Sunny Hostin was again beating the drum of war on Monday’s edition of The View as she again was calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, a move that would certainly drag the U.S. and NATO into a wider war with Russia. But she was immediately rebuked by some of her co-hosts who knocked down her claim and warned against a no-fly zone.
The conversation was started by co-host Whoopi Goldberg who was desperate for someone to defend President Biden from all the criticism. “They say, well, this is all Biden's fault,” she huffed. “But I want someone to tell me, well, what is he supposed to do?”
Ignoring how Biden’s response has been so slow that it makes all moves wholly reactionary rather than preemptive, Hostin touted his decisions thus far. “[I]t seems to me like we've strengthened our economic sanctions, then people were saying, no oil. We've done that,” she said.
She followed up by calling for the “final step” needed to supposedly stop Russia: “the no-fly zone.”
“You have someone like Putin that is saying, if you shoot my planes down during my war, I will consider that an act of war,” she scoffed as she went on to lie about the state of the conflict. “We're already in a war with them, and then where do we go—”
There was a flurry of crosstalk as Goldberg and co-host Joy Behar swiftly countered Hostin’s falsehood:
GOLDBERG: We're not in a war with Putin. Not yet.
[Crosstalk]
BEHAR: Hold on! We don't want World War III in this world. This is a country that has nuclear weapons. We’ve been under this gun of nuclear weapons since I'm a child.
(…)
BEHAR: You cannot screw around with a crazy person who has nukes. Sorry.
“So, do we allow him to kill all Ukraine,” Hostin hyperbolically shot back. “But when does he stop Joy, when does he stop?”
Former VP press secretary Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in to argue that Putin needs to be extended “some kind of an off-ramp” so the war can be de-escalated. “This could be stopped quickly diplomatically,” she said as Goldberg interrupted to ask “how?”
But Farah seemed to contradict herself by saying she agreed with Hostin:
FARAH: We need to cut him off from every international market which the U.S. has done and Europeans have done.
HOSTIN: China hasn't.
FARAH: But we need Switzerland, we need China, we need India to do it. Make him so isolated that he can't even sustain this mission. But I'm with Sunny. How many people can just die mercilessly at his hands before we as the greatest world power say we're willing to do something to save those lives?
But a no-fly zone is not an “off-ramp,” it’s an escalation. In order to enforce a no-fly zone, not only does that involve shooting down Russian aircraft over Ukraine, but it also involves destroying Russian surface-to-air missile sites on the ground in Russia aimed at Ukraine to protect our aircraft.
A few minutes later, Hostin also made a false claim about Russian threats regarding the west supplying weapons to Ukraine. “But now Putin is saying, if you send those weapons, I will also consider that an act of war,” she erroneously paraphrased.
In reality, Russia said they would consider the supply shipments “legitimate targets.” The question is where will they strike those supplies.
Those falsehoods from Sunny Hostin was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Crest and Vicks. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
March 14, 2022
11:21:55 a.m. EasternWHOOPI GOLDBERG: Yeah, so we have been having this conversation, and, you know, my question is, so all of this stuff comes up. They say, well, this is all Biden's fault.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah.
GOLDBERG: But I want someone to tell me, well, what is he supposed to do? I want somebody to come from the other side and say, this is what we can do. Here's how we can fight this.
HOSTIN: Well, I was just speaking off-camera with Alyssa because it seems to me like we've strengthened our economic sanctions, then people were saying, no oil. We've done that. The final step in my view, and we've talked about it on the show is the no-fly zone. You have someone like Putin that is saying, if you shoot my planes down during my war, I will consider that an act of war. We're already in a war with them, and then where do we go --
GOLDBERG: We're not in a war with Putin. Not yet.
[Crosstalk]
BEHAR: Hold on! We don't want World War III in this world. This is a country that has nuclear weapons. We’ve been under this gun of nuclear weapons since I'm a child.
HOSTIN: But when does he stop Joy, when does he stop?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: That’s it, there’s no off-ramp for Putin.
BEHAR: You cannot screw around with a crazy person who has nukes. Sorry.
FARAH: He has to be given an off ramp.
HOSTIN: So, do we allow him to kill all Ukraine?
BEHAR: You have to get China involved. Somebody else has to come in here.
GOLDBERG: But here's the question. You were just about to say what?
FARAH: He needs some kind of an off-ramp. So Putin is a deeply reckless man. He is in a corner. His arm is depleted. It’s almost 90 percent of it is in Ukraine. This could be stopped quickly diplomatically if we--
GOLDBERG: How?
FARAH: We need to cut him off from every international market which the U.S. has done and Europeans have done.
HOSTIN: China hasn't.
FARAH: But we need Switzerland, we need China, we need India to do it. Make him so isolated that he can't even sustain this mission. But I'm with Sunny. How many people can just die mercilessly at his hands before we as the greatest world power say we're willing to do something to save those lives?
GOLDBERG: Well, here’s the thing--
BEHAR: Are you willing to get into a nuclear war? Are you?
FARAH: Yesterday the Russians came within ten miles of Poland. Poland's a NATO ally. So, we would be invoking Article V.
BEHAR: It’s provocative, yes.
(…)
11:24:33 a.m. Eastern
FARAH: And we can get more military equipment to the Ukrainian military. We should be getting them MiGs. We should be getting them--
GOLDBERG: I don't think we’re not – I don’t think people aren’t giving all that -- not doing all of this.
HOSTIN: But now Putin is saying -- I'm sorry, Whoopi. But now Putin is saying, if you send those weapons, I will also consider that an act of war.
GOLDBERG: Here's the thing. Putin can say anything he wants.
(…)
