Staff Reports
In a recent episode of ABC’s The View, the talk show co-hosts traded their usual banter for a rather unusual number of legal disclaimers—four of them, to be precise. It seems the hosts could benefit from a quick refresher course on legal ramifications of what they say, especially when it comes to discussing Republican figures in the Trump administration. The verbal volleys thrown by Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar may have gotten them into a bit of hot water.
The spectacle began with discussions around former Rep. Matt Gaetz and his decision to withdraw from consideration for attorney general. Amid allegations swirling around the Florida Republican, Hostin and Behar felt compelled to drop multiple legal notes. It begs the question: is this the new standard for political dialogue on the left? Just have your legal team on-speed dial when you’re discussing GOP members?
The haglets at the view had to issue FOUR separate legal notes in one episode. "This show is going to be legal notes and things we're selling" whined Fat Ana Navarro.
Simple solution, haglets: STOP LYING.https://t.co/FhuPTZwBn1
— Larry Schweikart (@LarrySchwe94560) November 25, 2024
When Joy Behar started tossing around numbers regarding George Santos’ alleged “23 criminal charges,” it seemed she barely had time to catch her breath before being corrected. While it’s certainly entertaining to watch co-hosts struggle to maintain their stories, one wonders whether they realize their critiques are often peppered with inaccuracies that necessitate the kind of rapid-fire corrections usually reserved for minor legal disputes. In this case, Behar quickly pivoted to clarify that Santos had reached a plea deal. So much for everyone being an expert in criminal justice—at least not without a lawyer on standby.
The legal notes didn’t stop there. Hostin chimed in with her own clarifications involving Gaetz and Fox News host Pete Hegseth, ensuring the audience knew that Gaetz had categorically denied the allegations leveled against him. For those keeping track, that’s another not-so-subtle reminder that “innocent until proven guilty” seems to be a foreign concept on The View. When it comes to conservative names, it appears that the presumption of guilt is the standard practice.
As Hostin continued to rack up the legal disclaimers like a game of political bingo, she even had to clarify that Pam Bondi and Trump denied any kind of quid pro quo regarding the legal decisions made during her tenure as attorney general of Florida. This raise-the-dead status of the Trump University saga seems to be a favorite topic among The View’s elite, as the co-hosts contort themselves into knots trying to taint any association with the former president.
Just as the audience thought they had seen it all, Ana Navarro deadpanned about the show’s format quickly evolving into “legal notes and things we’re selling.” The irony wasn’t lost on viewers who are accustomed to watching a show that often devolves into partisan finger-pointing, barely sticking to the facts. One can only wonder how many “legal notes” will be necessary before they consider toning down the slanderous rhetoric or at least get a good lawyer in the process.
