Ms Harman said that Mr Ryan and Mr Gwynne would not have been selected by their local Labour branch to run as MPs if the contents of the WhatsApp group were known.
People who believe the things posted in a controversial Labour WhatsApp group shouldn't have been MPs in the first place, according to Harriet Harman.
The scandal over the "Trigger Me Timbers" WhatsApp group has seen former health minister Andrew Gwynne sacked from the government and suspended from the Labour Party.
Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the veteran Labour parliamentarian said the scandal was "very serious" as the public already thinks MPs are "contemptuous of their voters".
"I think if you have got racist thoughts, and you have got antisemitic beliefs, and if you've got contempt for the people you're supposed to be representing, you shouldn't be an MP.
