Donald Trump 'respects' Jeb for defending his brother
Business mogul goes on 'Hannity' to comment on ongoing feud with Bush
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," October 20, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity." The feud between front-runner Donald Trump and his GOP rival, Jeb Bush, is now reaching a boiling point. Now, the two candidates are going at each other over the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, here's what former Florida governor Jeb Bush has been saying about Donald Trump in recent days. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, my brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do. He united the country. He organized our country and he kept us safe. And there's no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that. And I don't know why he keeps bringing this up.
His view of history is just wrong. The simple fact is that when we were attacked, my brother created an environment where for 2,600 days, we were safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, here to respond to those remarks, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Mr. Trump, welcome back, sir. How are you?
DONALD TRUMP, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very good, thank you, Sean.
HANNITY: What is your reaction to the ongoing feud?
TRUMP: Well, number one, I really respect the fact that Jeb is sticking up for his brother. I mean, I would stick up for my brothers also. And he's sticking up for his brother, and I understand that.
But this all started when he said that we're safe, you know, the country was safe. Well, the World Trade Center was just attacked. It fell down, 3,000 people were killed. Thousands and thousands of people were injured, and to this day are injured. And it was the worst attack in history.
So you can't say he kept our country safe because he was president. You know, as Truman said, the buck stops here. So he was president.
And if you look at my book, which was written a couple of years prior to the attack, I actually mentioned the name of Usama bin Laden, that he's a bad terrorist and we have to do something about it.
And when one of your competitors heard about it today, they said, Whoa, whoa, this is amazing. Trump actually predicted it...
HANNITY: I actually...
TRUMP: ... because I actually said in the book that something would happen. Nobody talks about it. But I actually talk about the name Usama bin Laden.
HANNITY: I have the quote. Let me put it up on the screen. This is exactly what you wrote. This was in a book you published in 2000, "The America We Deserve." You said, "I am really convinced that we're in danger of the sort of terrorist attacks that will make the bombing of the Trade Center look like kid's play with firecrackers. No sensible analyst rejects this possibility, and plenty of them, like me, are not wondering if but when it will happen."
In the book, you also wrote, quote, "One day, we're told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Usama bin Laden is public enemy number one, and U.S. jet fighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rocks, and a few news cycles later, it's on to a new enemy, a new crisis."
How could you have stopped it?
TRUMP: I mean, I know what's happening, Sean. I know what's going on. I think I could have stopped it because I have very tough illegal immigration policies, and people aren't coming into this country unless they're vetted and vetted properly.
If you look at what happened, George Tenet, who was the head of the CIA -- - first of all, the CIA and the FBI and everybody else -- they weren't talking with each other because they weren't getting along. That's leadership. You have to get everybody to get along.
Second of all, George Tenet predicted an attack. George Tenet said there's going to be an attack. They should have done something about it.
So I'm not blaming anybody. And this started very innocently when I said, you know, to somebody, frankly, that didn't really matter -- I said, Listen, the World Trade Center came down during -- you know, there's nothing safe when the World Trade Center was attacked and came down during his reign. Well, that's not safe because he said, Jeb said our country was safe. Well, that's not the case.
And then if you want to go a little further, he then attacked Iraq, which turned out not to be the right country because they didn't have weapons of mass destruction. And by the way, the terrorists sent their families home to Saudi Arabia. They didn't send them home to Iraq, they sent them home to Saudi Arabia, which is another thing for people to think about.
HANNITY: You know, Mr. Trump, the only disagreement I have is we knew Saddam had weapons of mass destruction because we have the images of the Kurds that were slaughtered and little children and women in the streets. We knew there was a chemical attack. And the world's intelligence, in fairness, also thought that.
I want to add another element to this. There's an unknown...
TRUMP: Well, you know, by the way, but they never found them. You're right.
HANNITY: They didn't find them.
TRUMP: But they never found them. I think they did use...
HANNITY: I think they probably moved them to Syria, myself.
TRUMP: Well, I don't know. They never found them. And frankly, they probably used them against Iran, which really was beautiful -- I mean, not that they used the weapons, but the beauty of it was you had these two countries that were equal in strength, and we decapitated one of those countries, and now Iran is taking over Iraq and everything else, and ISIS is taking oil and Iran is taking oil and they're taking over the whole country.
HANNITY: Yes.
TRUMP: So it's turned out to be really bad. With that being said, I respect the fact that Jeb is defending his brother. I think that's good. I would do the same thing.
HANNITY: Yes. One point I've always agreed with you on is that if we liberate Kuwait and we liberate Iraq, they need to pay us for the liberation. We need to give money to the families that lost brave American soldiers or are injured for the rest of their lives. We don't do that. And I also think that if...
HANNITY: And by the way, Sean...
HANNITY: ... if Obama would have -- if he would have held the ground, ISIS never would have emerged. He wanted to pull out for political reasons!
TRUMP: I love that you bring up Kuwait. Kuwait had nothing but money. They get attacked by Iraq. They take over Kuwait. The rich Arabs go and they move into London, as you know -- the Kuwaitis, they moved into London. They didn't take a room, like you would or maybe even I would. They took the entire hotel. And they lived like kings.
And then we attack. We lose lives. We spent billions of dollars, and we give them back the country for nothing!
HANNITY: Nothing, nothing.
TRUMP: And they don't even want to invest in -- and then I told them -- I had them in my office a few months after that. They don't like investing in the United States, OK? We gave them the country back for nothing.
We should have said, We want 50 percent of everything you make for the next 50 years, or permanently. And you know what? They would have agreed to it. We gave it back for nothing. Why did we do that?
HANNITY: We're a stupid country. That's the answer. We negotiate bad deals. I agree with you.
Let me play for you -- I want to add another element to this whole -- how come America wasn't prepared for 9/11. In a little known speech on Long Island that Bill Clinton gave in February of 2002 -- the audio's a little sketchy, but I want you to pay close attention where he said, Well, you know, we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America, but I had no legal basis to take him. And I think he missed the opportunity.
You had published two years earlier what a bad guy bin Laden was. Listen to Clinton admit that he could have gotten him, but he failed to take action. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: (INAUDIBLE) bin Laden (INAUDIBLE) expelled from Saudi Arabia (INAUDIBLE) so they released him. At the time (INAUDIBLE) he had committed no crime against America, so I had (INAUDIBLE) hold him. (INAUDIBLE)
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HANNITY: So the key words are, He committed no crimes against America, so I didn't bring him here because we had no basis on which to hold him, even though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America.
Now, here's the point. In 2000, you identified him, as a citizen, a private citizen. And Bill Clinton knew he wanted to commit crimes against America, had the opportunity to get him, and didn't take him? Doesn't he bear that responsibility?
TRUMP: Well, he made a mistake. But I will tell you that if I were there, I would have taken him out. Now, I wrote about him in my book. And when they talk -- when I talk about the World Trade Center, that was the first attack, which was compared to what happened, ultimately relatively minor.
But I talk about Usama bin Laden in my book, and people can't believe it. They're just starting to read that book. That was the only political book I had ever done. And people are just starting to read that book, and they can't believe that I mentioned the name Usama bin Laden.
Remember, and he ought to crawl under a rock, but we have to get him. And Clinton made a mistake. And frankly, Bush should have taken him out. Somebody should have taken him out. And I think I would have. But I think my immigration policies would have gone a long way to helping this also, Sean.
HANNITY: Well, I think the immigration policy -- we're now facing a crisis. You see what's happening in Europe. There's a huge backlash because of Syrian refugees and Iraqi refugees and the cost. We're being told by our national intelligence director that ISIS and al Qaeda -- not if, they will infiltrate the refugee community.
This president has committed to nearly 250,000 coming to America. That tells me we have a pre-9/11 mindset again. Your thoughts?
TRUMP: I was always a big fan of Merkel from Germany. I'm not a fan anymore. What she's doing is insane. And we want to take in 200,000, and we don't know where they come from. They have no papers. All we know is they're young and they're strong and they're mostly men. And this could be the greatest Trojan horse ever. This could be bigger than the original Trojan horse.
We shouldn't be taking anybody. We have enough problems. We have to rebuild our country, our infrastructure. We owe $19 trillion. And by the way, taking in 200,000 is going to cost us -- they just did a study, over a period of 10 years, going to cost us billions of dollars. What are we doing?
Merkel made a tremendous mistake. They're going to end up having a revolution in Germany. You see what's happening with the German people.
HANNITY: A hundred percent.
TRUMP: Now, what we should do, at the same time from a humane standpoint, take a big chunk of Syria, and let's all put some money into it, if we have to, because on a humane basis -- and build a safe zone, what's called a safe zone. Let the people -- but to allow them into Germany and to allow them into these other countries, where there's nothing but a horror show00 you see what's happening. And now we're going to take in 200,000 people in this country?
HANNITY: It's insane. It's insane.
TRUMP: And we can't breathe! I mean, we don't know what we're doing!
HANNITY: You know, and I suggested the same thing, make it a secure zone, offer humanitarian assistance, offer food, water, medicine and supplies...
TRUMP: Fine, fine.
HANNITY: ... and keep them within Syria.
All right, to close the circle on the feud with Jeb, if Jeb wins the nomination, will you support him?
TRUMP: Absolutely yes. I would absolutely support him. He's a good person. He's a good man. I would support him.
HANNITY: OK, stay right there. We'll have more coming up -- more with Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, right after the break. We have a lot of polls to show you that reveal he is continuing his stronghold over his rivals. Plus, if he wins the nomination, who would Donald Trump like to face in a general election, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders? That's next.
And later tonight, during a recent fund-raiser for his brother, President George W. Bush reportedly did not hold back his true feelings against Texas senator Ted Cruz. George W. Bush said, quote, "I just don't like the guy." Well, have more on that straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." So Donald Trump continues to surge in three brand-new polls. In the brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Donald Trump is on top with 25 percent. That is the highest level of support he has received in that particular poll since he entered the 2016 race. Dr. Ben Carson is second with 22 percent, followed by Marco Rubio, who has 13, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina all in single digits.
We have a brand-new CNN/ORC poll, also more good news for Donald Trump. He's in first place with 27 percent of the vote. Dr. Carson comes in second with 22 percent, followed by Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul all in single digits.
Also, Trump has a commanding lead in a new Monmouth University poll. He's leading Dr. Carson by double digits. He has 28 percent in that poll. And we have a new Morning Consult poll which had you at, what, 41 percent, 51 percent if you look at those that look at you as their second choice.
And Donald Trump the 2016 front-runner -- what do you make of these polls? I know you talk a lot about the polls, but they have been steady. They have been consistent. And now Byron York has a piece out, and there was another piece that week that says finally, the establishment believes you can win, and Byron York outlines how the establishment prepares to go after you as not being a conservative.
Are you ready to deal with that? And what will you do?
TRUMP: Well, I am. Look, I have meetings in New Hampshire. We have thousands and thousands of people, 6,000, 7,000, 8,000 people every time. I went to Dallas. We had 2 20,000 in Mark Cuban's arena. It was an amazing evening. Alabama, we had 35,000, Oklahoma 20,000. Every place we go in Iowa, we have thousands and thousands, overflow crowds.
People are tired of being ripped off in our country. We're run by people that are incompetent. They don't know what they're doing. Every nation is beating us. "Obama care" is a disaster. Our Iran deal is horrible. It was written by -- it was done by people that don't know what they're doing. I mean, they don't know what they're doing.
And people see what's happening. And look, they know I do things properly. I do the right thing. And they just like what I'm saying...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: The establishment now thinks you can win. And what they're planning and what they're telegraphing they're planning is a barrage of ads in early states, huge buys, millions and millions of dollars trying to chip away at your conservative credentials with primary voters.
What do you think is the best way to respond to that?
TRUMP: But they're not buying -- the candidates aren't buying the ads. The people that are buying the ads are the special interests, the donors, the people that are lobbyists. You know, you have lobbyists -- I know half the lobbyists. I used to contribute to the lobbyists. Who knows more about a lobbyist than me? I know the good ones and the bad ones.
But the lobbyists are going crazy because when they come to me, say they want me to do something for all these companies, even though it's not in the best interests of the United States, I'm not going to do it. When the special interests tell me to do something that's adverse to the people of the United States, I'm not going to do it because I'm not taking their money.
HANNITY: Will you fight back, then, with your own ads...
TRUMP: These people...
HANNITY: ... and your own money?
TRUMP: Sure, I'll fight back. Sure. Of course I'm going to -- I always fight back. I have to fight back.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Otherwise I wouldn't be leading every poll.
(CROSSTALK)
No, but I wouldn't be leading every poll. But Sean, you have to understand, these people have hundreds of millions of dollars that they've given to these politicians, and the politicians are puppets for them. They're just puppets.
HANNITY: Yes.
TRUMP: With me, I'm going to do what's right for the country. We have $19 trillion in debt. We're going to get the debt paid -- we're going to do things right. We're not going to let China rip us off anymore. It's enough already.
You know that last year, we had an imbalance with China of $450 billion! Who can stand that? You can't do that. And this has gone on for years and years, and nobody does anything because they have lobbyists. They have special interests.
And I'm going to represent the people. We're going to make this country so great and so strong. But with that, a lot of money's going to be spent. And I just hope when people are watching these phony ads, you know, all of these phony ads that are going to be put out, that they're going to understand it's not the candidates. It's all of these special interests, Sean, that want to not have a guy like Trump because they're going to be out of business!
HANNITY: For them, this is the art of political war for them. And I think they're serious about it because they're talking about their power going away.
Of the three Democrats -- it looks like Biden's getting in the race, so of the three Democrats, Biden, Hillary, Bernie Sanders, if you win the nomination, is there any one you prefer going up against?
TRUMP: Well, I don't think Sanders is going to get there, frankly. And I don't mind going against Hillary's record. I think I'd beat her. You saw the various polls on myself against Hillary. I just beat her in Florida. A poll came out today where I beat her pretty easily in Florida. I beat her nationwide. I don't mind going against Hillary.
And you know, Biden is -- right now, he's got his little period of time where he's popular. As soon as he gets in, he'll get beaten up very badly. He's done this three or four times. He's lost every time. So I don't mind going against him at all.
I don't want to pick a favorite, to be honest. I think I might have a favorite. But if you go by Hillary's record, she'd win very easily.
HANNITY: Have you give any thought, if you win the nomination, three people you would consider to be your vice president?
TRUMP: I have given thought, but I don't want to discuss it. It's just too early. I have to get there first. And you know, I don't like talking about -- you have so many people, they don't win, they don't know how to win. I don't want to talk about anything. I do know how to win, but that's so far down the road.
HANNITY: OK.
TRUMP: I will say, I do respect some of the people that I'm running against, and I respect many of the people -- you have many good Republicans out there that could really help and be terrific.
And we're going to unify the Republican Party. We're going to unify it and make it strong, and we're going to win. We're not going to do what Romney did last time, where he should have won an election and he lost. We're going to unify the Republican Party, and we're going to win.
HANNITY: I heard you were supposed to be on Jimmy Kimmel tonight. Did something happen?
TRUMP: No, I have a political event, but I'm going to do his show in two weeks. I have a big political event, which I can't skip. And I told him, I said, you know, I have this event. I can't skip it. But I will be doing it in two weeks when I'm out in Los Angeles.
HANNITY: You know, there was an article that came out about Hillary. She has these big hearings coming up about Benghazi. We know that Ambassador Stevens requested security before it was denied. We know that during the attack that there was a stand-down order given because I interviewed people that were there. They told me personally. And we know they made up this story about a YouTube video and a spontaneous demonstration.
We learned that about her. What do you think about the hearings? And there was another article that came out earlier today in The Washington Free Beacon that she paid men $16,000 more a year more than women! What's your reaction of those two things with her?
TRUMP: Well, I have to tell you, I was really looking forward to the hearings, but then you had a congressman, Republican, go against Trey Gowdy and all of the people, as you know, And then you had a whistleblower come out. So that hurt. That was not exactly positive.
And then yesterday, I watched Trey, who I do respect -- I think he's a terrific guy -- but he seemed to be doing a big pivot. He said, Well, this isn't about Hillary Clinton. You know, I'm pretty good at figuring this stuff out. And he seemed to be doing, Sean -- I'm sure you saw it. He seemed to be doing a big pivot away from Hillary Clinton, and I was trying to figure out what that was all about.
So you may not be as happy as you think with these hearings. I just don't know. The hearings -- I was looking forward to them. But with all that's happening -- and I was surprised that he pivoted away so much from Hillary. He said, These hearings are not about her. Actually, we want to discuss other people much moreso. And it sounded like he was sort of pulling away from going after her. So I'm going to have to see what the hearings are all about.
HANNITY: All right, Mr. Trump, thanks so much. We appreciate your time.
TRUMP: Thank you.
HANNITY: Coming up, President George W. Bush reportedly does not like Texas senator Ted Cruz very much. According to Politico, the 43rd president said so during a recent fund-raiser for his brother. We'll check in with campaign Carl Cameron. He has a full report.
Then later, we are counting down the days until Hillary testifies before the Benghazi select committee. Congressman Jim Jordan sits on that committee. He'll be here with a preview of what we can expect.
And 2016 Republican presidential candidate New Jersey governor Chris Christie -- he drops by to talk about the growing tension in the Middle East and whether or not America should be taking in Syrian and Iraqi refugees straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." The battle for the 2016 GOP nomination is getting contentious, and former president George W. Bush is jumping into the fray after reportedly taking a shot at certain Republican candidate.
Here now with all the details, campaign Carl Cameron. This shocked me a little bit, Carl.
CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's getting juicy, Sean. I've spoken with some of the folks who heard from George -- President George W. Bush at a private fund-raiser for his brother, Jeb, in Colorado this last Sunday night. We're told 43 was very bullish on his brother, predicting Jeb would win the nomination and ultimately the presidency.
Now, along the way at one point, the former president was talking about Senator Ted Cruz and said he just doesn't like the guy. Cruz is gaining in the polls as a real insurgent anti-establishment type conservative, and he's arguably been the toughest critic of the GOP leaders in the whole Senate and really critical of Chief Justice John Roberts for upholding the constitutionality of "Obama care" twice.
Roberts was a George W. Bush nominee. So Cruz issued a statement saying, quote, "I have great respect for George W. Bush and was proud to work on his 2000 campaign and in his administration. It's no surprise that President Bush is supporting his brother and attacking the candidates he believes pose a threat to his campaign. I have no intention of reciprocating. I met my wife, Heidi, working on his campaign, and so I will always be grateful to him."
As for Rubio, the former president he's not sure being a young first- term senator qualifies you to be president, but then immediately sort of hedged his bets pretty much at his brother's expense. He said if Rubio wins the nomination, he'd be back next year saying that doesn't matter, suggesting that maybe his brother night not.
All in all, Sean, Trump is the solid front-runner in all this. Polls right now show the grass roots love him. Carson has pulled into a virtual tie in a lot of these polls. The outsider front-runners have a big lead on both Rubio and Cruz, who are now battling for third place. And that's telling. It shows their momentum. It also shows and explains why the former president zinged both of them.
Jeb's in fifth place. And Sean, the next debate is in eight days, and the first caucuses in Iowa are now less than 15 weeks from now. And a lot of folks in the Bush camp are getting nervous. They're beginning to sort of call out the cavalry, and his brother's obviously part of that.
HANNITY: All right, campaign Carl, thank you.
Joining us now with reaction, Fox News contributors Doug Schoen, Monica Crowley, Jedediah Bila.
This whole thing -- and I asked Donald Trump this. The Republican establishment wants to take him out and they're going to spend millions and millions to do it. Will it work, in your opinion?
JEDEDIAH BILA, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: As of today, no, because no one on the stage is able to get anyone's attention away from Trump. I mean...
HANNITY: Campaign ads in particular.
BILA: Yes, you know what, though? That doesn't matter if you have candidates that get on a debate stage next to Donald Trump and get drowned out by him. I mean, someone like a Marco Rubio, I think, and someone like a Ted Cruz -- they have a lot of potential, but as of today, they're not able to grab that microphone away from Donald Trump. If they can't do it in the flesh, they're (ph) present (ph), I don't think any campaign ad is going to be able to do it.
HANNITY: Why George Bush -- this is surprising to me -- be -- think that -- why would he be angry at Ted Cruz and not at Donald Trump, who's been very harsh on Jeb?
MONICA CROWLEY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, what's interesting is that President Bush has maintained this dignified silence for the last seven or eight years, and this is the moment and this is the subject he chooses to speak out about?
HANNITY: Weird.
CROWLEY: It's curious, except if you look at the latest polls. What they show were the top two ranked candidates are Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson. And then the next two candidates are Senators Rubio and Cruz. So it's interesting that President Bush, who represents in many ways the powerful establishment, going after the two that are ranked just above his brother in the poll ratings.
I think -- you know, Senator Cruz gave a very classy statement there about President Bush, but I think it shows desperation in the Bush camp that despite all of the money and the establishment backing, that they can't gain any more traction and that they're losing...
HANNITY: I don't think they understand...
CROWLEY: ... to these guys.
HANNITY: ... how angry the base conservatives are.
CROWLEY: Right.
HANNITY: And I'm one of them. I'm very angry. And you think we're going to have a Hillary-Trump showdown.
DOUG SCHOEN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I think there's a very good chance for precisely the reasons you're suggesting, Sean. The Republican base is angry. And looking at the polls shows that what Monica says is exactly right. You look at Nevada, South Carolina, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, New Hampshire, big, expanding Trump leads. You look at the head- to-head with Hillary, dead heat in general elections. Sean, the reports of Trump's demise are greatly exaggerated.
HANNITY: Could Trump put -- can Trump put, if he were the candidate, a state like New York in play or New Jersey or Pennsylvania in play? What do you think?
BILA: Well, that's what people are talking about because he appeals to -- you know, we always talk about these Reagan Democrats and how Ronald Reagan was able to get people who didn't -- were inclined to disagree with him to suddenly pay attention. So I think a lot of people are looking to Trump and saying, This is a guy who appeals to a very different, very sort of eclectic blend of people, some Democrats, some independents, from people who are really disheartened with party labels.
They can't stand the GOP. They can't stand the establishment. But they like the ideas. They like his zest and his passion, and they like the fact that when everybody's telling him to be quiet, he says, No, hold up. I have something to say and I'm going to say it the way I want to say it.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: There's a very profound...
BILA: ... a positive way to do things.
CROWLEY: Absolutely. There's a very profound anti-establishment sentiment going on in the country. But also, people want a strong leader and they want a happy warrior, and that's Donald Trump.
Just anecdotally, Sean, I hear from these former Reagan Democrats. I have a friend who works on the assembly line at GM in Detroit surrounded by these union guys who voted Democrat their whole lives. They're all voting Trump!
HANNITY: Are they going to go Trump?
CROWLEY: Kids tell me, college kids tell me they love Trump. The woman who lives...
HANNITY: Is there anybody you don't know? You know everybody!
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: All right...
CROWLEY: But anecdotally, there are...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: She is a weak -- she is a horrible candidate! She's not likable!
SCHOEN: She did very, very well in the debate.
HANNITY: Against what? Moe, Larry, and Curly. Come on.
SCHOEN: But there have been a lot of flip-flops. There are a lot of questions. Her negatives, as you are fond of saying, is over 60. We are looking at a different kind of race if we had Trump and Hillary than one we've ever had before.
HANNITY: Coming up, Hillary Clinton is preparing to testify, speaking of her, before the Benghazi select committee later this week. We'll check in with Congressman Jim Jordan. He will be at the hearing asking her questions. He'll explain what people can expect.
And then later, Israel being rocked by a deadly wave of attacks carried out by Palestinians. Governor Chris Christie, he will be here with reaction as the administration equates both the Palestinians and the Israelis as terrorists as terrorists, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." So this Thursday Hillary Clinton will be back in the hot seat when she testifies before the House select committee on Benghazi. What can we expect? Joining me is a member of the Benghazi select committee, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, also a member of the Freedom Caucus. Welcome back, sir.
All right, a lot of questions. Security was denied before the attack that was requested by the ambassador. A stand-down order, according to the men I interviewed that were there, was given during the attack, and lies were given after the attack. Do you think we'll get answers?
REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OHIO: I do, Sean. I think you categorize it and characterize it exactly right. There's the before, the during, and the after. The before, as you said, repeated requests for additional security, 200 security incidents in Libya leading up to the attack. The during, what was our response like? Why wasn't it there? Questions that are real important questions need to be asked there. And then of course the whole after the fact, the whole video narrative which we know is false. Questions need to be asked there.
And also, I think this is important -- we're going to focus on Benghazi. We're going to focus on what happened and the four Americans who gave their life for their country that night. But I think the e-mail situation will come up some as well because to get to the truth you got to have all the information. And we need that information that we weren't going to get until this committee was put together and we found some of that.
And so I think all those things will be brought up. I think it's going to be a long day. She said she'll be here until all our questions are answered because she's only coming once. And I think it's going to take a little while.
HANNITY: Do you thing that she has lied to the committee in the past? Will she be under oath for this?
JORDAN: Oh, yes. Look, this is a Congressional investigation. She's going to be in there sitting at the table answering everyone's questions. So yes -- you have to tell the truth in these situations. And we're going to give her lots of questions and she'll respond to them.
HANNITY: Give me her thoughts with all the stuff going on with the speaker, the freedom caucus, and Paul Ryan. What are your thoughts on Paul?
JORDAN: Paul's a good man, I think a good messenger for our party. I've said that many times. He understands policy. But, as we've said many times, we think the what is more important than the who. Now, it's great if you can have someone that can articulate that message and talk about the conservative policies that we think are good for our party but more importantly good for our country.
But we need some process change right now. No institution functions the way the House does. In the 21st century, this idea that there's a few people at top who control things through the steering committee, that doesn't work anywhere else. And I think we have a great piece this week whether he talked about the Uber model that's out there. That's the way the world works today, and we think the House needs to adjust to this new dynamic and function that way because it empowers members. And by doing that, you create an environment much more conducive to accomplishing what we told the voters we were going to do, to fight for those policies that we think help all of America.
HANNITY: All right, Congressmna, thank you.
JORDAN: Thank you.
HANNITY: Here with reaction, author, columnist David Limbaugh, FOX News senior correspondent Geraldo Rivera. By the way, full disclosure. My buddy David has been my agent for like 50 years, more like 30. How are you?
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Did the checks clear, David?
HANNITY: What's that?
RIVERA: I'm asking David if the checks cleared.
HANNITY: Yes, the checks cleared, Mr. wise guy.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: So my question to you. Before Ambassador Stevens had requested security, denied repeatedly. I talked to the guys that were there. They were told stand down after we know they knew within moments that this was a terror attack, and they make up this ridiculous story about a YouTube video. This is serious stuff. Americans died needlessly, Geraldo.
RIVERA: Sean, if the question is, what should happen Thursday, I think Trey Gowdy has to put on his prosecutor's hat and he has to go at Hillary Clinton as if she were the defendant in a criminal case. What did you do? Then what did you do? Then what did you do? He has to be very businesslike.
But he has the burden of going forward knowing that some of his associate prosecutors, two prominent members of the Republican caucus, have undermined his efforts. So I think that his duty to the nation, his job Thursday is going to be freighted with peril for him, for the Republican Party. I think that Hillary, nothing that you describe remotely approaches a criminal matter.
HANNITY: No, that's separate from the e-mail issue, which we will get to hopefully the bottom of. David Limbaugh, when an ambassador asks for security, why would we deny it? The men that were there, which apparently they had another investigation out of Langley, they didn't know what happened. I've interviewed the guys that were there. They were told to stand down. Then a manufactured lie after. To me this smells to high heaven of a cover-up.
DAVID LIMBAUGH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, why was -- why were requests for additional security denied in advance of 9/11 when risks were increased? That's an incongruity that they're going to have to answer. And why were the specific requests when they were under siege denied. And why did Hillary claim that she didn't get that information? Who then did get the information? And who issued the order at least not to do anything, not to respond?
And if Hillary didn't know anything, by the way, if that request wasn't communicated to her, what other requests are not communicated to her? Is she never in the loop? Is she always out to lunch, so to speak, like Obama is playing golf? Nobody knows where Obama was during that whole fiasco.
But the biggest thing, Sean and Geraldo, is the deliberate manufactured video lie when they knew at the time, at the very time that this was a preplanned terrorist attack and they claimed it was a spontaneous attack as a result of video, and then they jail the guy.
RIVERA: The problem with focusing on the aftermath, David, is that that is a political question. This is a political matter. She's not under oath. You know, Susan Rice is not under oath. The president of the United States, they argue differently than you see it. I mean, that's an opinion matter. It's not a fact matter whether it was did they really thing it was the video, did they think it was 30 percent the video and 70 percent 9/11 and turmoil and tumult? Should they have known? These are political questions. They're not really legal questions. That's why I don't think Republican expectations that Thursday's event will tarnish -- are well founded.
HANNITY: David, last word.
LIMBAUGH: Geraldo, there doesn't need to be a fine line between legal and political. The political bleeds into the legal, and it's not all just a legal matter anyway. If Obama deliberately fabricated a video -- a story, and sent people out --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Have you been to a spontaneous demonstration where they just pull out an RPG?
RIVERA: But, Sean, the problem is if the hope is that Hillary Clinton is revealed as this hard core cynic who cares only about herself and was inattentive, I don't believe that narrative will be supported by --
HANNITY: We have to leave it there.
LIMBAUGH: What, why?
HANNITY: I'm sorry. We're just out of time.
Israelis are on the edge amid a wave of violent attacks carried out by Palestinians. Governor Chris Christie will weigh in on that and the growing refugee crisis next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Tensions are rising in the Middle East as Palestinian attacks on Israel continue. Amid the escalating violence, the U.N. secretary general made a surprise visit to the region earlier today and urged for peace. Earlier I sat down with 2016 Republican presidential candidate New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to find out how he would handle the numerous situations now plaguing the Middle East. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: All right, joining us now, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is with us. Governor, how are you? Good to see you.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, R-N.J., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I feel great, Sean. How are you?
HANNITY: So we have Palestinians killing Israelis after the Iranian deal, which the president approved this week. Palestinians killing Israelis, and John Kerry is making a moral equivalency between those victims of terror, the Israelis, and those that defend themselves from terror, the Israelis. And I'm trying to understand, why do they keep doing this? Why do they keep turning their back and stabbing Israel in the back?
CHRISTIE: All I can think of is that this should have been predictable back in 2008, right? This president made clear in his campaign in 2008 that he's going to be a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel president. And I remember speaking to Jewish friends of mine back then. And I said to them, you've listened to this guy.
HANNITY: What part of that did you think was clear?
CHRISTIE: Just his rhetoric. He talked so much about the fact that there needed to be equity in Israel -- in the Middle East, rather, regarding the Palestinians and Israel. I don't see them as moral equivalents, Sean. I just don't.
HANNITY: He goes to the church of GD America, Reverend Wright. That bothered me a lot. And I think to a certain extent America gave him a pass on that. They gave him a pass on Ayers. He keeps making statements, horrible crimes, deeds done in the name of Christ and the crusades, but the future will not belong to those that slam the Prophet Mohammed. And I don't understand.
CHRISTIE: And no one's slamming the Prophet Mohammed. People are saying that if in fact you're a part of radical Islamic terrorism that you are part of the problem and that we need to go out and kill you, because we need to get them before they get us. And this has nothing to do with the underlying religion. It is what people do to masquerade their terrorist activity behind a religious philosophy.
HANNITY: There's almost a modern day holocaust, if you look at the Yazidis, the Syrian Christians that are being slaughtered and systematically removed from that part of the world. We haven't taken in many refugees. But this president is going to take in 250,000 Syrian refugees, Iraqi refugees. How do we ascertain whether or not they are members of ISIS or tied to ISIS? James Clapper says they will infiltrate the refugee community. Is it a danger to take even one person?
CHRISTIE: It's a real danger to take in any of these folks. That is why I've been advocating for the idea that we need to do is to incentivize our allies around the world, especially in the Middle East, from them to take these folks in.
HANNITY: They don't want them.
CHRISTIE: I understand they don't want them. That's why we need to incentivize them to do it.
HANNITY: Pay them? I don't -- give Saudi Arabia a penny. They need our money?
CHRISTIE: They don't need our money, Sean. But you know what, the bottom line is that these folks have been running away because of what the president did. This president drew a red line in Syria and didn't enforce it. He's ruined the credibility of the American presidency by saying if Assad kills his own people with chemical weapons we're going to take him out, and then he doesn't. He's created this crisis.
HANNITY: Can we just be a little political incorrect for a minute and just point out the obvious. If you grew up under Sharia, and you're coming to a western country, Germany is now dealing with this. All of Europe is dealing with this. There is a cultural divide from the get go. And I'm not saying it's insurmountable, but it's difficult.
And then are you going to sit a refugee down and say are you sympathetic towards ISIS or Al Qaeda? They're never going to tell you the truth. So it seems that Europe is dealing with. And there is now a huge backlash there. I think this is part of the appeal of Trump on immigration that we don't have control any longer.
CHRISTIE: That is why I'm advocating what I'm advocating, Sean. The idea is that we want to make sure that these folks are in a place where it's manageable. And I don't know given this administration, in fact I'm sure given this administration, that it's not manageable. They don't know how to vet these folks. They don't know how to be able to determine this. And I don't trust this president and his administration to do it. This administration now looks like their AOL account was hacked into by the CIA director, and their homeland security director is having his voicemails listened to. I mean, this is not an administration, quite frankly, that we could trust anymore to do these types of things, and Syria is a first example.
HANNITY: Maybe would it be a good thing if the free world would unite and create a safe zone within Syria that is militarily protected, multinational force, offer humanitarian help, water, food, whatever they need, but keep them in Syria?
CHRISTIE: Absolutely. That's why I've advocated from the beginning that we need to put a no-fly zone into effect in those areas and protect those areas from Assad and from the Russians.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: When we come back, our "AskSean" segment is coming up, plus, we need your help. A very important "Question of the Day" straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right, it's time for our "Question of the Day." So do you think GOP infighting helps or hurts the party? Just go to Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you think.
And time now for our "Ask Sean" segment. Here's your question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Sean, hope you're well. Here's my question for you. What is your one sentence vision for America? What takes her from brokenness to restoration? It's a question that I think most of the candidates in the 2016 election can't answer for themselves. So, it's up to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: That is like an impossible task. How do you fix America? What is the vision? To make it simple, I am looking for a conservative that has a strong vision of limited government, greater freedom, greater responsibility of its citizens, with a strong national defense, an America that controls its borders, balances its budgets, that has free market choices in health care. There are so many different aspects to it. But I want a candidate with a conservative vision whose conservatism works that will inspire people to that vision so they'll rally behind them, that can articulate that vision, get people to vote for them, and win. And then change the country. We need a strong America to have a free and safe world. We need a strong America so that people that in poverty out of the workforce on food stamps, that they can have a ladder up to success. That's more than one sentence, but, sorry, I'm a talk show host.
That's all the time we have left this evening. We'll see you back here tomorrow night.
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