ABC panel criticizes Democrats meddling in GOP primaries: 'Embarrassingly hypocritical'

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ABC's Jonathan Karl, USA Today's Susan Page slam Democrats meddling in GOP primaries

An ABC panel criticized Democrats meddling in Republican primaries on Sunday during "This Week," saying the action was "hypocritical" and "risky."

ABC's Jonathan Karl, USA Today's Susan Page and other panelists slammed Democrats meddling in Republican primaries on Sunday, saying that it was "hypocritical" and "risky."

"It's risky and it's hypocritical," Page said, adding that it was risky because some of these candidates could end up winning. 

"It's hypocritical because Democrats have been saying that election deniers threaten our very democracy. So you're going to go out and in effect campaign for an election denier because you made a political calculation that it might serve your interest. I think it means Democrats cede the high ground on this."

Karl noted a comment from Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., who told Politico that the strategy was "unconscionable." 

The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) targeted Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., by boosting the Trump-backed candidate running against him, John Gibbs. The DCCC told Fox News Digital that it was spending $425,000 on an ad for the Grand Rapids, Michigan, media market, which would boost GIbbs. 

The USA Today's Susan Page joined ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. (Screenshot/ABC/ThisWeek)

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Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., joined the panel as well and said the strategy Democrats are using is "embarrassingly hypocritical." 

"We cannot credibly defend democracy and then prop up candidates who are existential threat to the very democracy that we're defending. And politics, when you try to be too cute and clever it often backfires. The DCCC is not God. It cannot guarantee the outcome of the general election and when you prop up a conspiracy theorist, you run the risk of sending an extremist to the United States Congress and that's an egregious misuse of Democratic resources," he said. 

He added that he hopes the DCCC will reverse their move due to pressure from himself and other members. 

People vote in the Georgia primary at the Metropolitan Library on May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Panelist and host of the New York Times' "The Argument" Jane Coaston noted that something similar happened in 2010 but that today was a much different time. She said it was "worth noting" that the DCCC did not make Republicans choose candidates like Doug Mastriano, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania. 

"That wasn’t forced. There isn't that much primary crossover to get a lot of these candidates supported. These are bad candidates. And then for the DCCC to decide it’s 2010 again and they can make some fun financial move of backing these candidates full well, full well knowing that all of these races are going to be close because of how polarized our country is, and especially how polarized a lot these regions are, like you’re messing around in elections in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Michigan, especially the Grand Rapids area, which is a historically red district, what are you doing?" she said. 

Del. Dan Cox, the Republican candidate for governor of Maryland, talks to reporters, in Annapolis, June 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

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The Democratic Governors Association spent millions boosting Dan Cox, a Trump-backed candidate running for governor in Maryland and supporter of the former president's repeated election fraud claims. Cox won his primary and successfully defeated Republican Kelly Schulz.