A guest co-host on “The View” Tuesday defended Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s questioning of Supreme court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, saying that Blackburn was right in voicing “legitimate concerns.”
Guest co-host Lindsey Gragner and the panel began by discussing Jackson’s confirmation hearing, with co-host Whoopi Goldberg saying that Republicans used the process to “b*tch.”
“Of course, yesterday some Republicans, whose names you know, used their time at the hearing to b*tch. OK? They put their grievances out there from like 1910 all the way up to yesterday,” Goldberg said, playing clips of Republican Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Blackburn.
Blackburn questioned what Jackson’s “hidden agenda” was, asking if it was to “let violent offenders back to the streets,” “restrict parents’ rights and expand the government’s reach into our schools and in our private family decisions” or “to support the radical left’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court.”
Gragner defended Blackburn’s questioning, saying that its only fair for Jackson to be fiercely questioned as part of her confirmation.
“As a black woman, I have a perspective to understand it’s twice as hard to be there. I respect and understand Ketanji deserves to be in that room. But to [not give] her the critique that her counterparts have gotten is unfair,” Gragner said.
“I think to go in there — my only ask was that we have the opportunity to be there,” Gragner continued. “We need to know about what things that she’s ruled on the in the past… I think Marsha Blackburn had a point there.”
Gragner dismissed Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s critiques but said that Blackburn was right in asking Jackson about her views on critical race theory. (RELATED: ‘You Don’t Know’: Sen. Josh Hawley Hits Back At Reporter Claiming He Voted For Judges Soft On Child Porn Offenders)
“With Marsha Blackburn she wants to know ‘you resided on the board of a school. Where do you stand on critical race theory?'” Gragner added.
Sunny Hostin pushed back on Gragner, saying that critical race theory is not being taught to children.
Gragner responded by saying that children should be taught more about “black excellence” that happened despite slavery.
“I don’t know if the [first thing on the agenda] should be critical race theory … there’s legitimate concerns coming from people like Marsha Blackburn,” Gragner said.