ABC’s “The View” took a dramatic turn Tuesday when co-host Joy Behar invoked the Nazi Nuremberg trials while warning U.S. service members to question whether their orders under President Donald Trump are “illegal.”
While discussing the Pentagon’s review of Democrat lawmakers who appeared in a video telling troops they can refuse unlawful orders, Behar escalated the rhetoric.
Behar compared American soldiers to Nazi and warned that Adolf Hitler’s officers argued they were “only following orders.”
“It’s about the Nuremberg trials of the Nazis after World War II — and following orders is not a defense,” Behar said in a warning to U.S. service members.
“So these soldiers have to pay attention,” Behar said, recommending the audience watch a film called Nuremberg before delivering her warning.
Behar played a clip of Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), one of the six Democrats featured in the video, explaining why lawmakers released it.
Behar then expanded on Slotkin’s argument, pointing to her claim that “carrying out military strikes on boats in the Caribbean without congressional approval” would be unlawful.
“That’s an illegal order,” Behar insisted.
The segment escalated further when Behar referenced former Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s claim that Trump once asked about shooting protesters in the legs during the George Floyd riots — an allegation long questioned by conservatives but endlessly recycled in liberal media.
Pushback from Own Co-Host
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back immediately, noting that the examples Behar cited, from hypothetical shootings of protesters to arguments about congressional authorization, were being conflated irresponsibly.
Griffin, a former Pentagon spokeswoman, warned that encouraging troops to second-guess their orders would create chaos inside the chain of command.
“You would have a major problem at the Pentagon if you had rank and files raising their hands saying, ‘I don’t know if this got congressional authorization,’” she argued.
Behar continued to insist the scenarios she described “could be potentially construed as illegal orders,” including her speculation about “using major American cities as a training ground for the military.”
Co-host Ana Navarro attempted to bolster Behar’s argument by referencing U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey as an example of someone who resigned rather than carry out orders he believed were unlawful.
Griffin rejected the comparison.
“But guys, we’ve droned people abroad without due process,” Griffin responded.
“There’s things — America has bigger issues that are bigger than Donald Trump.
“I’d be very careful about saying the U.S. Military should stand up and defy orders from their generals.
“They should pay attention to the clear unlawful orders.”
“You know when an order is outside of the Constitution,” she added.
WATCH:
Democrats Escalate Political Theater Around ‘Illegal Orders’ Claim
The video from Slotkin and her Democratic colleagues has already sparked national controversy, prompting a review from the Department of War and sharp condemnations from President Trump, who said the lawmakers should be arrested for “seditious behavior.”
The Pentagon has signaled that Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired Navy captain, could be called back to active duty to face discipline under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Behar’s invocation of the Nuremberg trials, comparing Trump-era policy disputes to Nazi war crimes, marks the latest rhetorical escalation from Trump critics attempting to cast routine executive authority as potential criminality.
READ MORE – Hegseth Blasts ‘Seditious Six’ Democrats Over ‘Illegal Orders’ Video: ‘Despicable’
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