Leighton Smith says James Shaw's latest comments "stunned" him.
Shaw, the Green co-leader, believes opinions around Metiria Turei's actions are "moulded by prejudice." He believes there are both gender and race issues at play in the reactions people are having to her.
Leighton says Shaw is "a fool" - he's "deploying anything he can possibly grasp to lesson the blow to the Greens".
He says it's a sure sign of desperation if someone has to appeal to race and gender issues as the reason somebody's being targeted.
