Martin Bashir: Herman Cain Should Resign From His Church Over Affair Allegations

Ahead of presidential candidate Herman Cain's expected major announcement Saturday on the future of his campaign, MSNBC host Martin Bashir said not only should Cain quit the GOP race over allegations of a 13-year extramarital affair -- he should resign from his church as well.

"If Mr. Cain is to drop out of the Republican race, isn't it time he consider resigning his position as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta?" Bashir said on his show Friday. "If Herman Cain is proven to be lying and drops out of the race, doesn't that also disqualify him from holding a position in the local church?"

Cain's church is part of the National Baptist Convention of the U.S., the second largest in the Baptist union. Bashir read part of their statement of faith: "Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth, but his own determined depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel."

"If Mr. Cain withdraws from politics, then he must surely resign his position in the Church because one thing's for certain: Hypocrites can lie in the pew but should never lead from the pulpit," Bashir said.

Watch the clip below, via MSNBC:

Cain has been a frequent target of disparaging comments on Bashir's show: Last month, left-wing author and MSNBC contributor Touré said Cain's "predatory black sexuality" was "very frightening in this country" and another analyst referred to Cain as "a black man who knows his place." Bashir himself has jumped in, asking a guest in October whether they thought "Herman Cain can spell the word ‘Iraq?'"