Why is Edgar Degas still considered an impressionist?

The Impressionists loved to paint outdoors to capture the impressions of natural landscapes and outdoor life.

And do you know what Edgar Degas said? “… If I were in government I would have a special brigade of gendarmes to keep an eye on these artists”.

Son of a banker Edgar Degas hated the Impressionists.

He studied literature and law, but soon began to paint with a solid academic foundation and with the idea of becoming a painter of "historical scenes".

He became a master of drawing, which the Impressionists did not use, and, while in the group of Monet, Renoir, Manet and others the ideas were progressive, Degas was nothing short of "reactionary" and anti-Semitic. 

So?

In reality Degas, disappointed by the economic results of the official Salon, joined the group of Impressionists only to sell his paintings.

With such different characters and ideas, his presence was the cause of constant conflicts.

The very sociable Renoir said of him: “What a creature that Degas was! All his friends had to leave him; I was one of the last to leave, but even I couldn't stay until the end. "

Andrea Giuseppe Fadini