The View claims Clarence Thomas doesn't represent Black community
The View claims Clarence Thomas doesn't represent Black community
Dana Perino and the panel on "The Five" rebuked the ladies of "The View" for attacking Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in a discussion about President Biden now being able to pick a candidate to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Biden himself has been criticized for putting immutable characteristics above merit and qualifications for such a key role by ruling out any candidate who is not Black or a female. As a presidential candidate, Biden promised to put a Black woman on the Supreme Court if given the opportunity in the White House.
On "The View", host Sunny Hostin jabbed at Thomas after co-host Sara Haines remarked that there have only been two Black people on the court – Thurgood Marshall and Thomas, both of whom are male. President George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas to replace the retiring Marshall.
"And one doesn't really represent the Black community," Hostin said, in an obvious reference to Thomas.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Co-host Joy Behar further called the federal judiciary "so anti-democracy" and lamented that President Trump was able to choose Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who she described as a favorite right-wing pick because Barrett is a woman who holds pro-life beliefs in her private life.
"I mean, where do I begin?" Perino said, criticizing Behar for gesturing airquotes around the word "woman" when referring to Barrett.
"Yes, Amy Coney Barrett is a woman. And also, the attacks against Clarence Thomas – they're just tired. It's lazy," she added. "Stop it with that."
Co-host Greg Gutfeld remarked that the "View" hosts must "hate a strong Black man".
"They must, I guess," replied Perino.
In a recent interview for the documentary "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words," Thomas, 73, rebuffed Biden's conduct during his 1991 confirmation hearing. At the time, Biden chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Thomas said he had gone through life believing the people who would be "problematic" toward him as a Black man were the "bigot in the pickup truck… the Klansman [or] the rural sheriff."
Senators Joseph Biden and Edward Kennedy during the Clarence Thomas Confirmation Hearings (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
"But it turned out that through all of that, ultimately the biggest impediment was the modern-day liberal – They were the ones who would discount all those things because they have one issue or because they have the power to caricature you."
During the hearing, Biden had a penchant for asking long, rambling questions about abstract ideas, and "natural law."
When asked about such questioning, Thomas quipped, "I have no idea what [Biden] was talking about."
He later surmised in "Created Equal" that Biden had been using the term "natural law" as an oblique attempt to get him to talk about abortion rights.