Will a Convicted Child Rapist be Resentenced in Vermont?

This is a partial transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," January 24, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Unresolved Problems" segment tonight, will the 60-day sentence for a child rapist stand in Vermont? As you know, "“The Factor”" has been crusading to get Judge Edward Cashman removed from the bench after he sentenced 34-year-old Mark Hulett to 60 days so Hulett could get treatment. Since Hulett confessed to raping a 6-year-old for four years, 60 days in our opinion is a human rights violation, as I said in the "Talking Points Memo."

Now, on Thursday morning, Cashman will preside over a reconsideration hearing in Vermont. That means he could change his sentence.

Joining us now from Burlington are Paul Beaudry, a radio talk show host on WSRA, and Laurie Morrow, who also talks on the radio for WDEV and WSYD.

Ms. Morrow, I'll begin with you. You know, I want to be fair. Taking a pounding by the local media in Vermont. You know, I'm a bad guy, I'm lying and all of this. I want to tell everybody our reporting has been 100 percent accurate on all of this. And we broke the Harlan Sylvester story when the Vermont media would not.

But the folks in Vermont, I'm not seeing any public demonstrations yet, I'm not seeing any visible anger, but you're talking to them every day. What are they saying to you?

LAURIE MORROW, VERMONT TALK RADIO SHOW HOST: There is fury out there, Bill. And no, the media generally speaking is not picking it up. If you gathered all of the conservatives who are on the air in Vermont — well, I think you did actually gather all the conservatives who are on the air in Vermont.

O'REILLY: Two.

MORROW: Two, we're here.

O'REILLY: But I don't know why it's a conservative-liberal issue. I was surprised at that. I thought liberal Americans would rally, because they're for the downtrodden. Is not this little girl as downtrodden as you can get?

MORROW: Bill, we're looking at only the tip of an iceberg here. We're looking at judicial — well, it's not judicial activism in a very technical sense. I think judicial arrogance is probably what we should call this. A judge decides what he thinks the right sentence should be, what the right social programs should be.

And then the legislature, which is overwhelmingly liberal, goes along with him. The media, which is overwhelmingly liberal, goes along with him.

O'REILLY: But why, though? Why would they...

MORROW: There is a second 60-day sentence, Bill.

O'REILLY: This is what I'm not getting, Mr. Beaudry. Yet it shouldn't be a left-right issue. You know, if the left's hallmark is we are for the underdog, the downtrodden, human rights, which is what the left builds its core around, there is no more downtrodden person than this little girl. Her human rights are being violated by a 60-day sentence for some guy who raped her for four years. Everybody knows this. I'm not getting it.

PAUL BEAUDRY, VERMONT RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I know that there's two trains of thought out there, Bill, right now with my callers. Some of them are calling up, and they're just outraged. They're furious. They want to have it over with. They want hard time for sex crimes. And you're right: it shouldn't be a political issue.

Now, the town I happen to be broadcasting out of is St. Albans. We are organizing a protest rally this Saturday at noon in the park at St. Albans. And some of my biggest supporters are some good old-fashioned, more conservative style Democrats. And here I am the Republican up there. And you're right. It's not a left-right, Democrat-Republican issue. It's a human rights issue.

O'REILLY: Well, because — because Douglas, Douglas, the governor, is a Republican, Ms. Morrow.

MORROW: But Bill, you're placing the blame on the wrong party here. And by the way, one of the things that's going on here is you are suddenly becoming the story. They're desperately shifting the blame over to you.

O'REILLY: Of course. But they always do that.

MORROW: And I write back to them, he's never called for a boycott, but that doesn't matter. The end justifies the means.

O'REILLY: Right.

MORROW: Shouldn't be Democrat-Republican. But that's what happens in our legislature. That's just the way it is.

O'REILLY: Yes, but Douglas is the governor of the state. OK? Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hear me out. He's the governor of the state. He's a Republican.

All right. Now, this guy, we gave him a heads up long before we did our first report. Just called him up and said, "Look, Governor, like you to come on, leadership here, put your indignation into words on national television. Set a tone in the state that Vermonters, this is not what we're all about." This is not what Vermonters are all about. The governor hid under his desk, ma'am.

MORROW: No, he didn't.

O'REILLY: Yes. Then why are you on the program tonight and he isn't?

MORROW: I don't know what the governor — the governor is busy.

O'REILLY: I'm telling you the truth. He hid under his desk. They had to bring him sandwiches under his desk.

MORROW: Bill, that's not the — that's not the governor of our state. Look...

O'REILLY: Telling you what happened.

MORROW: The governor went out, he gave a press conference. He called for Cashman to change the sentence. He made it possible for him to change the sentence. He called for his resignation. And the man is getting almost as much heat as you are.

He's not the problem, Bill. It's the legislature. And the far left liberals in Vermont are doing everything they can to keep our attention off of our legislature. That's what has to change.

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: I agree with you that the legislature is the problem. Symington, the speaker of the house, tabled the resignation vote in a terrible, cynical, irresponsible way. I absolutely agree, 100 percent.

But you need a hero. You need a leader. And as you just heard Governor Pataki, you know, you've got to get out front, and you've got to say this is who we are, this is what we do. And we have not seen the governor of the state do that now. We have not seen that.

MORROW: Bill, we have 600,000 leaders in here. We call them Vermonters. And they're going to go to the polls, and this legislature is going to change.

O'REILLY: I hope so. Now what are the odds — and I agree that I am part of the story now...

BEAUDRY: You are.

O'REILLY: ... because the far left wants to demonize me and say, "We can't give into this O'Reilly" and all that. Believe me, I love Vermont. I've been going there since I was 5 years old.

But I think clear-thinking people see through that. They see it. They see it for what it is. It's dishonest.

But what are the odds, Mr. Beaudry, that this Cashman is going to give the guy the jail time that he deserves?

BEAUDRY: I'm personally predicting, knowing Cashman being the loose cannon that he is, he gives big sentences for little crimes and little sentences for big crimes. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't do anything.

But we are — at least in my town, we're going to make all of these politicians accountable coming up this Saturday.

O'REILLY: Good.

BEAUDRY: And I'm putting them on the spot. I've put the word out. We're having a protest rally. The name of our rally is "Hard Time for Child Sex Crimes." I've called the governor's office, the lieutenant governor's office, and had nothing but support from them.

O'REILLY: Well, let's see if they show up, though, Mr. Beaudry. See, we'll show up. FOX News will have a camera and producers there at your rally on Saturday. We'll be there. But we'll see if the governor and the lieutenant governor and the attorney general show up.

BEAUDRY: The attorney general. I've been assured that our lieutenant governor, Brian Dubie, will show up. The governor I'm not sure yet. But we are fighting back in Vermont. We're going to get these laws changed.

O'REILLY: All right. Well, you guys, fight back.

BEAUDRY: We are.

O'REILLY: Get this Cashman off the bench, and then get Jessica's Law passed. And everybody will be a winner. We appreciate you coming on the program very much. Thank you.

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