Schumer: No Need to Return Maher's $1M, 'He's a Comedian

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday dismissed calls for a pro-President Barack Obama super PAC to return comedian Bill Maher's $1 million donation following accusations of sexism over comments he's made about 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and other women.

The issue has received particular attention in the wake of a video from a pro-conservative women group calling out the "double standard" in the way Maher and Rush Limbaugh's "slut" comment have been treated.

Asked on ABC's "This Week" whether Maher's money should be returned, Schumer said no.

"The bottom line is that Rush Limbaugh's comments were just nasty and directed at a particular young woman who had a particular point of view and was expressing herself," Schumer said. "Bill Maher's a comedian, it's much different. Rush Limbaugh has tremendous weight in the Republican Party, no one will rebut him."

"Bill Maher's a comedian who's on at 11 o'clock at night but has very little influence on what's happening here," he added.

A Schumer spokesman later told Politico he "thinks those comments [made by Maher] are inappropriate and wrong."