The View’s Whoopi Goldberg schools Abby Huntsman on what Republicans ignore about sex assault
"The View" co-host Abby Huntsman complained there was no way to know whether Brett Kavanaugh tried to rape Christine Blasey Ford, but host Whoopi Goldberg gently explained the importance of empathy toward sexual assault survivors.
Huntsman accused Democrats of exploiting Ford to score partisan points against Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court despite the testimony against him.
"I wish I could be on the side of, without question everything that she said was exactly spot-on, and I wish that I could be on the side of Kavanaugh is completely telling the truth," Huntsman said. "It's not that clear-cut. There was -- we did not have any evidence here, there was no one that could back up -- no one that could corroborate."
Co-host Sunny Hostin interrupted with a question.
"Was her testimony not enough?" Hostin said.
Huntsman chose not to answer, and instead blamed both sides for the political spectacle.
"I'm saying where we are right now, what frustrates me -- I'm pissed off at both sides, because I think both Republican and Democrats took advantage of this situation," she said. "Democrats took advantage of Dr. Ford, I believe, and I think Republicans didn't take the time to actually listen, and so I feel like I'm in this place -- can we get to the other side?"
Goldberg responded to Huntsman by calling her attention to Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), who may have risked her political career by opposing Kavanaugh.
"Can I read something?" Goldberg said. "You know, I fell in love with Heidi Heitkamp over her decision."
Heitkamp's opponent, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), suggested the women in his family were too tough to become victimized by sexual violence, and Goldberg praised the Democratic senator's response.
“I think it’s wonderful that his wife has never had an experience," Heitkamp said, "and good for her, and it’s wonderful his mom hasn’t. My mom did, and I think it affected my mom her whole life -- and it didn’t make her less strong.”
She urged Huntsman and other Republicans to become better listeners.
"You have to listen, you don't have to make up your mind," Goldberg said. "You have to take a minute to listen because things like this, you know, and maybe (Cramer) didn't realize he was being kind of flippant about it, but (Heitkamp's) mother had gone through sexual assault so it was meaningful for her."
"Now she knows that she's not going to get re-elected because of this," she added, "but I just thought it was interesting that even after it's done -- he's in, it's done, you know, he's in -- that she would then have to say, 'Look, my mother went through this.' So I just want everybody to just take a minute. A lot of people haven't been through this, don't know anything about, don't know what it's like. So you got to kind of hear and then make up your mind."