After Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) censureship in the House on Wednesday evening, The View invited him onto their Thursday morning show so that the panel of hosts could bow down and kiss his feet, begging pardon for the sins of the House Republicans. They then pried for his opinions on several current issues, such as the Trump indictment and the Hunter Biden plea deal, and he graciously bestowed these opinions on them.
Whoopi Goldberg introduced him by asking him why he thought he had been censured, framing the question in a grovelingly sympathetic way, while also being accusatory towards those who were responsible for the censureship:
So first, Republicans kicked you off your committee for investigating you-know-who. Now, for only the third time this century, they're censuring you. Why are they so focused on you? What—what—what’s going on? Cause it—now it seems there’s so many other things y'all could be doing. Is this the end of this stuff or is there more to come?
Schiff, ever gracious and praiseworthy for the absolute truth that he has always spoken every day of his life, responded that his censureship happened because he was “effective” in “standing up” to the Republican leaders who had accused him of lying about Russian collusion with Trump in the 2016 election. He said that he had been “standing up to their master, Donald Trump,” by lying about him in the Intelligence Committee that had been investigating the Russian collusion claims.
Schiff went on to claim that the Republicans were trying to “intimidate others into standing up, defending our democracy and our Constitution” against “their effort to, essentially move the country in this authoritarian direction.” He said that he would not be intimidated in this way, but claimed that “they hope that they can silence others.”
Knowing Schiff’s penchant for lying, these claims of Republicans being authoritarians and wanting to destroy democracy and the Constitution in America made sense, but were still outrageously false. They, as well as many of Schiff’s other false claims, had also been misconstrued and celebrated by the media before, so there was no surprise there for it to happen here again.
During the twittering that the hosts did between this question and the next, Goldberg reminded viewers that “the guy who threatened everybody lost the last several elections,” indicating that since Trump hadn’t had popular voter support, that “he might not be the best person to be listening to” for House members.
Next, Joy Behar asked Schiff a loaded question about why he thought he had been censured and George Santos, “a congressman who lies about his entire resume…and is an alleged financial fraudster…is not?”
Schiff responded by saying that “the crazies are running the House of Representatives now” and that McCarthy had “no control over his members.” He complained how the current Republican conference “really tears down the House of Representatives from what it once was,” and that House Republicans were “acting like puppets of Donald Trump.”
Schiff also broached his opinion that Republicans “may just decide to abandon Trump” because of his recent losses, an opinion that was hugely celebrated by the hosts and the live audience:
But look, we'll get past this. I have every confidence this too shall pass. I think that if we beat them next year, and God help us if we don't, they may just decide to abandon Trump, not because he's a liar, they're fine with that. Not because he's immoral, they can live with that too. Not even because he's a danger to our national security, but they just might decide to abandon him for the reason you mentioned, which is he's a loser.
Among all of this support for the poor, suffering, censured Schiff, even the show’s token “conservative,” Alyssa Farah Griffin, seemed to be unable to stand up to the magnitude of oppression and hate that Schiff had been receiving, admitting that she was “not really sure that we’re doing in the House” with regards to the censureship.
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Transcript of the segment below (click Expand):
ABC’s The View
06/22/23
11:25 AM ET
JOY BEHAR: Bunch of idiots.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Shame. Shame, shame on you.
Listen. This is crazy, but last night Congressman Adam Schiff was censured by House Republicans for his role in you-know-whose Russia probe and first impeachment.
Joining us now from D.C. is Representative Adam Schiff.
(APPLAUSE)
GOLDBERG: So first, Republicans kicked you off your committee for investigating you-know-who. Now, for only the third time this century, they're censuring you. Why are they so focused on you? What—what—what’s going on? Cause it—now it seems there’s so many other things y'all could be doing. Is this the end of this stuff or is there more to come?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I—you know, I don't know. And the answer to the question, why are they censuring me and going after me on the Intelligence Committee, is, you know, they go after people they think are effective.
BEHAR: Right.
SCHIFF: They go after people they think are standing up to them, and more importantly, that are standing up to their master, Donald Trump. He threatened any of the Republicans that didn't support this with primary challenges, and they fell in line.
They don't bother with people they don't think they are a threat to their effort to, essentially move the country in this authoritarian direction. The danger is that it will intimidate others into standing up, defending our democracy and our Constitution. It's not going to have that effect on me, but I ho—I think they hope that they can silence others, and that's where the danger in this kind of device lies.
Roosevelt said in his time, “There are times when you can judge a person by the enemies they make.” And sadly I think we're in that kind of a time, and by that standard, I'm doing pretty damn well.
GOLDBERG: Just keep in mind that the guy who threat—that—they should keep in mind that the guy who threatened everybody lost the last several elections.
BEHAR: Yeah.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah.
GOLDBERG: Okay? I'm just saying. He might not be the best person to be listening to, but what do I know? Hey, Joy, it's you.
BEHAR: Yes, yes sir. F. D. R. also said, “I welcome the hate.” That's a good one to remember too. Let them be hateful if they want to be, you know, they're wrong.
And, you know, the other thing about this is that censures are usually extremely rare, as Whoopi said, and reserved for serious offenses, like, let's say, a congressman who lies about his entire resume…
(APPLAUSE)
BEHAR: …and is an alleged financial fraudster. So what do you make of the fact that you're being censured and George Santos is not?
SCHIFF: Well, you know, the crazies are running the House of Representatives now.
(APPLAUSE)
SCHIFF: Kevin McCarthy has no control—no control over his members, and so the speakers yesterday, the—first of all, there are very few of them on the Republican side, but the ones that were there were the Marjorie Taylor Greens and the Lauren Boeberts and the Lunas. And…
BEHAR: Good name. Luna.
SCHIFF: …this is dominating the Republican conference, and it’s—you know, it's tragic. It really tears down the House of Representatives from what it once was. As Speaker Pelosi said, you know, this is a place where we establish Social Security and Medicare. We've done great things, and here you're acting like puppets of Donald Trump, but this is what the House has degenerated into.
But look, we'll get past this. I have every confidence this too shall pass. I think that if we beat them next year, and God help us if we don't, they may just decide to abandon Trump, not because he's a liar, they're fine with that. Not because he's immoral, they can live with that too. Not even because he's a danger to our national security, but they just might decide to abandon him for the reason you mentioned, which is he's a loser.
BEHAR: Loser. Loser. Loser.
(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)
SCHIFF: And as long as they attach their wagon to his, they'll lose too.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, and, Congressman, I talked to a number of House Republicans yesterday who were privately saying to me, we should focus on serious issues, and also, this is an unkind contribution to Adam Schiff's Senate re - election. So, not really sure what we're doing in the House….
