Joy Behar blamed President Donald Trump for a recent spat between White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and a reporter from the Washington Examiner.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the White House,” Behar cracked Friday during a segment of “The View.”
WATCH:
Whoopi Goldberg began the segment by airing an audio clip of the phone call — released by the Washington Examiner — in which Conway scolded the reporter for getting too personal in an article exploring whether she might replace Mick Mulvaney as chief of staff. (RELATED: Joy Behar Wants Trump To Face Criminal Charges Over ‘Send Her Back’ Chants)
Sunny Hostin then pointed out the fact that Conway only took the phone after her assistant said that the call would be off the record and the reporter had agreed to that, saying that it bothered her that the reporter then went ahead and released the call anyway.
“I have a problem with the reporter then divulging this,” Hostin said. “That’s why the media gets this bad rap. It’s not legally binding, this ‘off the record’ — but culturally. The assistant is her proxy.”
Abby Huntsman jumped in, noting that she had been the target of similar calls. “When people agreed to be off the record, I respect that, and I want to hear from people from a different perspective because I like to sometimes give people the benefit of the doubt,” she said. “That’s my personality, but this is different. When you are calling people and you are bullying people, that I will not stand for, and I have been on the other end of those calls before too, and if you think I’m going to roll over, and you calling me is going to change my opinion, change the way I talk about things at this table, think again.”
“Think again because if anything, it’s the total opposite effect,” Huntsman continued. “It makes me think they are behind closed doors, nervous, and spinning. If you are content with your life and job right now, you are not sounding like this on a phone call. You are not sounding like this on a phone call.”
“No question. No question about that, it was inappropriate for her to bully that reporter,” Hostin agreed.
“Civility starts at the top,” Huntsman added. “You are at the top. The White House is doing that.”
“She’s mimicking Trump. The Apple doesn’t fall far from the White House. Come on,” Behar cracked.