Tensions that had been bubbling under the surface on the set of ABC’s The View finally erupted into open hostility toward the U.S. military on Monday, as the hosts seized on controversial reports involving War Secretary Pete Hegseth to launch a barrage of accusations — not just at policy, but at the men and women in uniform themselves.
The spark? Recently leaked allegations that Hegseth gave or endorsed an order to “eliminate everyone” aboard a Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel — a directive that allegedly led to a second U.S. strike killing two survivors from the initial attack. That follow-up strike, now under investigation, has drawn fierce political scrutiny in Washington, with both sides of the aisle raising legal and ethical questions.
Whoopi Goldberg returns from shooting a soap opera in Italy and explains that she didn’t need to bring America’s politics with her “because everyone there is aware.”
She says Italy and Europe understand the plight of Americans because they already lived under dictators:… pic.twitter.com/HfJUzxU7NT— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 1, 2025
But for The View, it was a green light to issue sweeping moral judgments — often with little to no grasp of military law or the facts at hand.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg, back from filming a soap opera in Italy, introduced the segment by comparing the U.S. to historical dictatorships and lamenting how foreign nations are “just biding their time” for Americans to reject authoritarian rule. Goldberg framed the military action in quotation marks — describing the situation as “horrifying” and placing the word alleged around both the drug traffickers and Hegseth’s supposed orders, subtly suggesting skepticism toward official U.S. claims.
But it was co-host Sara Haines who took the most dramatic leap, branding the strike as “flat-out murder” and a “war crime” — a stunning accusation considering that the U.S. has formally designated major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, legally opening them to military targeting. Haines appeared unconcerned with that detail, instead insisting that “we are not at war with Venezuela,” a statement that deliberately ignored the legal nuance of targeting stateless criminal actors operating from sovereign territory.
Ignoring the U.S.’s war on drug cartels, Sara Haines accuses service members of “flat-out murder” and “war crimes.” pic.twitter.com/CWj0wbtG7t
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 1, 2025
Her argument turned on the popular — but often misapplied — assertion that U.S. troops have an obligation to refuse unlawful orders. “This is why those Democratic vets put out that video,” she said, referencing a viral clip urging soldiers to defy illegal commands. Yet no evidence has surfaced showing that any service member involved believed the orders were unlawful, or that the engagement violated the rules of engagement in place.
Enter Sunny Hostin, who — despite admitting she never practiced international, maritime, or military law — issued sweeping legal conclusions. In what amounted to a speculative indictment, she declared that both the person who gave the order and those who followed it could face criminal prosecution. “You’re supposed to take those fighters as prisoners of war,” Hostin stated, glossing over the fact that drug cartel operatives are not lawful combatants under international law, nor are they guaranteed the same protections as uniformed enemy fighters under the Geneva Conventions.
The misinformation didn’t stop there. Hostin wrongly claimed the strike took place in Venezuelan waters — a key legal distinction — when, in fact, reports indicate the event occurred in international waters. Despite the correction being readily available in public reporting, the hosts did not amend the error during the broadcast.
The View wants American service members put in prison.
Admitting their speaking about something they’re totally ignorant about, The View accuses War Secretary Pete Hegseth of a setting up soldiers to be charged for war crimes:
SUNNY HOSTIN: I can’t speak to the law of it, I’m… pic.twitter.com/Ocvbb6Mes2
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 1, 2025
Goldberg doubled down, saying the troops had been “set up” by Hegseth, a statement Hostin echoed. This line of argument transformed the narrative from one of legal debate into one of presumed betrayal — a claim with heavy implications that service members were not only misled, but used as pawns in a political game.
Yet, strikingly absent from the conversation was any mention of similar actions under previous administrations. The Obama administration’s 2011 intervention in Libya, which stretched legal definitions of engagement and war powers, was never met with such outrage from The View. Nor were there accusations of “war crimes” when drone strikes targeted suspected terrorists in extrajudicial killings across multiple theaters, often with far murkier legal justifications.
