Vice President Mike Pence slammed ABC News Wednesday after “The View” co-host Joy Behar suggested his Christian beliefs make him mentally ill.
"I actually heard that ABC has a program that compared my Christianity to mental illness. And I'd like to laugh about it, but I really can't,” he said on C-SPAN. “Tens of millions of Americans today will have ash on their foreheads to mark the beginning of Lent. The overwhelming majority of Americans cherish their faith. And we've all different types of faith in this country. But I have to tell you, to have ABC maintain a broadcast forum that compared Christianity to mental illness is just wrong."
Behar made the comment in response to something former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman said on a reality television show.
“As bad as you think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence --- everyone that is wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider their life," Omarosa said on "Celebrity Big Brother."
"I am Christian. I love Jesus, but he thinks Jesus tells him to say things," she told her fellow contestants.
That comment was apparently too much for Behar, who said, "It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct, hearing voices.”
Pence went on to say it is his Christian faith that "sustains" him in all he does and Behar's comment just reflects how out of touch the mainstream media are with the values of many Americans.
"I just think it demonstrates how out of touch some people in the mainstream media are with the faith and values of the American people that you could have a major network like ABC permit a forum for invective against religion like that," he said. "I just call them out on it, not because of what was said about me, but it’s just simply wrong for ABC to have a television program that expresses that kind of religious intolerance. We’re better than that, our country is better than that."