ABC News’ “The View” co-hosts exploded into a heated debate on Tuesday over The Washington Post’s report that Ivanka Trump used her personal email to contact other White House and Cabinet officials for government matters — and whether or not her conduct justifiably could be compared with Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state.
On Monday The Post reported that President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser potentially violated federal rules by corresponding with “White House aides, Cabinet officials and her assistant” for travel arrangements and other government matters.
Thus far, there have been no indications that Ivanka Trump’ emails contained any sensitive or classified information. And she did not create a private server.
The FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s highly problematic use of a private email server, in contrast, cast a shadow over her 2016 presidential campaign against Trump and even spurred the president’s reporters to chant “Lock her up!” at rallies.
But Clinton was spared from prosecution because former FBI Director James Comey said in July 2016 that “although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.”
Ivanka Trump’s lawyer, Peter Mirijanian, told Fox News in a statement that he wanted “to address misinformation being peddled about Ms. Trump’s personal email.”
He added that “she did not create a private server in her house or office, there was never classified information transmitted, the account was never transferred or housed at Trump Organization, no emails were ever deleted, and the emails have been retained in the official account in conformity with records preservation laws and rules.”
“When concerns were raised in the press 14 months ago, Ms. Trump reviewed and verified her email use with White House Counsel and explained the issue to congressional leaders,” Mirijanian added.
But “The View” co-hosts clashed uncomfortably as they discussed whether Ivanka Trump’s conduct could be lumped together with Hillary Clinton’s.
“So how do you think they are going to spin this? Do you think anybody will be yelling, ‘Lock her up?'” co-host Whoopi Goldberg wondered.
Co-host Joy Behar (shown above, far right) then trashed Ivanka Trump, saying, “You know what’s amazing is that this girl was there in 2016. I mean, was she in a convent? She was watching TV just like the rest of us. How dumb can a person be to go and make the same mistake that [Trump] has been b****ing about the whole time? I mean, people, wake up.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin, also a legal correspondent for ABC News, said she couldn’t believe that Ivanka Trump was “pleading ignorance” to the rules.
“And I never worked in White House, but I certainly worked in the Justice Department for seven years. And it’s one of the first things they tell you … It’s why to this very day I have a personal and private email,” Hostin insisted. “I don’t think that you combine your personal life with your work life.”
Hostin said, “I call B.S. on, ‘I didn’t know better.’ I think it’s the height of hypocrisy, quite frankly … They’re breaking rules left and right.”
Co-host Abby Huntsman (above far left) chimed in, saying if they wanted “to talk about hypocrisy, we’ll be here all day long because the list can go on and on.”
Noting that her father, John Huntsman Jr., is the current U.S. ambassador to Russia, Huntsman said she takes seriously the cybersecurity threats that Russia and China pose to the U.S. and the need to use secure servers for government business.
But Huntsman predicted that there will be “no there there” among Ivanka Trump’s emails because many of them “were about her kids’ scheduling.”
Co-host Meghan McCain (above center) insisted it was “hypocritical” of Ivanka Trump to use a private email account “when one of your dad’s taglines is, ‘Lock her up,’ specifically about [the Hillary Clinton] email controversy.”
Related: Melania Trump Is Mocked by the Ladies of ‘The View’: ‘Maybe She’s Jealous’ of Other ‘Drama’
“I will say, let us not forget Hillary had emails deleted by a computer specialist amid a congressional investigation as she had her aides smash her devices with a hammer,” McCain added, insisting that Clinton’s and Ivanka Trump’s email controversies cannot be lumped into the same category.
“Destroying emails during an investigation is still different and smashing devices with a hammer to me is still different,” McCain said. “Do I think it’s hypocritical? A hundred percent. Do I think she should have known better? A hundred percent.”
But McCain sparked a firestorm among the group when she urged her peers not to become “desensitized to what’s really important.”
“What we should be most fearful of is the fact that our president is still using his personal phone. I care much more about that,” McCain said.
Goldberg swooped in, saying, “You guys chose this [topic], and that’s why we’re talking about this.”
“I didn’t choose it. It’s in the news,” McCain snapped. “This would not be the number-one topic I would choose for this show today if given the opportunity.”
Behar interrupted, saying, “Oh, it’s mine. Absolutely mine.”
“Why does [Ivanka Trump] get a pass?” Hostin demanded.
Huntsman exclaimed, “I just said the greatest threat to our democracy are the Russians and the Chinese trying to break into our emails, and that’s exactly why I think it’s across the board Hillary was wrong and Ivanka was wrong.”
After McCain and Huntsman insisted they weren’t giving Ivanka Trump a pass, Hostin claimed, “You’re saying this is not that important. It is important. This is a matter of national security.”
Huntsman exclaimed, “I just said the greatest threat to our democracy are the Russians and the Chinese trying to break into our emails, and that’s exactly why I think it’s across the board Hillary was wrong and Ivanka was wrong.”
Then the segment descended into chaos as McCain shouted over Goldberg — before Goldberg reclaimed control of the segment and swiftly moved to a commercial break.
Watch more of the chaotic segment below:
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