MSNBC pundit Matthew Dowd: Capitol riot was ‘worse than 9/11,’ because it continues to ‘rip our country apart’

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Washington Post finally calling for a serious investigation into COVID origins, Rachel Nichols getting replaced as a sideline reporter for the NBA finals, and CNN's April Ryan saying voting rights in the US have 'collapsed' round out today's top media headlines

The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks took the lives of nearly 3,000 people, but left-wing political analyst Matthews Dowd believes the Capitol riot was "worse" because it has further divided America.

"To me, though there was less loss of life on Jan. 6 – Jan. 6 was worse than 9/11 because it’s continued to rip our country apart and give permission for people to pursue autocratic means," Dowd said on MSNBC’s "ReidOut" with Joy Reid. 

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"I think we’re in the most perilous point in time since 1861 and the advent of the Civil War," Dowd added. 

"I do, too," Reid replied. 

NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck called Dowd’s claim "absolutely bonkers" and "offensive" to the thousands who were murdered during the Sept. 11 attacks. 

Dowd appeared to have forgotten the aftermath of the deadliest single attack on American soil in history, which included multiple wars, devastation to thousands of families, and changes to air travel and security that will impact the country forever. The death toll continues to rise 20 years later because so many people who worked on rescue and recovery at Ground Zero became infected with respiratory diseases and other illnesses. 

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Dowd was a GOP strategist who worked for President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign before joining ABC News as a political analyst, where he has for years been a consistent Democratic booster while claiming to be an "independent." He left ABC this year and has been a frequent guest on left-leaning cable channels MSNBC and CNN.

Reid – who didn’t object to Dowd’s claim – famously claimed in 2018 that homophobic and insensitive comments written on her pre-fame blog were planted by hackers. She eventually admitted it was unlikely she was hacked, but claimed that she didn’t recall making the offensive remarks, for which she apologized anyway. One of the blog posts encouraged readers to check out "Loose Change," a documentary on a conspiracy theory that alleges the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were planned by the United States government.