After Speaking Out Against Imus, Elisabeth Hasselbeck Defends Rosie

"View" token non-liberal Elisabeth Hasselbeck appeared on the April 12 edition of "Hannity and Colmes" to announce her co-host appearance on "Fox and Friends" and to add her opinion on the Imus controversy. Hasselbeck echoed her comments on "The View" that Imus deserved at the very least a long suspension. However, she sang a very different tune when asked about her "View" colleague Rosie O’Donnell and her outrageous comments.

Co-host Sean Hannity asked Hasselbeck about Rosie’s anti-Asian remarks and inquired if Rosie should be held to the same standard. "The View" co-host responded that "that would be for Rosie to decide" and noted Rosie’s intentions "were not malicious."The transcript is below.

HASSELBECK: I understand your concern. I mean, we're in the same industry. I believe that, you know, we're all out there saying things that, that we believe. And, but I do believe in consequence. And I believe that people have spoken. And I think that, that has to be respected as well. And the initial, the initial two-week suspension, not enough to satisfy. I just had -- I honestly would have more respect for Don Imus if he would have said: "You know what? I'm going to take a break. I obviously said something and I need to re-evaluate how I’m doing my job if it’s getting this sort of result and reaction, I'm going to take, I’m going to take a year off." That would be so much more respectable in my mind.

HANNITY: Can I put you on the spot? Even though you’re my friend and I don’t like to put you on the spot.

HASSELBECK: Why not?

HANNITY If that’s the standard, and I don’t think it should be, you and I have a disagreement on that, when Rosie made the comments about Asians, should she have taken a step back?

HASSELBECK: That would be for Rosie to decide if she should step back or not. I don’t, you know, Rosie's intentions were not –

HANNITY: But you were making that opinion about Imus.

HASSELBECK: Rosie was not doing anything in a malicious way when she made those remarks.

HANNITY: I felt that it was outrageous, but I accept her apology.

HASSELBECK: She believes -- she apologized.

HANNITY: She did.

HASSELBECK: Her intentions were not malicious.