MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt undoubtedly thought she was espousing a popular opinion when she tweeted kind remarks about a Republican candidate for Congress who was mercilessly mocked by a comedian on NBC’s SNL for having an eye patch.

The candidate lost his eye while serving in Afghanistan.

Instead, some lefty journalists threw shade at her on Sunday for what they charged was the MSNBC reporter endorsing a Republican candidate so close to the fiery midterm elections.

I interviewed @DanCrenshawTX for a piece on vets running. I enjoyed our conversation — and as an American I am incredibly grateful for his service and his sacrifice. Our country is better off with more people like him in Congress, party aside.

— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) November 4, 2018

What happened seemed to surprise her.

A couple of lefty reporters dug into her for helping Dan Crenshaw, the Texas GOP congressional candidate who was skewered by Pete Davidson in SNL’s “Weekend Update.”

“Kind of odd for a reporter to endorse someone 2 days before the election…” wrote lefty Media Matters Editor-at-Large Parker Malloy.

Hunt mounted a defense, saying, “I’m not endorsing any candidate. I AM saying thanks for serving and saying I think more veterans in Congress is good for our country. If you disagree, we can agree to disagree.”

Malloy: I mean, his opponent in this race isn’t a veteran, so…

Hunt: I understand that. I’m not urging voters to pick him over his opponent. I am saying he should not be mocked for his service and that I personally appreciate that he sacrificed for all of us.

But then Esquire‘s cantankerous liberal Charles Pierce jumped into the fray.

He charged, “Then, all due respect, that’s what you should have said, instead of telling us that Congress will be ‘better off’ with another anti-choice Tea Party stalwart.”

Neera Tanden, president of the lefty Center for American Progress, was also pretty ticked. “The answer to this situation is not for reporters to endorse congressional candidates,” she wrote. “Really surprising.”

Touchy. Touchy.

Hunt reached out to Tanden personally and buttered her up with compliments.

“Hi Neera, I respect your work and I’m hoping you saw the fuller context in this whole thread,” she wrote. “When I said ‘like him’ I was directly referring to his record of service, as I noted ‘party aside’. I’d say the same for a Dem in a similar spot.

Hunt ultimately apologized. “I should have referenced the context in the original tweet for those who may not have seen the clip in question,” she wrote. “Apologies.”

But Pierce isn’t forgiving her anytime this century.

“And, if you had, you would be just as wrong,” he wrote. “Venial sin, at worst.”

(This means forgivable, unimportant, trifling or trivial. But Hunt seemed to think Pierce was trying to blow up her “sin” into something biblical, or maybe she just didn’t think her behavior was sinful at all.)

Hunt replied, “I just don’t see defending a veteran who is mocked for their wounds as a venial sin. We are going to have to disagree on this.”

On a fluffier note, Tanden sort of forgave Hunt and complimented her right back.

“I very much respect your work and think you’ve done amazing reporting,” Tanden wrote. “I just think saying someone should be in Congress 2 days before an election seems like an endorsement. But I understand you didn’t mean any malice in it.”

Hunt seemed satisfied: “Thanks Neera.”