The conservative group Turning Point USA scored a victory against the cackling coven of ABC’s The View on Wednesday after the show complied with a cease and desist letter. The order demanded they correct the record and retract defamatory lies the panel had spewed claiming they “invited” and “embraced” neo-Nazis at their Student Action Summit in Florida over the weekend.
“So, on Monday we talked about the fact there were openly neo-Nazi demonstrators outside the Florida Student Action Summit of the Turning Point USA group. We want to make clear these demonstrators were gathered outside the event and that they were not invited or endorsed by Turning Point USA,” co-host Sara Haines was forced to admit.
Haines went on to add that Turning Point “wanted us to clarify this was a Turning Point USA summit and not a Republican Party event. So, we apologize for anything we said that may have been unclear on these points.”
During the Monday show in question, Whoopi Goldberg claimed, without evidence, that Turning Point “let them in” and “knew what they were,” thus were “complicit” with Nazism. After a commercial break, Goldberg added that her comments were “metaphorical” but insisted Turning Point “embraced them at your thing” and “were in the mix of people at the thing.” Sara Haines also claimed the neo-Nazis “felt invited.”
This sparked rightful outrage at Turning Point, with founder and president Charlie Kirk tweeting out on Tuesday: “Talking to lawyers. Many think we have a strong case. You cannot smear minors as Nazis and get away with it. It impacts them for the rest of their life. #SueTheView”
“#SueTheView” became a trending topic on Twitter that day.
Fox News’s Brian Flood obtained a copy of the cease and desist letter alleging the show defamed the group and threatening legal action if the comments weren’t corrected by Wednesday:
The false statements of fact intentionally made during The View’s July 25th segment were unquestionably harmful to TPUSA’s reputation and brought the organization and its student affiliates into disrepute with the public, potential donors, and current and future business partners, posing a significant financial loss to the organization.
(…)
Therefore, TPUSA demands that ABC immediately cease and desist from further unlawfully defaming TPUSA, retract the defamatory statements identified above, and issue a public statement apologizing for and correcting the above defamatory and false statements.
“Should ABC decide not to comply with the demands above, TPUSA is prepared to promptly take all steps necessary to protect its rights, including pursuing all available legal remedies,” the letter warned them.
And in an e-mail sent to all media outlets that requested comment, Turning Point said the group “100% condemns those ideologies in the strongest terms” and explained that these individuals were located on public property” thus “our security … was not permitted to remove them.” Haines also noted this.
But, of course, the cast wanted to play games with the boundaries of the legal order with reported new “conservative” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin chiming in afterward that “They still invited Matt Gaetz though, I would just like to note.”
The View's original false claims against Turning Point USA were possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Ensure and 4imprint. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
July 27, 2022
11:11:30 a.m. EasternWHOOPI GOLDBERG: And I have to stop talking because you have that note.
SARA HAINES: I do have a note. So, on Monday we talked about the fact there were openly neo-Nazi demonstrators outside the Florida Student Action Summit of the Turning Point USA group. We want to make clear these demonstrators were gathered outside the event and that they were not invited or endorsed by Turning Point USA.
A Turning Point USA spokesman said the group, quote, “100 percent condemns those ideologies” and said Turning Point USA security tried to remove the neo-Nazis from the area, but could not because they were on public property.
Also, Turning Point USA wanted to clarify -- wanted us to clarify this was a Turning Point USA summit and not a Republican Party event. So, we apologize for anything we said that may have been unclear on these points.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: They still invited Matt Gaetz though, I would just like to note.
[Laughter]
GOLDBERG: We are going and will be right back.
