Former Trump spokesperson Alyssa Farah Griffin on Tuesday discovered herself on the receiving finish of a tongue-lashing from co-host Sunny Hostin for defending former Protection Secretary Mark Esper, whom Hostin described as “cowardly” and “despicable.”
Within the course of, Hostin additionally appeared to take pointed swipes at Griffin—who has been a daily View visitor host in latest months—for not talking up whereas she labored within the Trump administration.
Esper, who served as former President Donald Trump’s protection chief earlier than he was unceremoniously fired simply after the 2020 election, has been making the media rounds to advertise A Sacred Oath, his Trump period tell-all. Amongst different eye-popping revelations, Esper recounted that Trump floated firing missiles at Mexico, questioned if George Floyd protesters could possibly be shot, and needed to execute leakers regardless of the president being the “greatest leaker of all.”
With Esper lately suggesting to Fox Information that he believes Trump was a menace to democracy, Griffin kicked off The View’s Tuesday dialogue on the ex-official’s ebook tour by raving about her former boss (Griffin served because the DOD’s press secretary earlier than returning to the Trump White Home in 2020).
“I labored with Secretary Esper on the Division of Protection,” she famous. “Served our nation in uniform earlier than he was secretary of protection. I do know him to be a principled, severe particular person, and he is a kind of who I am grateful he was there as a result of, I'm telling you, crazier issues would have occurred.”
Saying she “panicked” when Trump requested her if he ought to fireplace Esper after she got here again to the White Home, Griffin insisted she informed the twice-impeached ex-president “completely not.” (A month after Esper was canned by Trump, Griffin resigned from the administration.)
After co-host Pleasure Behar took situation with Esper not talking out sooner about Trump’s “psychotic habits,” Griffin conceded it as a “legitimate level” however argued that “if all of the individuals in good religion who cared about America” left the administration, it “would have been crammed with little Steve Bannons.”
Hostin was unwilling to simply accept that rationale.
“I am uninterested in this ridiculous apology tour, Alyssa, I’m sick of it,” she exclaimed to studio viewers applause. “I’m sick of individuals coming and attempting to promote a ebook. The explanation he’s talking now could be as a result of he’s attempting to become profitable! I believe that's cowardly. I believe that's despicable!”
Slicing off Griffin’s try at a rebuttal, Hostin continued to put into Esper whereas holding up whistleblower Alexander Vindman—who testified about Trump’s notorious Ukraine cellphone name through the ex-president’s first impeachment trial—as a “true hero” and patriot.
“I’m certain your former boss, who you’re so happy with, knew all about Ukraine, knew all about what was occurring, and mentioned nothing,” the longtime View host declared.
Whereas Griffin asserted that Esper “fought to get support launched to Ukraine,” Hostin continued to shout her down, asking Griffin point-blank if the ex-secretary testified through the impeachment.
“No, he doesn’t get a move,” Hostin fumed.
“It’s not a couple of move a lot as—the concept that everybody of fine religion ought to have stepped down whereas Trump was the commander-in-chief,” Griffin pleaded.
“Not stepped down, spoke up,” Behar chimed in. “That’s totally different.”