NEED TO KNOW
Meghan McCain criticized fellow conservative Megyn Kelly’s comments on convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The former co-host of The View broke down Kelly’s comments on the latest episode of her podcast Citizen McCain, co-hosted by Miranda Wilkins. The pair discussed the former Fox News anchor and criticized her remarks for seemingly questioning the definition of a pedophile and whether Epstein was one, on the Wednesday, Nov. 12 episode of her Sirius XM program The Megyn Kelly Show.
“I think my question in general is, why are we having a conversation about what is okay or more socially acceptable when it comes to pedophilia?” McCain, 41, asked on her podcast. “It’s disgusting.”
Arturo Holmes/WireImage
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
McCain pointed out the recent conversation between Kelly, 55, and her guest, journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon, in which the two discussed the House Oversight Committee’s release of multiple emails sent by Epstein, in which he mentions President Donald Trump.
Acknowledging Epstein’s abuse of minors, Kelly said, “[Epstein] did like them young, and there were several young women who he did this to who were minors, who were underage. There’s no question about that.”
“He was into the barely legal type. Like, he liked 15-year-old girls. And I realize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this,” Kelly said. “I’m just giving you facts that he wasn’t into like 8-year-olds. But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.”
Later, she added, “We have yet to see anybody come forward and say, ‘I was under 10, I was under 14 when I first came within his purview.’ You can say that’s a distinction without a difference. I think there is a difference. There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?”
Gary Gershoff/Getty
Kelly’s remarks sparked backlash, including from McCain.
On her podcast, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain said, “I just don’t understand the point of this conversation other than to rile up, offend, get people upset. I wasn’t upset, but I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ This is obviously insane.”
“I also think the term ‘barely legal’ is a porn term; it’s not like a legal term. I don’t understand why that was being used as well. I don’t understand this conversation,” she added.
Wilkins chimed in, “She goes on to say there’s a big difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old. Well, yeah, duh. Everybody knows that. But, a 15-year-old is wrong.”
“To say that this is okay or in some way rationalized because a 15-year-old can make decisions? Absolutely not. It is disgusting,” Wilkins continued. “Like she said, it’s disgusting, but when you watch the full clip and get the full context, it feels like she’s trying to rationalize it or make it make sense or make it okay in some kind of way.”
McCain concluded the episode, expressing concern over people deeming 15-year-olds as “anything except a child.”
“It doesn’t matter what you and I think, it doesn’t matter what Megyn Kelly thinks, it matters what the law says, and the law says that it’s 18 and under is considered a legal child,” she said.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails sent by Epstein in which he names Trump.
One email, sent on April 2, 2011, to Epstein’s personal confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, reads, “I want you to realize that the dog that hasn’t barked is trump. [Redacted victim’s name] spent hours at my house with him, he has never once been mentioned.”
Another email, in which Epstein is speaking to Trump biographer Michael Wolff on Jan. 31, 2019, reads, “[Redacted victim’s name] mara lago,” followed by another redacted segment. “Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever.. of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”
Hours after Democrats released the initial emails, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released approximately 20,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate.
