Joy Behar Presses Anthony Weiner on Why Men Like He and Trump Survive Scandals While ‘More Qualified’ Women Lose Elections

Joy Behar pressed Anthony Weiner on Friday on why politicians like himself and President Donald Trump can survive scandals while “qualified” women such as former Vice President Kamala Harris are losing elections.

Weiner joined The View to discuss his current run for New York City Council. The former congressman saw his political career come crashing down in 2011 due to a sexting scandal. More sexting revelations also arose when he attempted a comeback by running for mayor of New York City in 2013. In 2017, he was sentenced for transferring obscene material to a minor due one person he was communicating with being a minor.

Weiner addressed his scandals on Thursday and said he is in “recovery,” and trying to take an honest approach with voters. Behar shot back by arguing men seem to be held to a different standard in politics than women. Behar listed Weiner with other politicians who have faced scandals including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and former New York Governors Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo.

“I’m listening to you now and I’m thinking, what do these people have in common? Cuomo, Clinton, Trump, Wiener, Spitzer, they’re all men, they are all men. We were talking about this before, about trying to appeal to these men out there. Why is it that two qualified women could not beat all of you guys? These women can never beat you. They’re more qualified than almost anybody on that list, including you, I’m sorry,” Behar told Weiner.

The former congressman referenced his experience around Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and argued many of the attacks against her were personal, like jabs at her “laugh.” Women, he argued, are held to a higher standard then men, but he still corrected Behar by noting he and others have paid a price by getting kicked out of office for their scandals.

“I mean, I hate to correct you. Bill Clinton was impeached, Eliot Spitzer was thrown out of office, I was thrown at of office, Andrew Cuomo was thrown out of office, so we do pay a price,” Weiner said. “The question is, if you are gonna say to those people, how do you judge their record in totality? I do believe that women get judged much more harshly than men do.”

Check out the full exchange below:

JOY BEHAR: I’m listening to you now and I’m thinking, what do these people have in common? Cuomo, Clinton, Trump, Wiener, Spitzer, they’re all men, they are all men. We were talking about this before, about trying to appeal to these men out there. Why is it that two qualified women could not beat all of you guys? These women can never beat you. They’re more qualified than almost anybody on that list, including you, I’m sorry.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: New York has a female governor, as well.

ANTHONY WEINER: As you know, I was married for a long time to Huma Abedin, who, by the way, sat in, I think she sat in this chair. She’s amazing. And I would watch the standard, and she and I, we had our courtship during the 2008 campaign, so I was right there up close to watch. The standards that women have to live up to in everything from what they wear to how they talk to the intonation to the inflection. The number of times I heard someone comment about Hillary Clinton’s laugh and I have heard Chuck Schumer’s laugh.

BEHAR: But her email, her email!

WEINER: Well, I think there is something to that. The problem is it’s a little bit too easy an answer though because also there were things that Kamala Harris, I made a joking reference to the answer she gave on this Is there anything you would do different? That is the softest of softball — every politician dreams of that question. You still have to be a good candidate.

BEHAR: But almost all of these people on this list got away with something and she lost, that’s all I’m saying. One misstep and she was out.

WEINER: Yeah, I mean, I hate to correct you. Bill Clinton was impeached, Eliot Spitzer was thrown out of office, I was thrown at of office, Andrew Cuomo was thrown out of office, so we do pay a price. The question is, if you are gonna say to those people, how do you judge their record in totality? I do believe that women get judged much more harshly than men do. I do believe that.

Watch above via ABC.