Additional Coverage:
Ana Navarro, co-host of ABC’s The View, offered sharp criticism of Pam Bondi during Monday’s episode, reacting to a recent Saturday Night Live sketch featuring the former Florida Attorney General. Navarro, a former Republican strategist, highlighted a significant shift in Bondi’s public persona, noting their past association.
Navarro, who gained prominence as a political strategist and commentator before joining The View in 2013, has become a vocal critic of the MAGA movement. She shared a personal history with Bondi, stating on the show, “I’ve known Pam Bondi for a long time, I haven’t spoken to her obviously in a few years but, this is a completely different Pam Bondi than the person I knew in Florida who was an affable, nice.” Navarro was deeply involved in Florida’s political landscape during Bondi’s tenure as Attorney General, having served on Governor Jeb Bush’s transition team in 1998.
The discussion on The View centered on an SNL parody featuring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey portraying Bondi and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Following the sketch, Bondi responded on social media, tagging Governor Noem and writing, “Should we recreate this picture in Chicago? Loving Amy Poehler.”
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg questioned Bondi’s approach, asking, “Is leaning into this right?” Navarro contended that Bondi’s post indicated she “thinks it’s a good thing” to be parodied, despite being “skewered and making fun of.” She suggested that such parodies can be “a rite of passage” in politics and likely “raising her stock with the MAGA base.”
However, Navarro did not hold back in her broader condemnation of Bondi’s actions, stating, “frankly I think what she’s doing to the institution of the DOJ and the oversight in Congress is shameful and embarrassment and is going to go down in history as one of the worst performances by an attorney general in front of Congress.”
Fellow co-host Sara Haines, known for her more moderate views, presented a differing perspective. Haines argued that Bondi’s reaction was the most logical way to respond to comedic portrayals.
“I think the only way you can reply to comedy and look like you can take a joke is by doing what she did,” Haines remarked. “I think the only way to handle jokes like that are so lean into them because otherwise you just look dumb.”