Sara Haines Accidentally Puts Sunny Hostin on Blast on ‘The View’

Things got unexpectedly intense on Tuesday’s (July 7) episode of The View when the subject of new allegations against Senate candidate Graham Platner came up. After reviewing footage of an accuser claiming Platner sexually assaulted her, along with Platner’s message of denial, Sara Haines accidentally targeted cohost Sunny Hostin with a pointed comment.

“These are damning allegations. They are credible. They are corroborated. They are horrific,” Alyssa Farah Griffin said to start the conversation. “My issue is this: Graham Platner should drop out, but I thought he should have dropped out at the Nazi tattoo. I think he should have dropped out at the framing purple-heart in a fallen Navy SEAL, homophobic slurs, bigoted posts in the past, even previously slandering sexual assault victims. And there was another accuser who came out, who I’ve known for over 15 years, who accused him of what I would characterize as domestic violence when they had dated, and that wasn’t enough, and many people dismissed her claims because she had worked for Republicans in the past, and they didn’t take them seriously. Domestic violence should be a no, it should be an absolute no.”

“I don’t want to hear from the Epstein protector party, OK,” Joy Behar said.

“The saying we like to use from Maya Angelou is, ‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.’ And it takes tremendous courage for sexual assault victims to speak of what’s been done to them, and especially in such a public way. So, I’m glad people have gotten to the point for their off-ramp, but like Alyssa, I was off Platner a long time ago due to so many problematic things you just named as well. But it is a disgusting time in politics where we decide what we’re willing to morally accept based on the jersey you’re wearing, and if you are one of those people that was willing to plug your nose, you’re the problem.”

“Well, then, I’m the problem,” Hostin said. “Because I was one of those people, and I said it: ‘If I lived in Maine, I would have plugged my nose, and I would have voted for him anyway.'”

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Hostin then went on to explain, “I think that we are in a time of existential crisis in this country. I think Republicans fall in line; they don’t fall in love. Democrats want to fall in love and not fall in line. The Republican party, the bar is so very low. I can’t believe that they want to try to assume the moral high ground…. I mean, you can miss me with all that, especially when you have Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed by the Senate in 2025 as the head as a cabinet member as the Defense Secretary, when he had one, drinking allegations, his sister-in-law, his sister-in-law submitted a sworn affidavit describing his drinking problem, and in order to get confirmed, he pledged that he wouldn’t drink on the job. Number two, he had a tattoo controversy, not one, but two tattoo controversies. One was a ‘Deus Vult’ tattoo, which is used by white nationalist groups. Two, he had a Jerusalem cross tattoo, which has been interpreted as an extremist symbol. And finally, in 2017, a woman claimed he had sexually assaulted her after a conference. She reported that assault immediately. She had a sexual assault examination in 2020, and he says it was a consensual encounter, and in 2020, he paid her $50,000 to settle the claim.”

Hostin later admitted, “I think he should step down at this point. I think there’s no question about that.”

The View, weekdays, 11a/10c, ABC

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.