Gingrich's take: Comey on the hot seat
Former House Speaker goes 'On the Record' on FBI director's testimony before House Oversight committee on his decision not to recommend charges for Clinton in email scandal and Trump VP rumors
This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," July 7, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Well, during today's hearing, Director Comey stunning everyone with a disturbing admission that Secretary Clinton's email practices made America's secrets vulnerable. And one Republican lawmaker skewering Democrats, telling them, they need to take this seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. WILL HURD, R-TEXAS: The former secretary of state had an unauthorized server, and those are your words in her basement, correct?
JAMES COMEY, FBI DIRECTOR: Correct.
HURD: Who was protecting that information? Who was protecting that server?
COMEY: Not much.
HURD: If former secretary of state, one of the president's most important advisors on foreign policy and national security had a server in her basement that had information that was collected from our most sensitive assets, and it was not protected by anyone, and that's not a crime. That's outrageous.
This activity you investigated make America's secrets vulnerable to hostile elements?
COMEY: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAN SUSTEREN: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich goes ON THE RECORD.
Nice to see you, Mr. Speaker.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Good to see you.
VAN SUSTEREN: OK. Your thoughts about today's marathon hearing?
GINGRICH: Well, I don't disagree too strongly with the congressman. But, look, you have somebody who spent eight years as the first lady in the White House surrounded by secrecy.
She spent eight years in the U.S. Senate including on the Armed Services Committee surrounded by secrecy. She spends four years as secretary of state, and we are supposed to believe that magically she knew nothing, she learned nothing, she experienced nothing. I mean, Comey's conclusion verges on insane.
I don't agree about respecting Comey. I can't imagine you have got perjury in the Congress. You clearly have obstruction of justice. How do you -- you are an attorney. I'm not an attorney. You have lawyers over here.
Hillary said publicly, oh, the lawyers read everything before they destroyed it. Well, first of all, why are they destroying it? And second, Comey comes along and says no, they didn't read everything. They read the headline. The title. You go through item after item.
When Callista and I listened the other day to Comey's presentation for 14 minutes, we thought he was outlining the case for indictment. And he suddenly pivoted.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why? Why?
GINGRICH: I haven't got a clue. But I will tell you Martha Stewart ought to have a big complaint with him. Because she had done nothing wrong. She had not broken any law, but she was not completely candid.
Now, the idea and, again, you are an attorney. I'm not an attorney. The idea that you wait until the Saturday before the Fourth of July. You have a private session with the secretary's home, which I gather was not under oath. And for which there were no records taken. You then have a Sunday and a federal holiday, and on Tuesday, you announce you are now certain she doesn't need to be indicted?
I mean, no wonder the country thinks this city is corrupt. This has absolute taste of a totally corrupt system.
VAN SUSTEREN: OK. Well, I guess we know how you feel about that one.
All right, let me ask about another topic. It's no secret that your name is on -- is on the vice president short list for Donald Trump. And last night, Trump dropped this clue at a rally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Newt has been my friend for a long time. And I'm not saying anything, and I'm not telling even Newt anything, but I can tell you in one form or another, Newt Gingrich is going to be involved with our government. That I can tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAN SUSTEREN: Can you give me your thoughts on that statement?
GINGRICH: Well, first of all, I just want to point out to everybody watching, that you outed my wife's camera fanaticism just a few minutes ago.
VAN SUSTEREN: That was on your Facebook page.
GINGRICH: It was really funny.
Look, we had a great trip to Cincinnati. We have always had a good friendship. I think he is a remarkable figure. He has great strengths. He has weaknesses. But on balance, he's historic. He beat out all those other guys to be the nominee.
And I think that we are in a crossroads in American history. Frankly, captured in part by what happened over the last few days. We are either going to clean up Washington or Washington is going to corrupt the whole country.
VAN SUSTEREN: Is that a yes, you would say yes if he asked you?
GINGRICH: I think it would be very, very hard for Callista and me not to find a way to serve the country.
VAN SUSTEREN: So that's a yes?
GINGRICH: OK, if I say yes, that becomes (INAUDIBLE) on Greta's show. So what the heck. Why not? All right. I'm going to go all out.
If Trump offers the position and he's serious about it, which I think he would be after our conversations, Callista and I would feel compelled to serve the country.
VAN SUSTEREN: Where do you think you would be of most value to Donald Trump.
GINGRICH: I don't have any idea.
VAN SUSTEREN: No, as vice president. Like you said, he had strengths and weaknesses. So where -- I mean, where do you think -- what would you bring to the ticket?
GINGRICH: Somebody said I thought very ably yesterday, he really has a growing sense of what we need to do. I have had a lot of experience in Washington about how you would get that done. And so I think in a sense we become a team where he's the boss, he's the leader, we're moving in directions of very big changes.
For example, fixing the VA. I mean, the Veterans Administration is in immense scandal, and it hurts our veterans and it's just wrong.
Now, getting that through the Senate, through the House, thinking it through, there are a lot of details in there. And my sense is he is a guy who has run a pretty big empire by delegating very specific tasks, staying in touch with him. But recognizing a lot of different people have to be involved.
So I think my job would be to say if you want to get us to here and fixing the Veterans Administration, we need to think through these things, bring in these folks, you know, know who in the House and the Senate is going to really matter to get it done. That sort of thing.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did he give you any indication, yes or no, whether he is going to pick you?
GINGRICH: No, he didn't give me any indication at all.
VAN SUSTEREN: No hint at all?
GINGRICH: Not a hint.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did he ask for your tax returns?
GINGRICH: Well, no. I'm being vetted. I'm being vetted.
(CROSSTALK)
VAN SUSTEREN: So you are.
GINGRICH: Five or six people are being vetted. We are at a stage. We can all, you know, look you in the eye and say yes, I'm being vetted. I have no idea what that means in terms of Donald Trump.
I mean, he is the only person that matters. He will eventually decide, I think, either Wednesday or Thursday of next week. This is the person I want. And I think, he will announce it, either Thursday or Friday. So they dominate the weekend news going into the convention.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Will you be on our show that night?
GINGRICH: Which night?
VAN SUSTEREN: The night that it's announced?
GINGRICH: Probably.
VAN SUSTEREN: OK.
GINGRICH: Because how can I turn you down?
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well, now, I just want to get it on the air.
(LAUGHTER)
I didn't want to be saying that you were a liar and you didn't keep your promises. He said he would come on the show.
Mr. Speaker, thank you so much for joining us.
GINGRICH: I'm not holding with this set up.
VAN SUSTEREN: This is a set up, anyway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
GINGRICH: Thank you.
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