Bari Weiss joins 'The View,' pushes back against Sunny Hostin, Whoopi Goldberg on court packing
'Packing the court doesn’t mean appointing justices that some people don’t like,' Weiss says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former New York Times opinion columnist and editor Bari Weiss sparred with “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin on court-packing Tuesday, ensuring that the ABC News daytime gabfest wasn’t short on drama despite the absence of two of its biggest stars.
Weiss famously shocked the media industry earlier this year when she quit the Times, saying she was bullied by colleagues in an "illiberal environment," weeks after declaring there was a “civil war” inside the paper.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Weiss published a scathing resignation letter that she sent to Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger on her personal website, noting she doesn’t understand how toxic behavior is allowed inside the newsroom and "showing up for work as a centrist at an American newspaper should not require bravery."
Weiss is still looking for a new full-time gig but joined “The View” as a guest co-host with Joy Behar off and Meghan McCain on maternity leave.
The bickering started when Hostin said that Amy Coney Barrett’s addition to the Supreme Court is going to alter the way the court looks, noting that some Democrats want to add additional seats.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SENATE CONFIRMS AMY CONEY BARRETT TO SUPREME COURT, CEMENTS 6-3 CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY
“We all know that the Republican Party has been packing the Supreme Court for decades,” Hostin said. “They’ve been packing the judiciary for decades. Trump has put now, three Justices on the Supreme Court and dozens and dozens of judges on the federal judiciary, so I think what we’re going to see is, perhaps, Democrats unpacking the Supreme Court so that there is more of a balance.”
Weiss said she was confused by Hostin’s comments regarding packing and unpacking the court.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Packing the court is about adding more justices to the bench, which is something like AOC and Ilhan Omar are advocating for. Packing the court doesn’t mean appointing justices that some people don’t like. I think that’s really where the debate is,” Weiss said before condemning Democratic nominee Joe Biden for refusing to say if he plans to pack the court.
Whoopi Goldberg attempted to defend Hostin, insisting she was referring to lower courts being packed. “I don’t think she was talking about the Supreme Court,” Goldberg said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hostin jumped in, “I was talking about the Supreme Court.”
Hostin then confirmed that was talking about the Supreme Court being packed, adding that she “specifically” used those words and cited a Newsweek article headlined, “Unpack the Supreme Court.”
“Republicans have been packing, not only the federal judiciary, they have been packing the Supreme Court by design. That has been the Republican plan, and in order to unpack the Supreme Court, meaning unpack the culture, unpack the values that are on the Supreme Court, in order to do that you would have to add either term limits, age limits or you would have to add justices, which would then balance the Supreme Court, which would lead to an unpacking,” Hostin said, flip-flopping the way the term is typically used when referring to the Supreme Court.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Weiss appeared ready to criticize Hostin for the confusing rhetoric, but she then claimed that Biden has answered whether or not he would add to the Supreme Court -- and Weiss pivoted to disagreeing on that, noting that Biden has repeatedly dodged the question.
“When a presidential nominee says that he is unwilling to answer the question, the minute after Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed last night, you had all of the most, in my view, where the energy is in the Democratic Party, Ilhan Omar, AOC, I think Ayanna Pressley, tweeting about packing the court. That’s a live and relevant issue and for the Democratic nominee to not answer it, I believe it’s a dodge to talk about appointing a commission,” Weiss said. “He should have a straight answer to that.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Goldberg then said that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Omar “don’t speak for the whole party,” and claimed she was happy Biden hasn’t answered questions about packing the court.
“I’m glad he didn’t answer because, frankly, he doesn’t have to,” Goldberg said.
Weiss jumped in, “You don’t think the American people are entitled to an answer about that?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I think they will get an answer when he’s ready to give one,” Goldberg said.