Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders interrupted MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle when she questioned his position on the recent Joe Biden controversy, shouting, “Okay, MA’AM, I’m sorry. If you disagree with me that’s fine. That is my view.”

On Thursday’s edition of Velshi & Ruhle, Ruhle asked Sanders about his demand for an apology from Biden over his controversial remarks about a time when Biden maintained “civility” with segregationist senators, and did so with a fairly aggressive defense of Biden.

“Some are saying ‘Well, he was applauding or celebrating that,’ that wasn’t what Joe Biden was doing,” Ruhle said. “Joe Biden was trying to make the point that bipartisanship is necessary. He’s done so working with the deplorable of the deplorables, that’s why he gave the example of the segregationists.”

“So why is it that you believe he has to apologize?” Ruhle asked.

“Look, I mean I think the media makes a bigger deal of it than it is,” Sanders began.

“So he doesn’t have to apologize?” Ruhle cut in.

“Yeah, I do, I do,” Sanders replied, adding that, “It’s one thing, look, when you’re in Congress, you work with everybody, I do, I think every member of the Senate and every member of the House works with people who have very very different points of view.”

“But I don’t think you have to be touting personal relations with people who were very brutal segregationists, who did a massive amount of…” Sanders continued, but Ruhle cut him off again.

“But Senator, he wasn’t, he wasn’t touting relations, his point was…” Ruhle interrupted.

“Okay, MA’AM!” Sanders yelled over Ruhle, “I’m sorry, if you disagree with me, that’s fine. That is, that’s my view.”

Co-host Ali Velshi then asked, “But haven’t you, over a four-decade career, had to align yourself with people who don’t share your views on things in order to advance your causes?”

“Absolutely. Yes. Absolutely,” Sanders said. “Just what I said, absolutely. I have, and so has every other member of the Congress. But one doesn’t really tout, you know, one’s personal relationships, or make a virtue out of civility when it may be a necessity and not a virtue.”

Biden’s remarks included a portion in which he reportedly imitated the accent of former Senator James Eastland of Mississippi, and said that Eastland “never called me boy, he always called me son.”

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]