‘The View’ Urges Hillary to Sue Fox News for Reporting on Durham Filings

This is the cackling coven. The ViewAll week, the ABC News led and ignored the Special Counsel John Durham filing against Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann. But the ladies couldn’t help themselves on Friday after their queen, two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton lash out at Fox News for reporting on the story. The panel cheered her on as they urged her to sue for “defamation.”

They never actually addressed what spurred on the renewed attention directed at Clinton, but co-host Joy Behar suggested it was all cooked up by former President Trump as a “distraction” from his own legal troubles. She claimed Trump was “Fox News was happy to report that Hillary Spy on His Presidential Campaign. This is a false story.[.]”

Back here, in reality, Durham found that Sussmann was billing the Clinton campaign for shady work he did teaming up with a tech executive to gather “derogatory information” about Trump by spying on the traffic coming and going from his properties and the White House.

Of course, that didn’t stop Behar from boasting about how “Hillary responded yesterday to it and said that she was done with it..” And after playing a soundbite of Hillary suggesting Fox News was “getting awfully close to actual malice” with their reporting on the facts, Behar came back with an enthusiastic “Go get ‘em!”

“Is Hillary going to take Fox to trial? These are the questions I have to pose to you today,” she inquired of the panel. Sunny Hostin, co-host and attorney, jumped at Sunny’s chance to answer. While she did note a defamation suit recently “didn’t work out well for Sarah Palin right, when she took The New York Times to court,” she was encouraged by the “shots fired from Hillary Clinton.”

Hostin’s excitement stemmed from Clinton’s use of the phrase “actual malice.” “Actual malice is actually the standard for defamation if you are defaming a famous person, and she’s certainly is somebody that is famous in the public eye,” she touted as if something Clinton said should automatically be believed.

“So, it’s a very high standard but she’s telling them, ‘you’re actually reaching this legal standard.’ And I’m sure Fox’s lawyers were listening to that kind of thing,” she added.

If “actual malice” was all it took for a defamation suit to go through, then The ViewCould be responsible in large numbers. In just this segment alone, Behar and co-host Sara Haines teamed up to suggest Eric Trump can’t count (Click “expand”):

HAINES : He sat in that spot and more than 500 times, pled fifth.

BEHAR: Is he able to count up to 500

[Laughter]

HAINES: No. It was another person who did that.

We’re now referring to legal liability. While the cast was going off on the financial and legal troubles the Trump family and Trump organization was going through, with the cast spouting off on accusation like they were proven fact, Hostin was forced by the producers to make a “legal statement” to cover their butts (Click “expand”):

Sunny has a legal document, BEHAR.

HOSTIN: Everyone, I have a legal notice. In a statement, Trump said “there is on case” and called the ruling a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in history.” He denies wrongdoing and is expected to appeal the decision. In response to his long-time accounting firm Mazars USA dropping the Trump organization as a client and claiming it could no longer stand by a decade’s worth of tax documents, Trump boasted about his “fantastic assets” and claimed Mazars’ decision to withdraw a result of “intimidation tactics.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t blame it on Hillary Clinton,” Haines chimed in. “Why is he so obsessed with her?”

The View’s omission of the facts while bolstering Hillary was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from General Mills and Oral-B. You can find their contact information here.

Below is the transcript. Click “expand to read:

ABC’s The View
February 18, 2022
Eastern at 11:02:02

JOY BEHAR is for everyone. It is 2016, all over again. Trump is screaming about witch-hunts by the fake media media, and inventing crazy conspiracy theories regarding Hillary. Remember lock her up? Are you going to investigate her? Hello. Please look in the mirror.

Trump Jr. and Ivanka were ordered by a judge to testify regarding allegations that their company had made false claims about real estate in order to obtain bank loans.

Trump has resorted to distraction. Trump is pushing the debunked claim that Hillary spy on him presidential campaign. Fox News, however, has been happy for it to be repeated 24/7. Hillary replied yesterday to it and she sounds fed up. Watch.

[Cuts to video]

HILLARY CLINTON: Trump is more in trouble the more conspiracy theories and charges against him seem wilder. [Transition]Fox is leading the charge in accusations against me and counting on their audience falling for it once again. They’re even getting close to malice with their attacks, as an aside

BEHAR: Go get ‘em!

Today, there is a lot of information to be absorbed. Let’s get started. Are Trump and his associates finally going to have to answer? It’s my desire to find out if Trump will be held accountable or will there be distractions. Will these distractions actually work? They’ve done it in the past. They listen to him and are vulnerable to his base.

Do you think Hillary should finally bring Fox to justice? These are my questions for you today.

SUNNY HOTIN: Sarah Palin didn’t have it all her way when she took the oath. The New York TimesTo court. However, I believe those shots were fired by Hillary Clinton. Actual malice is actually the standard for defamation if you are defaming a famous person, and she’s certainly is somebody that is famous in the public eye.

BEHAR: I’ll say. Right.

HOSTIN: So, it’s a very high standard but she’s telling them, “you’re actually reaching this legal standard.” And I’m sure Fox’s lawyers were listening to that kind of thing.

Trump is the exception. I believe he will be held responsible, something I have never stated before. But you’ve got parallel investigations. There is a civil investigation underway in New York. You’ve got a criminal investigation in New York, and now that the judge has said, Donald Trump, you have to testify, and your kids — your spawn has to also testify –

BEHAR: The spawn.

HOSTIN: The host must testify before a court during a civil deposition. Any statements they make can be used against them during a criminal case.

SARA HAINES: Will they plead for the fifth time?

HOSTIN: This can be used against them.

HAINES: So, that can sit there and just – Isn’t that what Eric Trump did? He was seated there, and he pled for the fifth time over 500 times.

BEHAR: He can count up to 500

[Laughter]

HAINES: No. It was another person who did that.

(…)

Eastern, 11:09:18

Sunny has a legal document, BEHAR.

HOSTIN: Everyone, I have a legal notice. In a statement, Trump said “there is on case” and called the ruling a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in history.” He denies wrongdoing and is expected to appeal the decision. In response to his long-time accounting firm Mazars USA dropping the Trump organization as a client and claiming it could no longer stand by a decade’s worth of tax documents, Trump boasted about his “fantastic assets” and claimed Mazars’ decision to withdraw a result of “intimidation tactics.”

HAINES: It’s a surprise that he did not blame Hillary Clinton.

HOSTIN : He should.

BEHAR: That’s his last move.

HAINES – Why are you so infatuated with her?

(…)