Alyssa Farah Griffin said Tuesday on ABC's "The View" that some liberals defend the free press only when journalists scrutinize Republicans and reject it when the focus shifts to Democrats, Breitbart reported.
Griffin, co-host of ABC's "The View," criticized segments of the political left Tuesday for what she described as selective support for the free press. Speaking during a panel discussion, Griffin said journalists who report critically on Democrats often face backlash, even from those who say they champion freedom of the press.
"I want to speak to Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson specifically because I'm friends with both of them, colleagues with both of them, and I don't think there is anyone who could credibly accuse, especially Jake Tapper, of not critically covering [President] Donald Trump for the last 10 years," Griffin said.
"He's one of the top journalists in this country. He moderated that debate, by the way, and this is where I take issue with some folks on the left. They are [like] we stand with journalists. We stand with the free press when they're going after their opponents, like Donald Trump, but when they critically cover Democrats, it's, 'Oh, no, they're lying.' It's fairy dust. It's not true."
The remarks came amid a broader discussion about the media's role and political figures' reactions.
Griffin referenced the backlash Tapper, a CNN anchor, and Thompson, a reporter for Axios, have received from some on the left for their recent coverage, including criticisms of Joe Biden's performance as president.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg interjected during the conversation, referencing Biden's granddaughter, who had defended the former president.
"I just want to point out that that was his granddaughter talking," Goldberg said.
Griffin responded, "By the way, with the family, anyone's going to defend their family," to which Goldberg agreed, replying, "OK, yeah."
Griffin continued her critique, asking" "But with political figures who are coming out and attacking these two journalists, how is that pro-democracy? How is it pro fourth estate?"
Meanwhile, Tapper recently acknowledged that he mishandled a 2020 interview with Lara Trump, in which she questioned Biden's cognitive fitness — concerns that Tapper and Thompson now address in their new book.
Tapper acknowledged the issue while appearing on "The Megyn Kelly Show" to promote the book he wrote with Thompson. According to Mediaite, Tapper revealed he had already called Lara Trump to apologize for his conduct during their earlier exchange.
"I've already apologized to her," Tapper said. "I called her months ago."
Kelly pressed the matter.
"I feel angry because she was right," she said. "And not only did you not allow her to make her comments, but you seemed to try to humiliate her."
"You had a hostility toward the position, but she was totally right, and then you lectured her on it – you said she was in no position to diagnose cognitive decline, which you guys do at length, including on page 4 of your book," Kelly continued. "You describe at length his cognitive decline, which is all she tried to do with you."