Ana Navarro Clashes With Alyssa Farah Griffin Over Trump and the Freedom Caucus

It was a battle of Republicans Monday morning as Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin clashed over Trump, the Freedom Caucus, and... who's best positioned to criticize Paul Ryan?

Navarro previously threw shade at Griffin and other ex-Trump aides who have gone on "apology tours" after leaving the administration, and this morning, she doubled down on that sentiment during a discussion about the ongoing January 6 committee hearings. When Griffin said she hopes "people who are willing to do the right thing, to tell the truth" join the next president's administration, particularly if Trump wins in 2024, Navarro shut her down immediately.

"If you didn't tell the truth — you all didn't say the truth for four years!" said Navarro. "It's when he lost power that the truth, all of a sudden, became a thing!"

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Whoopi managed to divert a potential blow-up, but after the commercial break, tensions flared again. During a discussion about peaceful protests in the wake of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, Griffin encouraged Americans to "[keep] the temperature down" and avoid "harassment or intimidation."

"Obviously, January 6, which we talk about a lot, showed political violence happening in our country," she said. "I was working for members of the Freedom Caucus when the Congressional shooting took place, and it was bosses of mine who were targeted years ago."

"The Freedom Caucus, in particular, injected some of that right-wing extremism into our country," said Sunny Hostin.

"I've talked about that extensively," replied the guest co-host. "Especially the direction they've gone in the Trump years, is not something I recognize or would've put my name to."

When Hostin said it's "surprising" that she worked with Freedom Caucus members like Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows, Griffin insisted that at the time, "their focus was on budgets, securing the border, bringing down the deficit," and not a "vast right-wing conspiracy."

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— The View (@TheView) July 11, 2022

"The Freedom Caucus has been a thorn on the side of people like Paul Ryan and John Boehner and the Speaker for —" said Navarro.

But before Navarro could finish her sentence, Griffin interrupted to note that she "criticize[s] Paul Ryan all the time for his role on Fox," so it's surprising to now hear her defend him.

"I know Paul Ryan!" fired back Navarro. "I can criticize him because he's my friend!"

Navarro continued to raise her voice, but Whoopi once again stepped in to shut things down. "Excuse me!" said the longtime moderator, slamming her hand on the table. "We're going to take a break right now!"

Someone attempted to clear the air with a chuckle, but as the cameras pulled back, Navarro could be seen staring straight ahead, refusing to engage with the other women.

Welcome back from break, ladies!

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.