Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin call Lindsey Graham’s sister a ‘DEI’ Senate pick

“The View” co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin on Wednesday characterized South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s appointment of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill his seat as an example of diversity-based hiring, prompting pushback from a fellow panelist.

Mr. McMaster, a Republican, named Darline Graham Nordone on Monday to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term after Mr. Graham died Saturday at age 71. A medical examiner’s preliminary findings attributed his death to an aortic dissection, according to CBS News. Ms. Graham Nordone was sworn in Tuesday, becoming the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

President Trump recommended Ms. Graham Nordone for the post in a Truth Social message before the announcement, and Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, publicly backed the pick as well.

On “The View,” Ms. Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, questioned whether the appointment reflected merit rather than politics.

“I think that experience does matter,” Ms. Hostin said, adding that Ms. Graham Nordone, a certified optician, had not earned a Senate seat through election.

Ms. Behar asked whether the selection was “the very definition of a DEI,” to which Ms. Hostin replied that it amounted to “everything that the Republican Party stands against.”

Ms. Hostin went on to link the appointment to reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotions of several senior Navy officers, including women and Black officers, arguing the moves reflected a broader pattern under the Trump administration.

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House official, pushed back on the panel’s characterization, noting Ms. Graham Nordone would serve only as a caretaker and drawing a comparison to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2023 appointment of Laphonza Butler to fill Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s California seat after her death. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg indicated some agreement with that point.

A spokesperson for Mr. McMaster’s office defended the appointment, citing his authority under state law and noting Ms. Graham Nordone’s nearly three decades of public service, including her role since 2019 as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.

A special Republican primary to fill the seat for a full six-year term is scheduled for Aug. 11, with a runoff, if necessary, on Aug. 25 and the general election set for Nov. 3.