Like many other people in the “mainstream media," the female panelists on ABC's The View weekday program were delighted to move on from the positive response to Donald Trump's speech on Tuesday night to a topic that enabled them to vent their animosity toward the president and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is under fire regarding his testimony during his confirmation hearing.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg began the segment by stating Sessions had not disclosed he had two meetings with the Russian ambassador during last year's presidential campaign. When she asked the audience whether the attorney general has “to go,” even she was surprised by the loud roar of approval from the people in the studio.
Before that, the co-hosts had shown a clip from January 10, when Minnesota Democratic Senator Al Franken asked Sessions: “If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?”
Sessions replied: “Senator Franken, I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it.”
“So now Democrats are calling for Sessions to resign,” Goldberg stated. “Some Republicans want him to recuse himself from investigations.”
Fellow co-host Sunny Hostin asserted: “I don't know if he was a part of the campaign, right? I don't know if that's misleading under oath, but I do think he has to recuse himself from any and all investigations.”
At that point, comedian Joy Behar jumped into the discussion by stating: “If he was lying under oath, that's perjury.”
Hostin then noted that Sessions was asked about anyone involved in the campaign, which the senator was not. “That's the technicality,” she stated.
“The first thing that popped to mind as just a regular citizen,” Sara Haines indicated, was “if someone had said you had been in contact with Russia, I would make sure to clarify. I would say: 'I have had contact with Russia, but it's in regard to this other hat I wear.'”
Behar then compared Sessions to Republican President Richard Nixon, who was forced to resign after the Watergate scandal. “The question is: What did he know, and when did he know it? … I think this is unraveling very, very quickly now.”
Jedediah Bila joined the fray by noting: “I don't have a problem that, in his capacity as a senator on the Armed Services Committee, … he had over 25 conversations with foreign ambassadors” last year. “What I have a problem with is the sin of omission.”
Goldberg then cut her off: “He was asked: 'If you found out that someone in the campaign had communications with Russia, what would you do? So, instead of saying 'Wow; this is what I'd do,' he said: 'Well, you know, I don't know much about this … .”
After having trouble with three nominations and their connections to Russia, Behar stated: “the flag should be going up, … and don't forget the 'bromance' that went on for months between (Russian Federation President Vladimir) Putin and what's-his-name, Trump.”
Hostin then asserted: “Asking [Sessions] to resign is sort of the 'nuclear option,' but should he be a part of any investigation revolving around Russia given this new information? Of course not!”
“He's a liar,” Behar growled. “He shouldn't be in that position. He is the attorney general. He's going to have to try people who lie.”
“Instead of 'Hail to the Chief,'” she joked, “they should be singing 'Back in the U.S.S.R.'”
The panelists then read from a statement released by Sessions: “Whenever it's appropriate, I will recuse myself. There's no doubt about that.”
Goldberg commented:
People shouldn't have to ask you to recuse yourself. It's like having the fox in the hen house. Get out!
Y'all need to back up and read the Constitution and see what you're allowed to do. This is a problem, but some Republicans claim the Sessions controversy was timed to damage the good reviews “You Know Who” [Trump] is getting after his speech the other night.
“Apparently, a lot of the media is gushing over how that speech changed the course of his presidency,” she continued.
“The bar is so very low for this president,” Hostin noted, “that when we see him acting quasi-normal, we think: 'That was a pretty good speech.'”
Behar claimed that the speech made her “quasi-nauseous” before stating: “I prefer the inaugural speech because it showed you the real guy. This one was phony.”
It's a good thing Trump doesn't hold his breath until he's liked by the women on The View. He'd turn a very deep shade of purple waiting for that to happen.
