Rachel Scott Defends Viral Pelosi Exchange, Says 'Freedom of the Press' Crucial

ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott defended her contentious exchange with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral last week, saying "freedom of the press" is essential in American democracy.

ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott has defended her contentious exchange with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral last week, saying "freedom of the press" is essential in American democracy.

Appearing on "The View" on Tuesday, Scott responded to co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin's questions about her viral exchange with Pelosi.

Rachel Scott Defends Viral Pelosi Exchange, Says 'Freedom of the Press' Crucial

"I think people have to understand that one of the best parts about an American democracy is the freedom of the press, and there's no better representation of that than on Capitol Hill," Scott said.

"My job is always to be respectful, first and foremost, but always to ask tough questions, and lawmakers may not always like those questions. They don't have to answer them, but I'll just keep asking them anyway," she added.

Rachel Scott Defends Viral Pelosi Exchange, Says 'Freedom of the Press' Crucial

Last week, Scott asked Pelosi about President Biden staying in the White House race, a question that quickly went viral after Pelosi snapped at Scott, saying, "Am I speaking English to you?"

Scott said she believes Pelosi did eventually answer her question.

Rachel Scott Defends Viral Pelosi Exchange, Says 'Freedom of the Press' Crucial

"She did say that she believes that President Biden can actually win the election ... even though she said she didn't want to take questions in the hallway. After I asked that question, she answered, which led to a follow-up, and then you saw what happened from there," Scott said.

"The View" co-host Joy Behar argued that Pelosi did answer Scott's question.

"I'm not having any discussions with you, or anyone else, about what I talk to the president about, with all due respect," Pelosi told Scott during the testy exchange. "I'm not going to be making any comments today, in the hallway, about the fate of our nation, OK?"

Scott also recounted her experience reporting on the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, where the former president survived an assassination attempt.

"It's something that I'm still processing right now, 72 hours later," Scott said. "All of the sudden you just hear these popping sounds, pop, pop, pop, pop. It's almost like you thought it was a firecracker or something, and then everyone in the crowd started screaming, started yelling, 'shots fired, get down, get down.' I encouraged my colleague next to me from CBS to get down on the ground. My security yanked me down off the press riser, and that's when we took cover."

"I had an incredible colleague from NBC, Jake Traylor, who shielded me in those moments," Scott continued. "There are so many things that go through your head, right? It maybe was only a couple of seconds, but it felt like time really slowed down, and you start playing this 'what if' game, what if there's a gunman on the loose?"