: 'A Republican Purge, A Maoist Public Shaming'

BARBARA SLAVIN: He’s somebody who really cares and he thinks about things before he opens his mouth and makes judgments. So I think it was sad to see how he had to back-pedal.

ALI GHARIB: And he had to back-pedal on these really, really important issues.

CHRIS HAYES: That’s a self-criticism aspect.

GHARIB: Right. It was more like a Maoist public shaming. But it was Republican purge, basically. No offense or anything. It was actually very, very Maoist. It was amazing to watch.

MICHAEL HASTINGS: I think it was Stalin. Stalin on the [Ed.: Potomac?].

HAYES: Not a literal comparison, for the literalists watching at home. Continue.