Ahead of Monday’s start to the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Friday’s COVID-stricken edition of ABC’s The View featured three co-hosts avoiding the apparent evidence of Jackson going easy on sex offenders and child porn peddlers. Instead, they came to her defense by arguing that she’ll “very literally” “outshine each and every one” of the conservative justices nominated by former President Trump.
“What's crazy is the Republicans, like Josh Hawley [R-MO] are already trying to derail her path to the bench, claiming that there's past cases that show she let sex offenders off too easy and he takes issue with the fact she defended Guantanamo detainees, which is the law,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg scoffed.
Goldberg, who recently claimed the Holocaust “wasn’t about race,” told Hawley to pick up a book and get educated about public defenders. “It is literally the law! If you are detained, we must provide you with a lawyer to make sure you're not being railroaded! That's the law! All you got to do is look it up,” she sneered, failing to distinguish between Jackson's time defending the detainees as a private attorney versus as a public defender.
Despite that destination, guest co-host and former public defender Eboni K. Williams suggested that those scrutinizing Jackson's actions there "don't really subscribe to the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution[.]"
“Let me remind people who Josh Hawley is,” so-called conservative co-host Ana Navarro declared while raising her fist into the air. “Josh Hawley is the guy who was, you know, promoting the big lie, who was -- is one of the promoters of the insurrection that happened on January 6.” Navarro then made her first of two swipes at Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“Let me remind you though, you're scrutinizing her about legal issues. You're not scrutinizing her about sexual harassment or assault,” she spat; later adding: “She needs to keep her cool and answer calmly and answer with substance because she -- because of who she is, is not going to get away with the crying meltdown that Kavanaugh did.”
Just as a reminder, the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh were wholly fabricated. There’s no evidence any of them occurred and some of the people named as supposed witnesses say the events never happened. And the now-Justice was rightfully upset that the left and media were trying to ruin his life with LIES.
Bringing things back to Jackson, Williams suggested the only reason her record was being scrutinized was because of race. “But Whoopi, let's not pretend we don't know what this is about. You know what bus is always on time,” she rhetorically asked. “The one that indicts the determinations of the qualifications of black women in this country. And that bus is never late.”
“Just based on the people, the last three people they put in. You know, this is a woman who can -- who can outshine each and every one of those people,” Goldberg added as she looked to direct their ire at the conservative justices. “Her abilities are outstanding. I mean, she's outstanding. So, you put in Amy Coney Barrett, you put in the other one, you know, and you're questioning her?”
Williams agreed, suggesting Jackson would “very literally” outshine them.
After suggesting that Justice Amy Coney Barrett wasn’t an intellectual equal and didn’t have nearly the qualifications of Jackson, Goldberg predicted that the Republican lawmakers would be made to look like fools as Jackson flipped through her notes:
Now, what I hope they all remember is I hope they all remember their laws when they question her because, you know, she will just be like this with them. [Flipping through cards] ‘Oh, no. Blah blah blah blah. Oh, yeah. Blah blah blah blah blah. You didn't know this? You know all you had to do was look it up. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.’
In reality, Barrett didn’t bring any notes with her to her confirmation hearings. And there’s an iconic picture of her holding up an empty notepad.
This defense of Judge Jackson and smears of the conservative justices was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Prevagen and Mr. Clean. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
March 18, 2022
11:15:11 a.m. Eastern(…)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: What's crazy is the Republicans, like Josh Hawley are already trying to derail her path to the bench, claiming that there's past cases that show she let sex offenders off too easy and he takes issue with the fact she defended Guantanamo detainees, which is the law.
EBONI K. WILLIAMS: Literally.
GOLDBERG: It is literally the law! If you are detained, we must provide you with a lawyer to make sure you're not being railroaded! That's the law! All you got to do is look it up! Ugh. So, you know, I mean I know they're going to make it difficult and find dumb stuff, but aren't lawyers -- isn't this what lawyers do? Isn't this the job?
WILLIAMS: You know, Whoopi, as a former public defender myself, shoutout to public defenders who don't get enough credit. First of all, this justice when confirmed will be the first federal public defender to ever serve on the United States Supreme Court. Okay?
And so we're seeing as much as we belove our Constitution and all the patriots say that, you don't really subscribe to the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution -- to your point, Whoopi -- because if you do, every single citizen gets legal representation. It's per due process, and as of 2008, the Supreme Court says that applies to those detainees as well.
So, if you are going to start cherry-picking and I hated this, ladies. When I was practicing as a defense lawyer both in private practice and as a defender, I would get all the time, ‘how can you defend those people, Eboni? You know what they did. What type of lawyer takes that kind of case?’
I'll tell you what kind. The kind that loves this country. The kind that believes in freedom and justice and liberty for all. The kind that believes that you are presumed innocent still in this nation until you are proven guilty, and the kind that doesn't believe in cherry-picking who justice is for. It's not just for people who have facts that make me feel warm and fuzzy. It's for every single person to get the system's promise of a proper right to counsel and defense.
I am very excited to see this black woman confirmed to our United States Supreme Court.
(…)
ANA NAVARRO: Let me remind people who Josh Hawley is. [Raises fist in the air] Josh Hawley is the guy who was, you know, promoting the big lie, who was -- is one of the promoters of the insurrection that happened on January 6. So I don't think he's got much of a moral standing to be talking about the constitution, frankly, because if you can't defend democracy, and you can't defend election results, you really don't have much moral standing.
(…)
NAVARRO: And so it's very important, and I hope she shows her medal. We got to find her intellectual breadth, her judicial temperament, her character, her record, so go ahead. Go ahead and question her, scrutinize her. Let me remind you though, you're scrutinizing her about legal issues. You're not scrutinizing her about sexual harassment or assault.
WILLIAMS: Ooo.
NAVARRO: So, it's a very different type of scrutiny, and if this is all they can find on Judge Jackson, I think she can answer this, and she should, and I hope that there are some Republican senators who put country and history -- the historical significance of the first black woman ahead of partisanship, and if they believe she's got the temperament, the intellect, and qualifications, they should vote for her based on that.
GOLDBERG: Just based on the people, the last three people they put in. You know, this is a woman who can -- who can outshine each and every one of those people.
WILLIAMS: Very literally.
GOLDBERG: Her abilities are outstanding. I mean, she's outstanding. So, you put in Amy Coney Barrett, you put in the other one, you know, and you're questioning her?
WILLIAMS: But Whoopi, let's not pretend we don't know what this is about. You know what bus is always on time? The one that indicts the determinations of the qualifications of black women in this country. And that bus is never late.
GOLDBERG: It's never late.
WILLIAMS: It’s never late.
And I want to say this: based off the fact that this will be one of the only Supreme Court justices -- to your point of that example of the last three we got -- who will be confirmed by bipartisan nature -- I'm sorry. Already has been at the appellate level by the United States Senate, she's overqualified. Let me gone on record in saying that.
GOLDBERG: That's scary to them. And it’s like, if you say you want the brightest, the greatest that we have, she's perfect representation of that.
Now, what I hope they all remember is I hope they all remember their laws when they question her because, you know, she will just be like this with them. [Flipping through cards] ‘Oh, no. Blah blah blah blah. Oh, yeah. Blah blah blah blah blah. You didn't know this? You know all you had to do was look it up. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.’
NAVARRO: I'll tell you what she needs to do.
GOLDBERG: What does she need to do?
NAVARRO: She needs to keep her cool and answer calmly and answer with substance because she -- because of who she is, is not going to get away with the crying meltdown that Kavanaugh did.
GOLDBERG: Ah, no. We don't get to do that. No. We don't get to do that. We have to be the strong ones and say, you know what? Bring it on. She's ready for you!
