ABC’s “The View” Co-hosts Criticize Stephen A. Smith
The co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” had some strong words for ESPN host Stephen A. Smith on Thursday. They took issue with his criticism of Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who featured in a video urging U.S. military personnel to disregard illegal orders from former President Donald Trump.
During the latest episode, co-host Sunny Hostin called Smith’s remarks about Kelly “loudly wrong” after playing a clip of him. “I’d really like to hear you explain your thoughts better,” she said.
“I haven’t changed anything,” Smith fired back. “I didn’t stutter when I said that.”
Concerns Over Military Orders
Hostin quickly responded, “Okay. Do you want to stay wrong for crying out loud?” To which Smith replied, “You’re free to label it wrong as much as you like. I have my views, you have yours.”
In the video from last month, Kelly and five other Democrats, including Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Kelly himself, encouraged military and intelligence members to trust their conscience by rejecting unlawful orders.
They pointed fingers at Trump’s administration, claiming it creates a divide between military personnel and civilians.
On his XM radio show last Wednesday, Smith criticized Kelly’s involvement in that video. He questioned, “With all due respect, Senator, what are you doing? You’re telling soldiers to ignore the commander-in-chief?”
Hostin aimed to counter Smith’s argument by referencing comments from Pete Hegseth, a former secretary of the Army, who said that service members should not follow illegal orders, hinting that he and Kelly shared the same viewpoint.
Contentions Heat Up
Smith dismissed this point, stating, “I don’t care what Pete Hegseth says. He wasn’t the right person for the job.” He then defended his position against Kelly, suggesting that as a veteran, he felt Kelly could be putting himself in a risky situation by telling the military this.
Smith mentioned having spoken with a family member who had served, remarking, “You can be held accountable for insinuating something, whether you’re a veteran or active duty.” He stressed that it wasn’t just Kelly’s message, but rather his credentials as a combat naval pilot that made the statement concerning.
Co-host Joy Behar and Hostin chimed in, clarifying that Kelly meant to denote “unlawful” orders. But Smith maintained that he was referring to the legality of the situation.
Hostin reminded him, “He stated that following illegal orders isn’t acceptable, it’s in the military code of conduct. It didn’t sound like you were aware of that.”
Smith replied, “I understand that,” but Hostin seemed to question whether he truly grasped it during their discussion.
Smith then mentioned he had received emails from two governors who thought he was incorrect, acknowledging the differing opinions from his co-hosts. Hostin countered, “You’re wrong.” Smith, in turn, claimed two senators had told him he was “absolutely not wrong.”
