Ann Coulter Defends Governor Paterson?

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," March 4, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: New York congressman Charlie Rangel may have overstated his welcome as the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. But I think we can all agree that his successor, California representative Pete Stark, could have stayed just a bit longer.

After all, his tenure lasted just a mere 24 hours before he was forced to go and pass the gavel to Michigan's Sander Levin amidst concerns about his temperament.

Now meanwhile New York congressman Eric Massa announced yesterday that he would not seek reelection. He's a one-term congressman. And allegations are out there that he sexually harassed a male staffer that surfaced shortly thereafter.

Now all of these problems come on the heels of New York Governor David Paterson's withdrawal from his upcoming race after he caused an uproar for intervening in the domestic violence case of a close aide.

And by the way, he got free Yankee tickets.

So what's going on with the Democratic Party? Have they become the party of corruption? Have they totally abdicated their responsibility of their members?

Joining me now with analysis and much more is the author, columnist, number one New York Times — how many times you've been a number one New York Times best-seller?

ANN COULTER, AUTHOR AND COLUMNIST: Seven massive New York Times best- seller.

HANNITY: Seven.

COULTER: Thank you for asking.

• Watch Sean's interview

HANNITY: All right. Culture of corruption, draining the swamp, what's going on?

(LAUGHTER)

COULTER: Yes. I think we'd be hearing that if these were all Republicans because we heard it from many of the same circumstances. This — I will not take advantage of the Eric Massa —

HANNITY: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why not?

COULTER: Being accused —

HANNITY: Whoa, whoa, whoa. After all we heard about Mark Foley — why not?

COULTER: Well, because they were insane. But the circumstances are almost identical, in that Steny Hoyer was warned about Massa back on February 8th. And the Democrats' big claim was well, you should have known there was a complaint about Mark Foley sending e-mails and he is a little fay. And why weren't you wiretapping his phones?

HANNITY: He was a little what?

COULTER: Fay. You know?

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: All right. So — I didn't —

COULTER: So the Democratic Party's position on Foley was we don't want you and SA wires tapping Al Qaeda phone calls but we do want you wiretapping the gay Republican.

HANNITY: All right. So —

COULTER: So you have something very similar here where Democrats were warned in advance. I don't blame the whole Democratic Party in that case. The one ethics violation of everything you've listed that I think amounts to nothing are the free Yankees tickets for the governor of New York.

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: If you do not get free tickets to a World Series game as governor, there is no point to being governor. I think most people would be surprised but what it brings up is that there are so many rules, so many laws that it's basically up to the media who they go after and when they go after that person.

And look at Rangel, for example. Everything that is charged against him, all these disclosure forms, they have been — they've been completely cook eyed —

HANNITY: It's been two years. This has been going on —

COULTER: Yes, year after year after year.

HANNITY: Right.

COULTER: Even if you compare one year to the next, which means no one in the media has been looking at them. While he hasn't been paying taxes on the rental property, he's had it for 18 years. Running by 18 years. So why does The New York Times want to get rid of Rangel now?

HANNITY: Well, because it's an election year.

COULTER: What is that?

HANNITY: No —

COULTER: No, but he's a Democrat. They are after Rangel like he's a Republican.

HANNITY: The only reason they're coming after him now is because after two years of investigative work they finally came to a conclusion that he broke ethics rules.

COULTER: I'm suspicious.

HANNITY: But — all right.

COULTER: And I can tell you why they're going after Paterson?

HANNITY: What do you mean you're suspicious?

COULTER: I'm suspicious because well, I can tell you why they're going after Paterson. I noticed in the New York Times today and yesterday was the first day The New York Times presented anything that I actually thought was a problem.

We finally find out yesterday that yes, the phone calls to the girlfriend of his close aide were to try to get her to drop the case.

HANNITY: There might have been the use of the state trooper. He might have been involved in this. Then we get the Yankee tickets.

COULTER: But up until yesterday it was might have been, might have been, might have been. Yesterday you finally have a legitimate case. Now why isn't the New York Times hysterically going after Paterson?

HANNITY: I can answer your question.

COULTER: I can — I can answer the questions. Because he's trying to cut the budget.

HANNITY: You ask your own question and answer it.

COULTER: It was a rhetorical question.

HANNITY: No, that's not why.

COULTER: Yes, it is.

HANNITY: No, it's not why.

COULTER: It is. And he's for school vouchers.

HANNITY: No, no. Let me tell you why. They're doing it because they don't think he can win. They think he's beatable. And they want to pave the way for —

COULTER: No, that's why they dumped Harold Ford. The reason they're going out — look, he's the governor right now. He's the sitting governor. They're going to go for an incumbent? The reason they don't want him to win —

HANNITY: No, no, no.

COULTER: And as far as Democrats go —

HANNITY: You're missing something.

COULTER: He's a lot more conservative than Andrew Cuomo is going to be.

HANNITY: It's rare that we disagree.

COULTER: He's cutting the budget.

HANNITY: Let me tell you — they saw what happened in New Jersey. New York state is going broke.

COULTER: Right.

HANNITY: Tax revenues are plummeting. The people in New York are unhappy and they're going to probably elect another Republican. So they think they are better off betting on Andrew Cuomo who doesn't have the problems of Governor Paterson.

COULTER: Yes, he only has the problems because the New York Times won't let up on him.

HANNITY: But that's my point.

COULTER: I think they can go after any Democrat. Almost any Democrat and find —

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: They made a determination that they think that Cuomo is the better candidate so —

COULTER: But why didn't they make the determination that Harold Ford was the better than the incumbent. Patterson is the incumbent governor. They don't like him because he's for school vouchers.

HANNITY: No, but Andrew Cuomo — the difference is Harold Ford is from Tennessee. Andrew Cuomo's father —

COULTER: As opposed to Hillary Clinton? They don't care about that!

HANNITY: Well — but he doesn't have the gravitas of Clinton.

COULTER: This current governor, as far as Democrats go, is so much better than any Democrat we're going to get in that office. That's why the New York Times is hysterically going after Governor Paterson.

And congratulations, as of after three weeks of hysteria, they finally came up with something yesterday.

HANNITY: What do you this means? And I think this is an important question. What does this mean for the election? I mean 2006 was all one person, Mark Foley.

COULTER: Right.

HANNITY: That resulted in the massive loss for Republicans. Is this — you know combined —

COULTER: Right.

HANNITY: What — because I don't think it's the answer. I want to get your answer.

COULTER: Well, it definitely hurts Republicans. But a lot of the reason it hurt Republicans is because this is driven by the media and they can pick and choose whom they're going after. Whom they will expose. And at what time.

When they went after mark Foley for something similar to Eric Massa here it was too late for a primary race. It was too late. He was on the ballot. They did that — I mean they did go to the DNC and say — when would it be the best time to bring this out?

HANNITY: I think they're making political determinations about what's going to happen in the future.

COULTER: Yes.

HANNITY: And they have decided who they think is going to be the stronger candidate here. You know, but overall, to the Democrats —

COULTER: I think the sitting governor has to be the called the strongest candidate.

HANNITY: No, he is — not in this case. Because New York is in disastrous financial shape. It's headed for an economic collapse.

COULTER: That's something new.

HANNITY: No, no, no. But it's never been this bad in our lifetime. Never has it been this bad. Look, in a year —

COULTER: No, it school vouchers

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: And Cuomo won't fix it. Only Paterson will. But I really wanted to get to Pete Stark whom —

HANNITY: You're supporting — yes, you talk about Stark, go ahead.

COULTER: OK. So Rangel steps down, temporarily, by the way, for the chairman of the House Ways and Means. What does that mean? We're not allowed to talk about it and as soon as everyone has forgotten he'll go right back again?

HANNITY: Right.

COULTER: And Pete Stark then stepped in and had his farewell and his welcome party on the same day.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: Pretty funny.

COULTER: And so, you know, you look up all these — and by the way the RNC's web page is not good. I recommend your viewers, go to Wikipedia to see what a lunatic Pete Stark is.

You read through these statements and you wonder why he's not a host on MSNBC. He's completely mad.

How is it that I — I mean I'd heard some of these statements before but I don't —

HANNITY: I read them all.

COULTER: To Pete Stark?

HANNITY: Yes.

COULTER: Can you — I'm sorry I know we say this all the time.

HANNITY: There's crazy stuff in there.

COULTER: Can you imagine a Republican saying this?

HANNITY: Well, read your favorite.

COULTER: Oh, there are so many. He denounces JC Watts, all his children were born out of wedlock. He called Nancy Johnson whose husband was a doctor.

HANNITY: Read what he said about —

COULTER: Medical degree from —

HANNITY: The war.

COULTER: Through pillow tack. Also the RNC print-out isn't as good as Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, he's denounces —

HANNITY: He called —

COULTER: The supporters of the Gulf War, his June colleagues. That's on Wikipedia and it's footnoted.

HANNITY: Well, he was once referred to the African-American secretary of health and human services as a disgrace to his race. This is — they didn't even look — did they not look at Wikipedia before they hired?

COULTER: And refused to —

(CROSSTALK)

COULTER: And the San Francisco Chronicle said can't you get somebody as liberal who isn't a lunatic?

HANNITY: Yes, but you've never said anything controversial.

COULTER: But how — I've never said anything like this.

HANNITY: No, I agree.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: All right, Coulter.

COULTER: But how can — how can this happen without us knowing about it? Why? Because the media picks and decides —

HANNITY: They decide.

COULTER: Who will be destroyed. Who will not be destroyed.

HANNITY: But here's the program. There is now a new media. There's Fox, there's talk radio.

COULTER: Right.

HANNITY: There's your column, there's your books. And there's a lot of —

COULTER: OK. Well, you guys —

HANNITY: Wait a minute.

COULTER: — aren't doing a good job if I didn't know about Pete Start until today.

HANNITY: I talked about it last night with Michelle Malkin.

COULTER: OK. Last night.

HANNITY: Where were you last night?

COULTER: How about 10 years ago? These are statements going back the last 10 years.

HANNITY: Can I — can I —

COULTER: Get on the case, Fox News!

HANNITY: We are on the case! That's why you're here. She's hostile tonight. All right. Good to see you.

COULTER: Good to see you.

HANNITY: We love having you, Coulter.

COULTER: Thank you.

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