Bill Maher has defended his decision to invite MILO onto his show, adding that the journalists who boycott the show, such as Jeremy Scahill, are the reason “liberals will continue to lose elections.”

In a statement, Maher said that “liberals will continue to lose elections as long as they follow the example of people like Mr. Scahill whose views veer into fantasy and away from bedrock liberal principles like equality of women, respect for minorities, separation of religion and state, and free speech.”

“If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claims — and he might be — nothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night,” he continued.

Scahill, who is an investigative journalist and founder of The Intercept, pulled out the show Wednesday night, saying that MILO is “many bridges too far,” and there is “no value in debating him.”

He also accused MILO of “inciting violence against immigrants, transgender people, and others.”

Why I will not appear this week on Real Time with Bill Maher. pic.twitter.com/SOoE3udrDr — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) February 15, 2017

Scahill also attacked Bill Maher’s views on the regressiveness of Islam, claiming that his views on Muslims “veer into vitriol,” something which Maher denied.

Responding to Scahill’s decision, MILO said that “if you can’t turn up and defend your ideas, you lose. It’s that simple.”

MILO will appear as the top of the show guest on this Friday’s show. In the wake of the UC Berkeley riots, he will be discussing the topic of free speech on college campuses, one-on-one with Maher.

You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com