It’s ironic when outspoken liberal women who moan about “women’s rights” come to the defense of men with multiple accusations of sexual crimes against women, even rape, simply because they’re Democrats. On Thursday’s The View, co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar did just that, coming to the Clintons’ defense over Juanita Broaddrick’s rape accusations and, along with Sunny Hostin, dismissing Broaddrick’s “credibility.”
The segment started out by playing a clip from Fox News’ Sean Hannity interviewing Donald Trump Wednesday night on his show. Hannity brought up how The New York Times hammered Trump for his past behavior towards women, while ignoring the many rape and other sexual assault claims made against Bill Clinton.
Whoopi Goldberg insisted that bringing up Bill Clinton’s past behavior should have no effect on Hillary or this election cycle and that the media had covered “all of this” enough already.
GOLDBERG: [H]er husband was impeached, he went through all the stuff. They've already gone through -- they have done all of this. They did all of these pieces when he was president. So let's start with that. We know all that, but what does that have to do with Hillary?
Joy Behar added, to audience’s applause, that sexual allegations against presidents was “nothing new” before making her feminist pitch:
BEHAR: A little history lesson. In the 20th century almost every president had some kind of sexual allegations thrown at him so this is nothing new. Can we find a woman perhaps who doesn't have any sexual allegations? We have one. Let's just vote for her. [ Applause ]
But defending liberal men against rape and other claims of abuse against women is a common pattern for Goldberg and Behar. Whoopi, in 2009, despicably defended Roman Polanski’s rape of a 13-year-old girl as “not ‘rape-rape’.”Joy Behar has publically admitted that she has no problem voting for Clinton as a rapist, because he’s a liberal, or Ted Kennedy for leaving a woman to drown, because he stood for “women’s rights.” Let the absurdity of that statement sink in.
Paula Faris and Whoopi Goldberg also went back and forth a few times about Broaddrick’s credibility. Goldberg insisted that Broaddrick had changed her story “multiple times” while Faris argued it was only “once.” Sunny Hostin jumped in to defend Goldberg, saying that people were going to question Broaddrick’s “credibility” because her story has “been disproven” after she recanted it in an affidavit.
PAULA FARIS: I'll tell you what, I have an answer here. Here's why it's important. Whoopi, you keep asking why it's important. First and foremost, Hillary issued a tweet last December I believe. If we can put it up, I want everybody to look at it. Right here she said every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed and supported. Juanita Broaddrick then tweets I was 35 years old when Bill Clinton, Arkansas Attorney General raped me. If you're going to issue that and say that every survivor story needs to be heard and her story never has been disproven it feels a little tone-deaf.
SUNNY HOSTIN: I disagree it's never been disproven because she herself in an affidavit, recanted.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: She's said it more than once. She’s recanted it more than once.
The View panel ignored the fact that Juanita Broaddrick wasn’t the only woman who made accusations of sexual assault against Bill Clinton. They also did not bring up how Hillary Clinton has been accused of trying to cover up and silence these women over the years and that is one of the reasons why her husband’s infidelities and alleged crimes against women are important to this election cycle.
Here’s the full transcript from The View, May 19.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So that's all against bill Clinton. Anything about Hillary in that?
PANEL: No, no.
GOLDBERG: I just wanted to clear -- I just wanted to make sure. I didn't get it.
PAULA FARIS: She says this week that he is going to be in charge of the economy and she's going to bring him into the fold, I think -- and this is me covering it from a journalist's perspective. If the "New York Times" is going to come out and I see the point here, they're going to come out with what basically looks like a hit piece on Donald Trump. It's got to be fair coverage. Juanita broaddrick said, they haven't even contacted her.
GOLDBERG: She has changed her story several times.
FARIS: Once.
GOLDBERG: Several times from what I saw. My point is simply this. If we're going after people's -- how they do business, what does that have -- her husband was impeached, he went through all the stuff. They've already gone through -- they have done all of this. They did all of these pieces when he was president. So let's start with that. We know all that, but what does that have to do with Hillary?
SUNNY HOSTIN: You know, Paula, I agree. I think it is fair game, quite frankly, just because she has said that he's going to be in charge of the economy. He is going to be back in the white house. He's going to have a pivotal role in her administration. The bottom line is when you look at Broderick's accusations -- let me put my legal hat on for a second.
GOLDBERG: Yes, please.
HOSTIN: I prosecuted sex crimes for a long time. 68% of sexual assaults are never reported, never reported. And I can tell you, Whoopi, time and time again I have women on the stand and they recanted their story.
GOLDBERG: I understand. But you know what, then how do you -- if you are the person and you recant the story, how are we supposed to know which thing we're supposed to believe?
HOSTIN: Well it goes to her credibility, there's no question people are going to question her.
GOLDBERG: All I'm saying is this, there’s lots of allegations. It's fine, go into it, but I want to know what you're going to do with Hillary. That's what I care about.
JOY BEHAR: Here's the other thing. In 1989 Ivana trump accused Donald himself of rape. Then she recanted. So it's like --
FARIS: Before the book came out. She said it was a complete fabrication.
BEHAR: I don't see why this has to be a discussion. Whenever I see Donald Trump on television he only talks about things that have nothing to do with being president. [ Applause ]
RAVEN-SYMONE: At the same time --
HOSTIN: Bill Clinton has denied Broderick's allegation. He has denied it. But the bottom line is it's a valid issue.
RAVEN-SYMONE: Joy just brought up again Donald Trump, the person who's running for president. She didn't bring up the wife at the time. I want to talk about the person who's running for president.
PAULA FARIS: I'll tell you what, I have an answer here. Here's why it's important. Whoopi, you keep asking why it's important. First and foremost, Hillary issued a tweet last December I believe. If we can put it up, I want everybody to look at it. Right here she said every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed and supported. Juanita broaddrick then tweets I was 35 years old when Bill Clinton, Arkansas Attorney General raped me. If you're going to issue that and say that every survivor story needs to be heard and her story never has been disproven it feels a little tone-deaf.
HOSTIN: I disagree it's never been disproven because she herself in an affidavit, recanted.
GOLDBERG: She's said it more than once. She’s recanted it more than once.
FARIS: Once.
GOLDBERG: No, more than once, baby, more than once.
FARIS: Today she's saying I haven't forgotten. I was 35.
GOLDBERG: I get that. Oh, geeze.
BEHAR: Here's my question --
[crosstalk]
BEHAR: Can I ask a question?
GOLDBERG: The point simply is for me, if he's going to be her pick and trump is going to be the president and they both have allegations, they should actually knock each other out.
BEHAR: That's true.
FARIS: There's been more than one allegation.
GOLDBERG: But they don't.
FARIS: Multiple.
GOLDBERG: Yes, but they have all been through the mill. You know, Paula Jones got paid. We have had all -- all these women have come up. This is not new information. I don't mind it coming up, but I want to know what that has to do with her, since he has allegations also. I don't get how it's fair and balanced, but I'm a bonehead.
BEHAR: A little history lesson. In the 20th century almost every president had some kind of sexual allegations thrown at him so this is nothing new. Can we find a woman perhaps who doesn't have any sexual allegations? We have one. Let's just vote for her. [ Applause ]
FARIS: You say fair and balanced --
FARIS: I get it. I just think there needs to be fair and balanced coverage. If the Times is going to do basically a hit piece on trump then I want to know that they are digging -- oh, the "Washington post" said they have 20 investigative journalists digging into trump.
GOLDBERG: But they have to dig into her, not to him.
FARIS: If he’s going to be a part of her administration then it’s fair game. It’s fair game.
GOLDBERG: Then you have to do the same with Trump.
FARIS: They are. They are. That's the point.
GOLDBERG: No, I'm sorry. The guy -- I'm sorry, look. I watched everybody start to kiss his behind because they know he's going to be the nominee. And so for me, I figure, okay, all the stuff you said, let's just knock it out. It's not real. Allegations from your ex-wife, not real, you recanted it. For me, I sat through all those women. I watched them on 60 minutes. I saw it. It's all there. It's not like he's been hiding it. It's not like no one knows about it. But for me when she is running, when she is running, I want to know what your issue is with her. I want to know what's the blowback.
BEHAR: During the debate you know he's going to bring this up right to her face, and I don't think she should answer any of this. [AUDIENCE CLAPS]
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: But you know she can’t not answer it.
JOY BEHAR: She has to ignore him.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Are you saying the information isn't valid?
BEHAR: It's not valid because she's the one who's running for president. That's why it's not valid.
HOSTIN: But she put him in play by saying he's going to be in charge of the economy.
BEHAR: That was a mistake. I agree. Yesterday I said it wasn't. I'm changing my mind.
