Dana Perino on 'The View' recycling Clarence Thomas insults ahead of SCOTUS pick: 'Tired and lazy'
Thomas has been a subject of liberal scorn since Joe Biden chaired his 1991 confirmation hearing
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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.
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"And one doesn't really represent the Black community," Hostin said, in an obvious reference to Thomas.
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.
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"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.
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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."
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"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."
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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.