With Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) out as House speaker, two Republican names had swiftly risen to the top for consideration: Representatives Steve Scalise (LA) and Jim Jordan (OH). It was the latter who drew a harsh rebuke from racist Sunny Hostin on Thursday’s edition of ABC’s The View. Hostin insisted that Jordan was a “terrorist” who “terrorized” her at a congressional hearing. She also tried to suggest he was involved in the Ohio State University wrestling sexual abuse scandal despite no evidence.
The day after she backed up moderator Whoopi Goldberg’s argument that criticism of the people prosecuting former President Trump was somehow a threat to their lives, Hostin laid her disdain for Jordan on heavy. “I would just say about Jim Jordan, he has been called by his own party, by John Boehner, a ‘political terrorist.’ He’s also been linked to the Ohio State sexual abuse scandal,” she chided.
Dropping the “political” adjective, she started referring to the Congressman as just a “terrorist.” And without evidence, she claimed he “terrorized” her at a congressional hearing about putting cameras in courtrooms:
I testified in front of Congress about something so simple, cameras in courtrooms. He came in late. He looked disheveled and he immediately was screaming and yelling and terrorized me and the other experts on the panel. And describing him as a terrorist is exactly that. He's a chaos agent and it came out of nowhere. And he had no command of the subject we were talking about, which made it even scarier.
“The thought of him being the speaker of the House I think leads to more chaos for this country,” she warned.
Toward the end of the segment, Hostin was forced to read a legal note (which the show claims are not “corrections”) by ABC’s Standards and Practices, stating: “Representative Jim Jordan has denied that he knew about sexual abuse of wrestlers during his years working at Ohio State University.”
What went unmentioned was the fact that Jordan’s two accusers had shady histories. One of his accusers was convicted of harassing the gold star widow of a Marine over a memorial fund for her husband. And the other went to prison for a $1.8 million fraud scheme.
As for the race for the speakership, faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin pooh-poohed both candidates’ chances:
Steve Scalise has the moderates in his camp. Jim Jordan could probably get the “Gaetz Eight” who took down McCarthy. But neither can get to 218. The most – The part that scares me about this is that I think the biggest bargaining chip right now is aid to Ukraine. It's too important and the Gaetz Eight do not want to see more of it and they are going to ask for promises not to fund Ukraine. So, that should set off alarm bells.
“If I have to make a prediction of the outcome, it’s this: This goes to conference next week, they realize nobody has the votes, and eventually Scalise and Jordan come to some kind of deal where Scalise is speaker, Jordan is majority leader…they both get fancy new titles and we call it a day. But either way, no one is going to last long,” she sniped.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
October 5, 2023
11:05:26 a.m. Eastern(…)
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: This [House speaker] is the most thankless job and both of the candidates running – Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan – neither are going to be able get 218 votes. I would be stunned –
SUNNY HOSTIN: You don’t think so?
FARAH GRIFFIN: I would be stunned if this doesn’t drag on for weeks and weeks and they’re going to have to make concessions.
Steve Scalise has the moderates in his camp. Jim Jordan could probably get the “Gaetz Eight” who took down McCarthy. But neither can get to 218. The most – The part that scares me about this is that I think the biggest bargaining chip right now is aid to Ukraine. It's too important and the Gaetz Eight do not want to see more of it and they are going to ask for promises not to fund Ukraine. So, that should set off alarm bells.
If I have to make a prediction of the outcome, it’s this: This goes to conference next week, they realize nobody has the votes, and eventually Scalise and Jordan come to some kind of deal where Scalise is speaker, Jordan is majority leader. Majority leader controls the floor, Scalise controls the fundraising, they both get fancy new titles and we call it a day. But either way, no one is going to last long.
HOSTIN: Would Scalise, do you think, support giving aid to Ukraine?
FARAH GRIFFIN: I don't think he can if he wants to get the votes. I think he personally does. I think Jim Jordan less so. But that is a scary thing I hope the White House is paying attention to.
HOSTIN: I would just say about Jim Jordan, he has been called by his own party, by John Boehner, a “political terrorist.” He’s also been linked to the Ohio State sexual abuse scandal.
I testified in front of Congress about something so simple, cameras in courtrooms. He came in late. He looked disheveled and he immediately was screaming and yelling and terrorized me and the other experts on the panel. And describing him as a terrorist is exactly that. He's a chaos agent and it came out of nowhere. And he had no command of the subject we were talking about, which made it even scarier. So, to have him – The thought of him being the speaker of the House I think leads to more chaos for this country.
JOY BEHAR: And his role model is Donald Trump who has no command of the language either.
(…)
11:09:57 a.m. Eastern
HOSTIN: I have a legal note. Representative Jim Jordan has denied that he knew about sexual abuse of wrestlers during his years working at Ohio State University.
(…)
