FCC chair mocks 'The View' host Sunny Hostin for blatant partisanship as she pleads for Dems to win Senate

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr mocked "The View" on X Wednesday after co-host Sunny Hostin urged Democrats to flip the Senate during a discussion about Maine's embattled Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner. This came as ABC argues the daytime program should remain exempt from federal political equal opportunity rules.

Carr said ABC was asking the FCC to treat the show like a traditional news program while Hostin openly pressed for a Democratic Senate majority.

"ABC is arguing to the FCC that The View is a ‘bona fide news program’—just like Meet the Press—and thus exempt from the political equal opportunity rules," Carr posted.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr mocked ABC’s "The View" after Sunny Hostin urged Democrats to flip the Senate during a discussion about Maine’s Senate race. (John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit)

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Hostin's remark came as "The View" panel discussed whether Platner, who faced mounting Democratic pressure over allegations he denies, should step aside in the race to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

"We’re in an existential crisis. We need to flip the Senate," Hostin said.

Hostin argued that Maine remained a key pickup opportunity for Democrats and said the party needed the right replacement candidate if Platner left the race.

Sunny Hostin said Democrats are in an "existential crisis" and need to flip the Senate as ABC argues "The View" is a "bona fide news program." (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

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"I do believe that Susan Collins is beatable. And I think once they just have the right candidate with all the appropriate information, the Democrats really could take that seat and that’s a very important seat," Hostin said.

Hostin also said Platner should not have a role in picking who would replace him.

"No, he can’t have any say in his replacement. I agree with you. I think that’s ridiculous, and I think it’s clear that he has to step down," Hostin said.

Carr highlighted Hostin’s partisan Senate plea while ABC seeks an FCC exemption from political equal opportunity rules for "The View." (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump White House communications director, said Democrats mishandled a race that has been viewed as central to their hopes of retaking the Senate.

"I’m just struck by how bad Dems botched it. It always ran through Maine. That was always going to be an important pickup seat," Farah Griffin said. "They had six years to recruit against Susan Collins and vet somebody and look into the tattoos that they might have."

Sara Haines said Platner should step aside rather than try to influence the replacement process.

"I think he should get out, because I don’t think... if he’s not qualified for the job, he’s not qualified to pick his successor," Haines said.

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Joy Behar was more blunt about Platner amid the panel's discussion of his controversies.

"Look, they knew that he had this so-called Nazi tattoo on him. They knew that, and he claims he didn’t know... if I had a third nipple, I know it’s there, okay? This is the dumbest... I’ve never heard anything so stupid. Based on that, he should get out and shut up," Behar said.

Whoopi Goldberg said the situation showed why parties need to scrutinize candidates before voters are asked to support them.

"People need to vet the people who are coming out," Goldberg said. "Can't we get somebody who has nothing?"

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The FCC’s Media Bureau said in May that KTRK-TV, a Disney-owned ABC station in Houston, and ABC filed a petition asking the FCC to declare that "The View" qualifies as a bona fide news interview program and is exempt from statutory equal opportunities requirements. The notice said the rules are meant to prevent broadcast television stations from "unfairly putting their thumbs on the scale" for candidates.

ABC argued in a filing made public Tuesday that the FCC already resolved the issue in 2002 and said the agency's renewed scrutiny threatens editorial independence. The network argued, "The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor’s chair," according to the Associated Press.

An FCC spokesperson responded to the AP that ABC should focus on "complying with its public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about them."