The View co-hosts Meghan McCain and Joy Behar had a heated exchange during a conversation on the talk show, which has since gone viral. In the clip, the pair are seen at odds over the allegations against Florida GOP congressman Matt Gaetz, who is accused of having sexual relationships with underage girls, as well as trafficking. Behar expressed her concern over the lawmaker not being removed from leadership positions in the Republican party “because he feels like he has cover.”
She added, “They don’t care what you do there, as long as you say that Trump won the election.” McCain refuted this position, saying, “Well, first of all, I have family members and good friends who all work on Capitol Hill in Republican politics and trust me, the Republican party and people on Capitol Hill are embarrassed by this. So, I think I have a lot better sourcing on that than you do Joy, no offense.” McCain then added that she personally believes Gaetz “is a pervert and should go to jail.”
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WILL FORMER GAETZ ASSOCIATE TURN ON HIM? After Rep. Matt Gaetzโs former ally Joel Greenberg pled guilty to sex trafficking charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, the co-hosts discuss as the congressman denies any wrongdoing. https://t.co/UX4lcdadA2 pic.twitter.com/aY9QCZxPry
โ The View (@TheView) May 18, 2021
Behar agreed that McCain would know better how Republicans are responding to the allegations against Gaetz, but took things further. “If it’s not the Republican party, shall I call it the QAnon party?” she asked. “What should I call your party now, who defends people like Matt Gaetz and goes against Liz Cheney?”
This did not sit well with McCain, who responded by letting Behar know that she doesn’t believe anyone in her political party will be influenced by her co-host’s opinion. “What Republican is like ‘Hm, Joy Behar doesn’t like my party? Oh god, I better stop voting for them now,’” McCain said. “In the same way, I have no influence on the left. I don’t think, at least.”
The conversation continued to escalate, with Behar asking why Republicans don’t “get rid of” Gaetz if they are truly embarrassed by the controversy surrounding him. McCain replied that since no official charges have yet been filed against Gaetz, she believes the party is maintaining a stance of “innocent until proven guilty.” Behar then posed why it was more important for the GOP to take away a leadership position from Liz Cheney, who simply was critical of former President Trump, rather than Gaetz, who has been accused of heinous sexual misconduct.
The heated exchange turned into a full-blown yelling match by this point, with McCain screaming to Behar over panel moderator Whoopi Goldberg, “You saying that the Republican party is trash is โ I don’t care! It’s not revelatory. Who cares? You say it every single day!”