Sharpton: Cornel West’s Attacks On Me, Harris-Perry Are “Arrogant”

West called Harris-Perry a “liar” and said that, “[s]he’s become the momentary darling of liberals, but I pray for her because she’s in over her head. She’s a fake and a fraud. I was so surprised how treacherous the sister was.”

West and Harris-Perry have disagreed publicly before in their varying assessments of President Barack Obama. West and talk show host Tavis Smiley have consistently been harsh on Obama and what they see as his lack of concern for the black community and the poor.

Harris-Perry’s view of the Obama administration has been more balanced often based on analysis of process and structural impediments to sweeping change that many feel President Obama promised. West sees Harris-Perry, and her MSNBC colleague Reverend Al Sharpton, as conciliators to the administration and questions why a civil rights activist like Sharpton wouldn’t be more harsh in his critique, questioning why he is so close to the administration.

TheGrio and MSNBC are both divisions of NBC News which is own by NBCUniversal.

In an interview with theGrio, Rev. Sharpton responded sternly to West’s latest criticism that he and Dr. Harris-Perry were somehow rewarded for their support for the Obama administration with a show on MSNBC. “Rewarded by who?” Sharpton says, “I don’t know if having access to the Obama administration means that one is rewarded…All of these conspiracy theorists need to check facts more clearly.”