Yesterday, Congressional Black Caucus chair Joyce Beatty went public about her recent encounter with Republican Congressman Hal Rogers, who poked her back and told her to “kiss my ass” after she asked him to wear a mask. Although he later apologized for his assaultive behavior, The View host Sunny Hostin had some words for Rogers during today’s episode of the ABC talk show.
Hostin brought up a point that Beatty herself made during a recent CNN interview: “Had a Black man poked a white woman, then told her to kiss his [ass], you tell me what would’ve happened.”
“I do agree with her. I think that would be different,” Hostin said. “African-American women are the least-protected class in this country, and have been for a really long time. It was disgusting that he assaulted her, and there won’t be any repercussion other than ‘I’m sorry.’”
Guest host Ana Navarro noted that, as the second-most senior member of Congress, Rogers “should know better.”
“Would he have done that to a Republican?” Joy Behar asked, to which Navarro replied, “A fellow Republican would not have told him to wear a mask.”
For fellow guest host Alyssa Farah, the incident served as a reminder of how contentious Capitol Hill has become. “This has become the norm in Congress, that you just attack your fellow man or woman, and if they’re on the other side of the aisle, they’re the enemy,” she said.
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c. Scroll up to watch a clip from today’s episode.
