'Meghan loves playing the victim': The View insider reveals how McCain gets away with undermining her co-hosts

Abby Huntsman reportedly warned her colleagues on "The View" that co-host Meghan McCain was planting negative stories about them and then playing victim on the air.

The conservative former co-host left the show in January, and The Daily Mail reported that Huntsman advised her colleagues on her way out to watch out for McCain and her husband Ben Domenech.

"Abby told the ladies that Meghan loves playing the victim because she not only feels that it garners her sympathy as a hardcore conservative," a source told the tabloid, "but it deflects from people figuring out that she's been the one manipulating everyone by leaking stories on the show all along."

Huntsman reportedly told her co-hosts that McCain -- who had been a friend, but their relationship had been strained by working on the ABC News talk show -- uses her husband to plant negative stories about the show.

McCain is reportedly blocking fellow conservative Tara Setmayer, a fan favorite who is well-liked by the other on-air talent, from appearing on the show or replacing Huntsman as part of her long-running feud with the ABC News contributor.

"Everyone at the show really likes her, she's the consummate professional, smart and Whoopi has fawned over her on-air," the source told The Daily Mail. "But for whatever reason this network does whatever Meghan wants, and that's why Abby got the hell out of there and made sure everyone knew why when she bolted."

The show insider claimed that McCain had resumed her toxic backstage behavior that reportedly drove Huntsman to join her father's Utah gubernatorial campaign, but the source said her parting words had emboldened the other co-hosts to stand up to her.

"If you notice from watching since Abby's departure," the source said, "Joy, Sunny and Whoopi are cutting Meghan no breaks. They all know what time it is now."