Hillary and Chelsea Clinton discuss new book, impeachment inquiry

Former U.S. senator, secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, appeared on "The View" Wednesday morning to discuss their new book, "The Book of Gutsy Women", and the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

"I think it became absolutely unavoidable," Hillary Clinton said of the congressional investigation and impeachment inquiry stemming from Trump's controversial phone call with Ukraine's new president on July 25.

"People can argue back and forth about what he might have done or what we think he did on a range of other issues, but this was in his pursuit of his official duties as President of the United States, and that phone call very clearly indicates an effort to not only pressure, but in effect extort the president of Ukraine over much necessary medical military assistance that had already been passed by Congress," the former secretary of state continued.

Her daughter agreed.

"I do believe he's the greatest scam in American political history, " Chelsea Clinton said. "I think his whole life has been a scam, and unfortunately, people are suffering every day because his scam thus far has succeed at the highest levels."

The former Democratic presidential nominee also discussed the significant media attention generated on Tuesday when she told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Amy Robach, "I think the gutsiest thing I’ve ever done, well, personally, [is] make the decision to stay in my marriage."

"And there's no one answer you know," she told "The View" hosts on Wednesday adding that her pain was exacerbated by taking place on the world stage.

"For some people that I've known, the right thing was to take your kids and go back. For other people, you know, get into a negotiation and figure out whether you want to stay, or in my case you know after really hard hard thinking about it, counseling, praying all the things that I did and that we went through, you know I just decided it was the right decision for me but that didn't mean it was an easy decision."

The House of Representatives impeached the former first lady's husband, President Bill Clinton, in 1998 after an investigation revealed he lied about an affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Clinton decided to remain in the marriage with her husband, writing in her 2003 memoir "Living History," "The most difficult decisions I have made in my life were to stay married to Bill and to run for the Senate from New York."

Reflecting her earlier comments, Clinton also told Robach, the "gutsiest thing" she has done "Publicly, politically, (was) run for president and keep going."

Sitting with her mother, Chelsea Clinton appeared taken aback by the former secretary of state's comments, telling Robach, "Goodness, I'm so overwhelmed by my mother's answer that I'm a bit out of words. I'm just so proud to be her daughter."

Promoting their new book, "The Book of Gutsy Women," the mother and daughter discussed the women who have inspired them throughout their lives.

The book holds 103 real-life portraits of unsung female heroes including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Maria von Trapp and Anne Frank.

In response to news that her 2016 Democratic primary opponent, Vermont Sen.Bernie Sanders was hospitalized for chest discomfort Tuesday evening, Hillary Clinton told "The View" that she "hope(s) for the best."

She also shared some reflections on the 2016 election.

“I really believed that my job, especially as a woman and the first woman to go as far as I did, that I had to help people feel good about a woman in the Oval Office," she said. "I did feel a heavy sense of responsibility – and it was such that, maybe, I wasn't as loose or open as I could have been. So I take responsibility for everything I didn't do as well or my campaign didn't do as well."

The former Democratic presidential nominee also commented on the upcoming 2020 primaries, telling "The View," "I just wish everybody well. I've talked to most of them and a lot of them call me from time to time and ask for advice. I just try to give them they very best advice I can."