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Meghan McCain Spars with Joy Behar over Matt Gaetz Allegations: 'Your Influence In the Republican Party Is Almost Zero'

Virginia Chamlee
·4 min read

The View Joy Behar (left), Meghan McCain

Meghan McCain and co-host Joy Behar got into yet another heated back-and-forth on The View while speaking about recent allegations against Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is reportedly under federal investigation for possible sex trafficking.

Asked on Tuesday by co-host Whoopi Goldberg why she felt the Republican Party was "sticking with" Gaetz and hadn't removed him from any committees despite several recent and wide-ranging allegations of improprieties, Behar said she wasn't surprised.

"Well, because the only sin that you commit in the Republican party these days is if you say that Biden won the election — everything else is fine," Behar, 78, said sarcastically.

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Minutes later, McCain, 36, circled back to that comment, saying many Republicans on Capitol Hill do believe their party should distance itself from Gaetz over the allegations.

"Well, first of all, I have family members and good friends who all work on Capitol Hill in Republican politics and trust me: the Republican Party and people on Capitol Hill are embarrassed by this. So, I think I have a lot better sourcing on that than you do, Joy, no offense," McCain said.

Continuing, McCain said: "It's super disgusting. He should go to jail. It's super embarrassing ... He's a deeply unserious person. He should be removed from his committees. There's some people on the left that I think should be removed from their committees for some of the things that they've said about Israel and some of the things that they've said — like, I get it, if we want to talk about removing committees, we can do this all day long. But, Matt Gaetz is a pervert who should go to jail. Okay. The end."

Later in the interview, Behar asked McCain: "My question is: if it's not the Republican Party, shall I call it the QAnon party? What shall I call your party now, who defends people like Matt Gaetz and goes against Liz Cheney? What are we supposed to call it? Explain this to me."

RELATED: Liz Cheney Is Voted Out of Republican Leadership Over Her Focus on Trump's Election Lies

"I think you can call it whatever you want because your influence in the Republican Party is almost zero and again, as I have said on this show, it is for us to figure out amongst ourselves," McCain shot back. "What Republican is like, 'Hmm, Joy Behar doesn't like my party, I better stop voting for them now.' "

McCain continued: "You said people on Capitol Hill are supporting him. I'm telling you, from people that I know personally, they are embarrassed. This is embarrassing for the Republican Party."

As the conversation continued to devolve, McCain began speaking over Goldberg as she attempted to change the topic and move into a new segment.

"You saying that the Republican Party is trash — I don't care. It's not revelatory," McCain told Behar, ignoring Goldberg's attempts. "Who cares? You say it every single day. Every single day. Oh my God. How revelatory."

RELATED: Joy Behar Apologizes for Misgendering Caitlyn Jenner on The View: 'I Didn't Get Enough Sleep'

The topic on The View arose one day after Joel Greenberg, a former local tax collector in Florida and an associate of Gaetz's, pleaded guilty to six criminal charges after agreeing to work with prosecutors in a case that potentially involves the Florida lawmaker.

Those charges include the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.

The New York Times reported Friday that Greenberg, 37, also told prosecutors he'll work with the Justice Department's investigation.

News broke last month that the 39-year-old Gaetz is under federal investigation for possible sex trafficking though the Republican politician, an ally to Donald Trump, has disputed reports that he's being investigated in the same case, instead suggesting he's the subject of an "extortion" plot.

"No part of the allegations against me are true," Gaetz said in a statement at the time. He added: "I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward."

According to court documents filed with the U.S. district court in Orlando, Greenberg told prosecutors that he "agrees to fully cooperate" with the federal investigation, including "prosecution of other persons, and to testify," which could potentially shorten his sentence.