The co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” tore into ESPN host Stephen A. Smith on Thursday for condemning Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for participating in a video telling US military members to ignore any unlawful orders from President Donald Trump.
During the latest episode of the daytime talk show, co-host Sunny Hostin brought up Smith’s spirited criticism of Kelly and called him “loud and wrong.”
After playing the clip of Smith’s commentary, Hostin said, “I’d love to give you the opportunity to perhaps change your position on what you said.”
“I’m not changing a thing,” Smith shot back.
“I didn’t stutter when I said it.”
Hostin replied, “OK. You want to stay loud and wrong?”
Smith responded, “Well, you can call it loud and wrong all you want to. You’re entitled to your opinion, I’m entitled to mine.”
Six Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., appeared in a video last month that urged military and intelligence community members to consult their consciences and refuse to obey “illegal” orders.
Directly calling out the Trump administration, they added, “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community officials against American citizens.”
In his commentary on the video during his XM radio show last Wednesday, Smith went after Kelly for appearing in the video.
“Respectfully, senator, what the hell are you doing?” Smith said.
“Looking into the camera and telling military men and women to ignore the commander-in-chief? How dare you? How dare you do that?”
While on “The View,” Hostin tried to debunk Smith’s point, stating that before he was Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth had expressed that military members should not follow unlawful orders, suggesting that he and Kelly agree on the subject.
Smith dismissed the point, telling Hostin, “First of all, I don’t give a damn what Pete Hegseth has to say, because I will tell you right now, he was never qualified for the job… I don’t care what he has to say. Let me get that out the way.”
Smith then defended his point against Kelly, saying he was warning that, as a veteran, Kelly could land in hot water if he’s caught, implying that troops should disobey orders.
Referencing conversations with his family members who have military experience, he said, “You can be implicated for implying something if you are a former military member, or you are a present military member. It wasn’t what Mark Kelly said, it’s the fact that he was a combat Navy pilot who served in the military who would tell folks, ‘ignore an order,’ when it could get them in a world of trouble.”
Co-host Joy Behar and Hostin interjected, saying Kelly mentioned ignoring “illegal” orders.
Smith shot back, “I said illegal. I’m talking about illegal.”
Hostin doubled down: “He said you don’t have to follow an unlawful order and that is in the military code of conduct. It didn’t sound like you were aware of that.”
“Which I’m aware of,” Smith answered.
“But it didn’t sound like you were aware of that during your show,” Hostin said.
“I disagree with you,” he told the co-host.
“I had two governors, by the way, text me to tell me I was wrong and they agree with you,” Smith said, referring to his hosts.
“You are wrong,” Hostin stated.
“And I had two senators that reached out to me and said ‘you aren’t wrong at all,’” Smith added.
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