The hosts of ABC’s “The View,” for the most part, were less than thrilled that a New York jury acquitted Marine veteran Daniel Penny on Monday in the death of Jordan Neely — who boasted an impressive rap sheet, and had been verbally threatening people on the subway before Penny stepped in.
Cohost Whoopi Goldberg began by arguing that Penny was somehow out of line when he went to a bar in Manhattan to celebrate his acquittal. She added that she believed the overall outcome of the case was proof that the justice system had failed.
“He celebrated the verdict with his lawyer while Neely’s family was mourning the loss,” she said.
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Whoopi says seeing Penny "celebrate in a bar made me feel uncomfortable."
Hey, Whoopi. The people on that subway car certainly felt uncomfortable when Neely was threating to harm them. pic.twitter.com/EVcBedDudJ— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2024
Goldberg went on to say that she was bothered by the fact that the Marine veteran had chosen to toast his freedom at a bar: “I don’t know that seeing them celebrating in a bar made me comfortable.”
She then addressed the verdict itself, arguing that it was a “failure of the court” that Penny was not convicted. She said that Neely’s behavior could have stemmed from his mother’s murder and argued that everyone — from the hospitals to the courts — had failed him.
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Alyssa Farah Griffin says the "villain" in the story is not Penny but rather "the city of New York who repeatedly fails people who could be a danger to themselves and others."
"I have been on the subway and have felt unsafe," she says, noting staffers for the show felt the same. pic.twitter.com/Y5IoAoVOdK— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2024
Cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back a little bit, saying that she did not believe Penny was the “villain.” Instead, she blamed the city of New York for failing to take steps to keep people safer on the subway.
When cohost Joy Behar weighed in, she claimed Penny had held Neely in a choke too long and should have known better. She also suggested that the whole situation could have been avoided if people had simply sat on Neely instead.
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Sunny Hostin claims Neely wasn't a danger to anyone because he had not yet "put his hands on anyone on this occasion" and she falsely claims "he didn't approach anyone in a threatening manner."
"Where is our compassion as a society?" she condescendingly lectured. pic.twitter.com/kC2mB9qeNc— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2024
Cohost Sunny Hostin ran defense for Neely as well, claiming that there was no cause for Penny to act because Neely had not “put his hands on anyone on this occasion” and “didn’t approach anyone in a threatening manner.”
“Where is our compassion as a society?” she demanded.
