CNN’s Bakari Sellers fell silent after he tried and failed to nail National Review‘s Noah Rothman for hypocrisy during an on-air debate over the weekend.

The exchange came during a debate over Graham Platner, Democrats’ troubled candidate for Senate in Maine, and the importance of officeholders’ character.

“What I heard there was very representative of the progressive movement. ‘Yeah, he’s got some character flaws. Maybe I didn’t hear that he said Black people don’t tip. Maybe I didn’t hear that he said that women should, you know, accept the fact they’re inviting rape.’ Maybe he didn’t hear any of that. ‘But his progressive sensibilities, his policy preferences, they suffice for character.’ I hear that all the time. And I hear it from progressives, looking for a rationalization to vote for Graham Platner,” mused Rothman about a clip of Hunter Biden defending Platner.

As he continued to make his point, Sellers interrupted to ask, “Did you vote for Donald Trump?”

“No,” replied Rothman firmly.

“Not any of the three times?” followed up Sellers.

“Never. And you know why? Because character matters!” answered Rothman as Sellers retreated.

“So the point being, that progressives never can self-confront their own ideological prescriptions that may contribute to this as well. The political violence that it attends around progressivism, the paternalism towards minorities that attends around progressivism,” argued Rothman.

A few moments later, host Abby Phillip played a clip of actress Sophia Bush arguing that the “old rules” no longer “exist.” during a recent appearance on The View.

“And while I do believe my forever first lady, Michelle Obama, should stay high, Like, when they go low, she should stay high. I don’t want that woman in the muck. But I was raised by a mother who was raised in the Bronx. So like you want to go low on me, I’ll meet you in the gutter… We kept it classy for too long, and at this point, I’m like, ‘Come at me, and I’m gonna punch you in the mouth,'” declared Bush as the crowd cheered for her.

Watch above via CNN.

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