This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 8, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity." We are live tonight until midnight, and this is a Fox News Alert. The former FBI director James Comey's testimony is a huge victory for Donald Trump today, and a massive defeat for the Democrats, and of course, the propaganda media.
Now, there are also some legal experts who say tonight James Comey may have broken the law. Jay Sekulow will weigh in later in the show tonight. Also, Donald Trump Jr., Laura Ingraham, Gregg Jarrett, Gerald Rivera, Ari Fleischer, Sara Carter, John Solomon all join us.
But first, the truth and the biggest takeaways from today's congressional hearing. This is information you will not get anywhere else in the media! It's important, and it's tonight's "Opening Monologue."
All right, here's what we learned today from James Comey's testimony. The president of the United States never obstructed justice, and in fact, the president actually encouraged the FBI Director Comey to go forward with any and all investigations into campaign associates and involvement with Russia.
Now, James Comey confirmed several times that the president and the White House did not -- let me say again, did not -- ask him to stop the Russia investigation. Now, Comey said multiple times that President Trump was not and ever under investigation. Which, by the way, why did he only say this today? Why couldn't the FBI director have come out sooner? We'll answer that question tonight.
Now, we also learned that James Comey selectively was leaking information to try and damage the president. What so-called champion of law and justice would ever do that to the president of the United States?
Now, of course, the destroy Trump media and Democrats, they were all proven to be completely wrong about their Russia collusion theories and they were exposed today to be lying to you, the American people, for almost 10 months.
And the biggest news today was the indictment of the Obama administration and former attorney general Loretta Lynch. Comey admitted that Lynch successfully was able to pressure him into toning down his own language when speaking publicly about Hillary Clinton's email investigation. Wow! We're going to do a deep dive into that also tonight.
But I want to go back to several things I said about James Comey right here on this program on May the 9th. That was the night that he got fired. And the reason that it's so necessary to do this -- you cannot look at today's testimony, as some in the media are, in this little, itsy-bitsy bubble.
All of Comey's past actions are relevant -- equal justice under the law. It matters. Now, Comey -- this is the important part -- he failed you, the American people, at every single turn. He disrespected our Constitution. He didn't care about equal application of the rule of law. He created a two-tiered justice system, one for Hillary and Bill Clinton, and one for the rest of America, by ignoring the many, many crimes we know she committed.
For example, remember when Comey laid out everything that was found on Hillary Clinton's private email server that she stuffed in a mom and pop shop bathroom closet that had top-secret, classified and even Special Access Program information on it? Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JULY 5, 2016)
JAMES COMEY, FBI DIRECTOR: There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.
Seven email chains concerned matters that were classified at the top-secret Special Access Program at the time they were sent and received.
Any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton's position or in the position of those with whom she was corresponding about those matters should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that conversation.
None of these emails should have been on any kind of unclassified system. But their presence is especially concerning because all of these emails were housed on unclassified personal servers not even supported by full- time security staff, like those found at agencies and departments of the United States government, or even with a commercial email service like Gmail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Now, Comey literally explained that Hillary Clinton broke several laws, committed several felonies, but then what we saw him do what he's done now multiples times, he started to play politics instead of doing his job.
Now, for the record, if you or I did a fraction of what Hillary Clinton did, we would tonight be sitting in a jail cell, like Christian Saucier. Remember the guy behind bars for a year? He took six pictures inside the submarine he was so proud of working in?
And then, of course, there's the Clinton Foundation and the pay-to-play scheme and the Uranium One deal. Hillary Clinton gave away 20 percent of America's uranium.
Now, by the way, there's a real Russia scandal. Why didn't Comey bother to investigate or look into any of these things? Now, the answer is simple and it continues to be exposed. Sadly, James Comey is nothing more than a partisan and a political hack, as I said on the 9th. And by the way, his testimony once again today proved that.
Let's start with Comey's motives. From the very beginning, it was very clear that he was seeking revenge and was only out to create smoke and confuse people and confuse the issues around all of this. And Comey admitted that he was bitter and upset about being fired, disgruntled at being called out by the White House for failing miserably at his job.
And then there's this exchange, which shoots down any narrative of obstruction of justice. It's gone. It's finished. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAMES RISCH, R-IDAHO: He said I hope. Now, like me, you probably did hundreds of cases, maybe thousands of cases charging people with criminal offenses. And of course, you have knowledge of the thousands of cases out there that -- where people have been charged.
Do you know of any case where a person has been charged for an obstruction of justice, or for that matter, any other criminal offense where they said or thought they hoped for an outcome?
You may have taken it as a direction, but that's not what he said.
COMEY: Correct. That's why...
RISCH: He said -- he said, I hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Wow! Amazing, right? Now, by the way, we're putting the law up on the side of the screen. And as we noted last night, if Comey thought that there were crimes being committed, he had a legal duty to come forward immediately. But Comey did not do that.
Then there's the obvious question everybody is asking. During this conversation with the president that Comey was so apparently troubled by, well, why didn't he just get up and say, "Mr. President, I think this is inappropriate, I think this is wrong"? Well, watch this exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, D-CALIF.: Why didn't you stop and say, "Mr. President, this is wrong, I cannot discuss this with you?"
COMEY: It's a great question. Maybe if I were stronger, I would have. I was so stunned by the conversation that I just took it in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: "Maybe if I was stronger"? That's his job!
And by the way, here's another thing. If Comey -- if he was so concerned about the president and he told the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, that he didn't want to be left alone in a room with him, then why did Comey continue to take the president's calls after all this had allegedly happened?
Now, next, there's this major revelation from Comey. You got to watch this. Pretty amazing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD BURR, R-N.C.: Director Comey, did the president at any time ask you to stop the FBI investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. elections?
COMEY: Not to my understanding, no.
BURR: Did any individual working for this administration. including the Justice Department, ask you to stop the Russian investigation?
COMEY: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: So many lies told to you by the media. But once again, Comey admitting that nobody asked him to stop the Russia investigation.
Now, let's move on to the next major point. After Comey was fired, he decided to leak information to the press! This is so unbelievably inappropriate and maybe a violation of law. We'll ask that question later. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS, R-MAINE: Did you show copies of your memos to anyone outside of the Department of Justice?
COMEY: Yes.
COLLINS: And to whom did you show copies?
COMEY: I asked -- the president tweeted on Friday after I got fired that I better hope there's not tapes. I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday night because it didn't dawn on me originally that there might be corroboration for our conversation. There might be a tape. And my judgment was, I needed to get that out into the public square. And so I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. Didn't do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. And so I asked a close friend of mine to do it.
COLLINS: And was that Mr. Wittes?
COMEY: No.
COLLINS: Who was that?
COMEY: A good friend of mine who's a professor at Columbia Law School.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Wow! So the fired, disgruntled ex-employee, ex-FBI director leaked details of his memo, hoping that it would bring about a special counsel? Now, this is beyond ridiculous, beyond inappropriate. And by the way, it shows you how calculated and political this guy really is.
And you have to wonder what else Comey -- did he leak before or maybe order others to leak? Now, Senator Marco Rubio point out -- amazing point today -- the only thing that wasn't leaked in all of this is the fact that President Trump was not under investigation! And by the way, he was told three times. Now, of course, this is likely to have been done on purpose.
And finally, there's the biggest bombshell revelation from today, and that is the former attorney general, Loretta Lynch, was able to actually influence Comey in the Clinton investigation! Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMEY: The Clinton campaign at the time was using all kinds of euphemisms -- security review, matters, things like that -- for what was going on. We were getting to a place where the attorney general and I were both going to have to testify and talk publicly about it. And I wanted to know, was she going to authorize us to confirm we had an investigation. And she said yes, but don't call it that. Call it a "matter." And I said, "Why would I do that?" And she said, "Just call it a matter."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: No, not an investigation. It's a matter.
And add one point here. What about the meeting Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch had on the tarmac in a private jet? What'd they talk about before Loretta Lynch made her decision? That is the huge scandal here and the abuse of power by the Obama administration, Lynch trying to influence the investigation, going directly to the FBI director. How is that not obstruction of justice? And why didn't Comey come forward and report that? And again, did he maybe break the law? We'll ask our legal experts throughout the show.
Now, also, why didn't Comey create a detailed memo about that conversation with Loretta Lynch? Now, this shows you that there is a massive double standard. Now, Comey let something like that happen with Lynch, but is now trying to go after President Trump. And by the way, Comey's biases are so extreme, there are so many other examples. Now, Comey testified that he took, oh, detailed memos of all of his conversations with President Trump. He didn't trust him. He thought he might lie. But he didn't do the same thing to President Obama.
Now, Comey also never put Hillary Clinton under oath while she was being interviewed by the FBI, and by the way, never demanded that her conversation be recorded. Why is that?
And biggest of all, Comey was desperate to come out and clear Hillary Clinton's name, but he refused to do the same thing for President Trump. By the way, as I mentioned, he told three times -- told the president he wasn't under investigation.
And then finally tonight, we have been saving this one for you on purpose. After so many months -- about 10 months -- of endlessly pushing back all of these black helicopter tinfoil hat conspiracy theories, what did we learn today? That there is no such thing as a Trump-Russia collusion. The media has been endlessly, breathlessly lying to you night after night after night, day after day! And today, they even had to admit it.
Now, of course, the big network of black helicopter theories and tinfoil hat conspiracies is NBC. Just listen to even their own Chris Matthews, Mr. thrill up his leg himself. Listen to this admission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC: The assumption of the critics of the president, of his pursuers, you might say, is that somewhere along the line in the last year, the president had something to do with colluding the Russians, something to do, the helping hand encouraging them, feeding their desire to affect the election in some way, some role they played, some conversation he had with Michael Flynn or Paul Manafort or somewhere.
And yet what came apart this morning was that theory because in two -- in two regards. The president said, according to the written testimony of Mr. Comey, go ahead and get anybody (ph) satellites in my operation and nail them. I'm with you on that. So that would mean Manafort, Carter Page, someone else like that. And then he also came across -- what was fascinating, Comey said that, basically, Flynn wasn't central to the Russian investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Ah, a moment of enlightenment even for Chris Matthews. It all came apart today. There was never anywhere in any case, any admission about Trump-Russia collusion.
And by the way, we were the only ones in the media that cared about looking into this deeply and telling you, the American people, the truth and not going with lies and innuendoes and propaganda and misinformation because they were advancing a political agenda -- you know, the same media that colluded with Hillary Clinton in the last election, as exposed by WikiLeaks.
We have been right night after night after night. These idiots in the media, almost all of them, have been flat-out wrong, all conspiracy theorists, time in and time out.
So guess what? It's time for those so-called journalists with their superior attitude -- maybe they should take off their tinfoil hats and put their black helicopters back in the hangars because it's over. You have been exposed for the liars you are to the American people. And it's sad, all that you have been doing all of these months without any evidence, and we've been showing you person after person after person saying no evidence of collusion. And you still kept running with a false narrative.
Joining us now with reaction, President Donald Trump's son. He was on a Twitter rampage today -- Donald Trump, Jr. Sir, welcome back.
DONALD TRUMP, JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: How's it going, Sean?
HANNITY: All right, just give me your general thoughts first. What -- what -- I -- I obviously said a lot there.
TRUMP: Yes, I think you probably covered it all in that monologue. I was just sitting here, eating popcorn.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: Gee, thanks a lot!
TRUMP: This has been a 10-month witch hunt. This is the only thing that they had on Trump. This is what they did to distract him from being able to get the stuff done that he was elected to ultimately do.
And I think now that this has all passed, he can go back to doing what he promised he was going to do. There's no clouds. There's nothing getting in his way. They can't be obstructionist. He can go back to doing the things he said he was going to do for the American people, putting Americans back to work, putting America first and getting us out of these stupid deals that America pays for and everyone else seems to benefit from but us.
HANNITY: You know, Don, maybe you're a bigger man than me, but to me, politically, they've been trying -- no, no! They've been trying to take him out.
TRUMP: Yes.
HANNITY: And there's been so many lies here. Number one, for example, not only did he not encourage Comey to stop, he encouraged him to go forward with the investigation, even satellites around him, meaning the people that are close to him and his campaign and elsewhere. He never was being investigated. Comey wouldn't tell anybody. Comey then turns out...
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: He would never mention that. That's -- but Rubio said it best. That's literally the only thing that hasn't been leaked in D.C. during this time period, the fact that he was never under investigation, that there was never a shred of evidence that he did this. But this is what they hung their hat on for this long. And that's pretty scary to me. That's sad.
HANNITY: What -- and three specific cases here -- I believe that Comey was a political hack. I mean, there was incontrovertible, overwhelming evidence of multiple felonies committed, and he laid out the case probably better than anybody but never pursued it. He said, Well, we don't have the intent.
Meanwhile, you have a server in a private mom and pop shop closet bathroom? That's intent to -- obviously, that's mishandling of classified information, then the destruction of classified information. Then, of course, the Uranium One deal, a real Russia scandal. Then, of course, this whole Loretta Lynch issue, meeting on the tarmac with Bill Clinton before she makes her decision, A. And then the big bombshell today -- Please don't call it an investigation. Just call it a -- what's the word she used? Whatever, material, she said.
TRUMP: Well, listen, the double standard between the way he handled that with Loretta Lynch and the way he handled my father -- I mean, that just goes to show you how politicized this has all been. I mean, I think his credibility in D.C. after probably an illustrious career has to be shot because that shouldn't be happening.
I mean, this is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigations! The head of the FBI goes on -- Well, if I was a stronger man -- I mean, who are we kidding, Sean? I mean, what kind of response is that?
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: That's pathetic!
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: This guy's the head of the FBI and that's his response? Not, Hey, maybe I should follow the law and procedure and say that Trump was doing this. Maybe I should let him know that this was happening? But instead, he decides to do this. Then he leaks some notes to a friend of his because he doesn't have the guts to do it himself. He has to leak it through a friend -- I mean, where does this stop? I mean, it is nuts, but I'm just glad it's all out there because literally, even the left, as you pointed out with Chris Matthews saying, Hey, guys, it's over. Let's move on.
You know what? Let my father do his job. Let him do what the American people elected him to do.
HANNITY: Don, I would love to say that that's going to happen.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Well, it's even that, but it's even deeper. When you think of the level of vitriol, hate -- it's been directed at you and your brother. They're even attacking your sister and your 11-year-old brother and the president's wife and anybody close to him or anybody that expresses a like towards him and agrees with him! To me, this is about undermining the will of the American people and so delegitimizing, so damaging, so distracting at the least he doesn't fulfill the agenda that people elected him for. That is a serious problem in the country!
TRUMP: I think it is. And I mean, but the good thing about it is, honestly, I think the left has overplayed their hand so much, Sean, it's been so ridiculous, so over the top, so extreme. I mean, half the things that were reported at The New York Times, the dossier comments, all the -- even Comey in his own words said...
HANNITY: Comey wanted to hire the guy!
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Even he's saying it. So you know, all these things that they tried to take him out with, I think it's pushed reasonable people, people in here -- you're never going to get the fringes, or you have one fringe, you'll never have the other, but reasonable people in the middle are seeing that this has just been one big witch hunt. They see how disgusting the swamp really is. They see the teeth (ph) that are there.
And I think they're going to realize that, hey, give the guy a chance. Let him do what he was elected to do, and he'll do a phenomenal job. And you've seen that.
Listen, when the Dow hits another all-time record right during the testimony, you know that he's been exonerated. I mean, the markets basically said...
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: ... has been nonsense. We broke another all-time high today because based on how phony all of this D.C. nonsense is -- and this is what the people voted against last time. I'm happy for them to keep doing it. It's going to make 2020 that much easier.
HANNITY: You know, I want to go back to the media in particular and all of the conspiracy theories that have been advanced. And literally, we're talking about cable-wise thousands of hours of coverage, thousands. Then you look at The Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN and ABC and all these networks proven wrong, and now all of a sudden, they're beginning to write their retractions (ph).
It just seems as something that I said back in 2007 and '08, journalism in America is dead. The desire for truth, it's over.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: ... the real problem is? Even when they know it's wrong, as long as it fulfills their narrative, they'll leave it up there. They'll leave it up for an extra couple hours. The retraction is somewhere in the -- it just never really goes away. They can't let go.
And it's not about reporting the truth anymore, Sean. It's not about journalism. You know, even when I was born (INAUDIBLE) hey, we report the news. Then it became sort of journalism -- we'll put our spin on the news. Now it's -- we're just going to craft narratives and just run with it.
It's pretty sad and it's a shame because it's a -- it would be an important profession. And it's why he's on Twitter all the time.
HANNITY: All right, I got to...
TRUMP: He's going to play monkey in the middle because they're not going to be honest. If they're only going to report what they want to hear, not what he actually says, he's going to go right to the people, and that's how he got elected.
HANNITY: And by the way, I'm a convert to him being on Twitter because I agree he's got to bypass this corrupt media. And I think after all the exposure and this will pan out in the next number of days. We got to do it. You're a bigger person than me. I think I'd be a little angrier than you tonight and...
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I've been going pretty hard all day.
HANNITY: ... job to do. Yes, well, that's true. You -- you -- I actually enjoyed your tweets during the testimony. I was retweeting a lot of it later.
TRUMP: Appreciate it.
HANNITY: All right, Don, Jr., than you.,
TRUMP: Good seeing you.
HANNITY: And up next on this busy breaking news night, a two-hour live edition of "Hannity" -- up next...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FLA.: At the time, did you say anything to the president about, That is not an appropriate request, or did you tell the White House counsel, That is not an appropriate request, someone needs to go tell the president that he can't do these things?
COMEY: I didn't, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, Senator Marco Rubio emerging a big star today on his grilling of James Comey. Laura Ingraham will join us and react. Then later, we'll also have more -- Jay Sekulow, Monica Crowley and so much more. Also a two-hour edition until midnight Eastern tonight on "Hannity."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: At the time, did you say anything to the president about that is not an appropriate request, or did you tell the White House counsel, That is not an appropriate request, someone needs to go tell the president that he can't do these things?
COMEY: I didn't, no.
RUBIO: OK. Why?
COMEY: I don't know. I think the -- as I said earlier, I think the circumstances were such that it was -- I was a bit stunned and didn't have the presence of mind. And I don't -- you know, I don't want to make you (ph) sound like I'm Captain Courageous. I don't know whether even if I had the presence of mind, I would have said to the president, Sir, that's wrong. I don't know whether I would have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Wasn't strong enough, I don't know, I have no idea. Wow!
Welcome back to "Hannity." That was an exchange today between Senator Marco Rubio and James Comey, where the Florida senator totally exposed a lot of the discrepancies in the former FBI director's treatment of President Trump.
Joining us now with much more on this, editor-in-chief of Lifezette, Fox News contributor, nationally syndicated radio talk show host Laura Ingraham.
All right, I want to give you big picture room here. I think that was the second-longest monologue I've done in my history. Yes!
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Hannity, I was, like, OK, what time is it, dude? I mean, it's like (INAUDIBLE) wrap this up any time soon...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: I spent all day putting that together! Do you mind? What about my hard work?
INGRAHAM: Hannity, I had popcorn. We have ice cream sodas here. It's just great. We're all enjoying it.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: All right, let's get your take.
INGRAHAM: All right, well, he sounds a lot like Hamlet there, right? He was -- he was so -- he was tortured about what to say and what not to say. At one point, to -- I think it was to Dianne Feinstein, he said, Maybe if I were a stronger man. And then with Rubio, he said, I don't know, I don't even know if I -- I would have said it if I had the presence of mind!
You know what I said just as a matter of observation about Jim Comey -- he's a man who has been a U.S. attorney. He was deputy attorney general. He was director of the FBI and a practicing attorney, OK, all of those things over years and years and years.
And yet he somehow could not gather himself sufficiently to -- when behind closed doors with the president say, Sir, I mean, I don't mean any offense, but this -- this interaction, even (INAUDIBLE) interaction one on one could be perceived as inappropriate. The appearance of this could be inappropriate, so for your sake, sir, and mine, I suggest...
HANNITY: Exactly!
INGRAHAM: ... that either we bring someone in or -- you know, he could have said that, but instead, he's the kind of guy who runs to the car and starts pecking out a memo to the file.
And you know, I've been in Washington a long time, Sean. And I'm sorry, but those are the kind of people who are always in CYA mode. They're always trying to cover or get leverage over someone else instead of being a straight shooter and saying, Mr. President -- again, if he really felt that way, Mr. President, this just doesn't feel right for me and if -- I understand it's your constitutional authority to direct investigations under article 2, which he admitted today, but I don't feel right about this. I'm happy to tender my resignation because maybe this is the way you're going to do business, but I don't feel comfortable.
He didn't do that, Sean, in my view, after watching him today, because he wanted to remain as director of the FBI, and he thought he could put this little ace in the hole away for a rainy day, this little memo. And he got back to the Justice Department and he showed it to all the other hens (ph) around him and they kind of clucked about it and, What do we do? What do we do? Should we show it to Rosenstein, the deputy AG, or not? And then in the end, they kind of just waited. And that is the worst way to approach a matter with -- for a man with this much experience...
HANNITY: You have hit a vein...
INGRAHAM: At 6-foot-8...
HANNITY: OK, but you're at a very important...
INGRAHAM: I was just going to say, Sean...
HANNITY: ... after you tweet this...
INGRAHAM: Let me finish.
HANNITY: Yes, go ahead.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
HANNITY: All right, so you tweeted today...
INGRAHAM: At 6-foot-8, he's bullied -- yes, he's bullied by a 70-year-old boss of his who said he hopes that he could see to it to wrap up the investigation -- come on!
HANNITY: All right, here's the important thing, and I actually retweeted you today because this was a really good point you made. And it's about what we've been talking about for two days, and I will tell you -- and we'll get into this with -- with -- I'll ask your opinion. We'll get Jay's opinion, Geraldo's opinion and Gregg Jarrett's opinion...
INGRAHAM: Yes.
HANNITY: But you know, we have talked about 18 U.S. Code 4, and you pointed this out. Let me put it up on the screen for our audience, because now he actually said in his testimony today, which is pretty amazing, what, oh, it's not up to me to decide obstruction. But meanwhile, he went back and basically said it.
Now, here's where he might have gotten himself into more legal trouble because whoever having knowledge of actual commission of a felon cognizable by a court of the United States conceals and does not as soon as possible - - as soon as possible -- make known the same some judge or the person civil military authority under the United States shall be fined and/or imprisoned not more than three years or both.
All right, you are right here. He has an obligation if he thought there was obstruction to immediately report, not speculate, oh, maybe Jeff Sessions is leaving in three weeks. He had a duty, a legal bound duty to do it. Is he in jeopardy?
INGRAHAM: I think he could be. And I'm stunned that more wasn't made of that at this hearing. The question was asked and then they kind of moved on. But again, Sean, he is a sophisticated player on the legal scene. When he was asked about 18 USC, Section 4, he kind of seemed like he wasn't, he was almost not ready for that question. I thought it was the strangest answer. He kind of shuffled away from that question.
But he had been spending all this time avoiding answering the question of whether this could rise to obstruction. He said I'm not in a position to do so. But then he made such a big point of saying it was awkward, it was shocking. He felt pressured. He told Sessions don't leave me alone with him. He was so unnerved by the president exercising his constitutional prerogative under Article 2 to ask about investigations, direct investigations. All of that was permissible, and Jim Comey was I guess petrified of it.
It was a strange colloquy that I don't think got settled and was odd in my mind that he wasn't ready for that question. It was very strange.
HANNITY: I was wondering who his lawyer was. The thing about today, though, Laura, there is no investigation ever of the president, but he didn't tell anybody. He of course also when you get into, the president not only didn't encourage him to stop. He encouraged him to go forward as it relates to the investigation with Russia. There was no collusion we learned today in any way, shape, matter, or form, and as one senator pointed out, I forget who at this point, nobody has ever been indicted for obstruction for saying well, I hope so. I hope nothing happens.
INGRAHAM: Yes, he nailed it. That was Senator Risch from Idaho. Yes. That was Senator Risch from Idaho, kind of an unsung hero. Jim Lankford, a couple of them had really, really good moments, Tom Cotton. But in the end it seemed to me that this was an FBI director who was spurned. And his scorn was then directed into this memo to the file that he wrote that he then he discussed with his little clique of confidants, that he then ultimately leaked to a professor at Columbia who he knew would leak it to the media. The man is a leaker who was trying to salvage his own reputation. He had his feelings hurt, he had his ego bruised. And he tried to carry this off today is if he had some chivalrous view of the way the department should be discussed and treated. If he was so worried about the integrity of the department, why did he go to that second meeting with the president and not stop it if indeed he thought it was so inappropriate? He's the one who put the department in jeopardy, not Donald Trump.
HANNITY: All right, Laura, I will pay for the popcorn, and you were really drinking not ice cream sodas with vodka on the rocks. I'll pay for all of it. Just send me the bill.
INGRAHAM: Fantastic, we've got it all set up here, Hannity. We need you to come to the D.C.
HANNITY: This was one of the most remarkable things I think I've ever seen in politics, 30 years now on radio, 22 years on Fox, what an unbelievable day. Thank you for your analysis.
Joining us now with more, chief counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice Jay Sekulow, conservative commentator Monica Crowley. Jay, in the lead up to this, 18 U.S. code 4, that was a big issue. Laura and I were just talking about it. I want your legal take. And you mentioned to me in a text today about another legal issue. I would like you to bring it up for our audience.
JAY SEKULOW, AMERICAN CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE: First of all, what do we know now? We know that James Comey is the leaker-in-chief. So let's think about this for a moment. The FBI director took contemporaneous notes on the president of the United States, put them in a drawer. If he was not fired, he would have used them at another point to, what, embarrass the president? That doesn't sound like somebody who wants to be your FBI director. It sounds like J. Edgar Hoover. So let's talk about the fact that --
HANNITY: J. Edgar Comey.
SEKULOW: Yes, right. Takes notes. Leaks them to a friend of his at Columbia law school who then calls The New York Times. If you are the president of the United States and that's your FBI director, you know what you do? Fire him. Not because you're obstructing justice. Because the FBI director is incompetent.
So now we've got this witch hunt that's going on. You look at what the former FBI director, the leaker in chief said today, and I look at of course Section 18 USC-4, but there are also a whole series of cases under 18 USC Section 641. And I think James Comey needs to be looked at by the FBI and the Department of Justice to see if the leaking of the information may in itself be in violation of the law.
And I believe, Sean, by the way, that what we have here is a colossal waste of money of the American people. The president is dealing with North Korea. He is dealing with a troubled Middle East. He is working on health care reform, which you've been so involved in, and tax reform. And we've got this distraction that the network media has broke into it to cover what? Three points. One, the president was never under investigation from the outset. That's number one. Number two, that the president never attempted to or obstructed the Russian probe. And number three, he hoped that General Flynn was a good guy and that things would work out for him? That's called human compassion, and the FBI director did not bother, if he thought it was such an intimidation -- by the way, this is an FBI director who said that he was basically intimidated by the president, he should have been stronger. Is that the guy you want running your FBI and going after the terrorists, the guy that said I couldn't be strong enough? No, that's the guy you fire.
HANNITY: Well said.
And interestingly, that same compassion, Monica, that Jay is talking, much to my chagrin to be perfectly blunt, and a lot of people that were chanting "Lock her up," he went on "60 Minutes" and said, oh, they are good people. I don't really want to pursue this. This is a distraction. A lot of conservatives like me were like, really? Equal justice under the law, although it wouldn't be the president's decision anyway.
So my next point to you is I want your reaction to the media double standard and the media conspiracy theories and black helicopter theories, and also the double standard as it relates to his treatment of Hillary Clinton, the double standard as it relates that he never took notes about Obama, and the big bombshell vis-a-vis Loretta Lynch.
MONICA CROWLEY, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Yes, you know, this whole crafting of James Comey's image by Mr. Comey himself and also his enablers in the media and those around him for years, Sean, this whole crafting of this image of some sort of apolitical straight shooter has been patent nonsense. You go back and look when he was deputy attorney general during the Valerie Plame investigation, he allowed that investigation's scope to expand so they could go after Scooter Libby as a way to go after Dick Cheney.
Time and again, his handling of the Hillary Clinton case, his handling of this investigation and the fact that he leaked memos, as Jay points out, leaked memos to a Columbia University friend of his to leak to the "New York Times" to settle a personal score with the president of the United States? This idea that James Comey somehow was a boy scout was never true. And that became particularly evident today.
And as far as the media goes and the left -- look, the left, the establishment in both parties and the media need to take down Donald Trump. So whether it's this Russia investigation which, as we have clearly seen today and over time there is nothing to it, no wrongdoing whatsoever, no evidence of that. If it's not this they will soon find something else because Donald Trump is so alien to the system --
HANNITY: Monica, I will hold them accountable.
CROWLEY: They will find something else --
HANNITY: I will hold them accountable for every lie they told the American people.
SEKULOW: Right.
CROWLEY: Yes, that's exactly right. But Sean, let me just finish one quick point. This is why I wrote a column in the "New York Post" a couple of days ago, in fact I think it was about last week, where I said that Nixon's advice to Donald Trump would be do not give your enemies the story. Understand that you pose such an existential threat to the establishment on both sides, the media, the left, the international community. That you cannot so as sneeze in the White House without someone ordering an investigation. So you better have all of your ducks in a row and do not give your enemies any ammunition going forward.
HANNITY: Jay, let me ask you this.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: He was never under investigation.
SEKULOW: Never.
HANNITY: He encouraged and not discouraged the investigation with James Comey.
SEKULOW: Sure.
HANNITY: No evidence of collusion, nothing wrong with what he said about Flynn, even Alan Dershowitz had a great piece about that.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: And now Comey is running his testimony by the special counsel here, his good friend, Robert Mueller, and I'm sorry, I'm not countable about any of this.
SEKULOW: You shouldn't be comfortable. Let's take a look at this. So the FBI director is in collusion, using their word, with the special counsel, running his -- he's a witness running his testimony by, in this particular case, the special counsel, while he has also previously leaked a memo, as Monica just said, to harm the president. That was the intent. By the way, that's his side of the story.
And then the whole discussion that James Comey -- remember the whole loyalty thing? The president said "I want your loyalty" according to James Comey. And then he responded "honest loyalty," and James Comey responded "Yes, honest loyalty." This is not a case. First of all the president doesn't even say he said it, but if he did say it, so what?
But here is the fundamental issue for the American people. This was our director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is supposed to be catching the bad guys. He's supposed to be leading the charge on counterterrorism, including ISIS and these other jihadist terrorist groups, and he was afraid of the president. "I was weak. I was stunned."
HANNITY: No, it was --
SEKULOW: I don't want an FBI director that's stunned.
HANNITY: He wanted a chip. He wanted a chip for later down the road.
SEKULOW: No question about it. That's why he kept it on the side.
But last thing on this. This is important. The president, when he fired the FBI director, for cause, in my view, and I think the view of the American people, he knew that that was going to extend this investigation that's actually going nowhere anyways. But he knew it was going to extend it. So he took the higher road and said this will cost me personally because it's going to extend it, but I'm doing this because this guy, James Comey, should not be the director of the FBI. And I'll tell you something --
HANNITY: Should the special counsel have to be removed now?
SEKULOW: I think there's a whole series of issues there. The whole idea that we have a special counsel on this, to me, frankly, is absurd to me when we think about the fact that Loretta Lynch went on an airplane with president Bill Clinton while his wife was under investigation, and James Comey and his selective disclosure diseases says that he's not going to bring charges against Hillary Clinton but wouldn't leak to anybody or even say that President Trump wasn't under investigation until I think made him put that in that written testimony yesterday.
HANNITY: Jay, you're going to come back. Monica, thank you. You know what this is? This is J. Edgar Comey's special counsel. This is now a big problem. And Mueller, I'm sorry, he needs to be removed. I don't know what they've talked about. He seemed to run his entire commentary today and everything he was saying by Mueller beforehand. He only gave Mueller the notes. There's a lot of problems here that to me seem highly appropriate and I am sure we will be discussing in the days to come. But thank you both for being with us. Very great analysis from both of you.
And up next tonight on this busy breaking news night, information you won't get anywhere else, right here on "Hannity" --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISCH: You're willing to say now that while you were director, the president of the United States was not under investigation, is not a fair statement?
COMEY: That's correct.
RISCH: So that's a fact that we can rely on?
COMEY: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The fired, former disgruntled FBI director James Comey admits that President Trump was never under investigation. Geraldo Rivera, Gregg Jarrett, they join us coming up with reaction. And then later tonight a special two-hour edition, Sara Carter, John Solomon, they are here on this busy breaking news night. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMEY: I thought it was fair to say what was literally true, there is not a counterintelligence investigation of Mr. Trump.
RISCH: I gathered from all of this that you are willing to say now that while you were director, the president of the United States was not under investigation. Is that a fair statement?
COMEY: That's correct.
RISCH: All right, so that's a fact we can rely on?
COMEY: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: That was the disgruntled, fired, I call him "J. Edgar Comey," the former FBI director admitting that President Trump was not under investigation during his tenure. But if you listen to the Democrats and their friend in the destroy-Trump propaganda press, the proven liars now, you would think the president is on his way to prison. Not happening.
So why all the hysteria that has been going on month after month after month on the left side of the aisle and the lies being told? Joining us now, Fox News correspondent at large Geraldo Rivera and Fox News anchor and attorney Gregg Jarrett. Geraldo, we will start with you. I want to get your full take on this, and also, Comey's total complete, mishandling as it relates to the law here is breathtaking to me. And I want your legal take.
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Let me give you my opinion of the president's current legal situation. I think that today clearly laid out for all the world to see that they did not come close to getting an obstruction of justice case against the president of the United States. Obstruction of justice requires corrupt intent. It is clear to any fair observer that there was no corrupt intent when the president spoke with Director Comey, assuming that everything Comey said about their private conversation is true. Still, it does not lay out a case for obstruction of justice. The president in that regard is in the clear. He never asked director Comey to --
HANNITY: He's clear on everything, though.
RIVERA: Well, he never asked him to stop the probe into alleged or purported or suspected collusion with the Russians.
HANNITY: He encouraged it.
RIVERA: He wanted compassion for a war hero, for General Michael Flynn whose life was destroyed now and can't make a living now. Having spent the time, six weeks with Donald Trump in "Celebrity Apprentice," I saw his compassion, especially as it was directed toward me. He could have said I was fired. Instead he said to Leeza Gibbons she was hired. He's a compassionate guy. He was being nice to General Flynn. He was trying his best to be good to General Flynn. He obviously did not have a guilty conscience, otherwise he would have said I want you to stop this probe into Russian collusion. He never did. He was not under investigation. And I am stunned, utterly stunned that Comey admitted leaking. I wonder what else he leaked aside from his own memo. Was he the leaker in chief, I wonder.
HANNITY: Wow. That gets to something that I care very deeply about, and that is, and Trump's attorney addressed this today, the selective leaking against this president to hurt this president. That's the deep state, and I will probably bring that in in the next hour a little more.
Gregg, you have been really dead on in terms of your analysis of the legal traps that were facing Comey today. I am shocked how he did not even seem aware of what you had been talking about for some time, 18 USC-4.
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS: Yes. In fact, he was asked about it. He was asked, don't FBI agents have a legal duty to report crimes? Unbelievably Comey said "I don't know." And after attorneys all over the country fell off their chairs and got up, they listened to the senator press him on that.
Question, "You are unsure whether they would have a legal duty?" Answer, "That's a good question. I've not thought about that before." Pause. "There is a statute that prohibits misprision of a felony, knowing of a felony and taking steps to conceal it. But that's a different question." Well, no, Mr. Comey, that's not a different question. That is the question you and everybody else who is a government official has a legal duty to report it to your superiors if you think someone like the president or anybody is obstructing justice.
So Comey couldn't possibly have answered the question today by saying yes, I thought it was obstruction, because Comey would have been incriminating himself on misprision of felony and accessory after the fact, aiding and abetting a felon.
HANNITY: The great news is we are doing two hours tonight. That just a small tease. Great analysis by both of you. Geraldo, Gregg Jarrett, stay with us because they will be with us in the next hour.
But first, we have to check in with CircaNews.com Sara Carter and John Solomon. Sara, we will start with you. Your take on all that has happened today, and what we just touched on slightly is the deep state, which I want to get to. And the idea, one thing nobody mentioned today was the leaking of intelligence, raw intelligence, the unmasking against General Flynn, which did ruin his career which never should have happened. That's a felony we know was committed.
SARA CARTER, "CIRCA NEWS": Yes, Sean. One of the things both John and I talked about was that we had reported, and I think we were the only people that did report this, that both national security adviser then Michael Flynn was not under investigation in connection with the Russia collusion or the Russia probe, and that Trump himself was not under investigation.
So there was evidence out there if people wanted to look for it. I think Marco Rubio, Senator Rubio, said it best. He said this was the only thing that really didn't leak. And there were so many leaks in the media that were just patently false. And I think that was a big piece of information that came out of the hearing today. And also the fact that Loretta Lynch went as far to approach the FBI director and say we're going to go ahead with its investigation but please don't call it an investigation. Call it a matter. And that he listened to her.
HANNITY: Unbelievable. And he did. And he did it.
John, I've got to let you take a little victory lap. Sara touched on it just a hair, but I lost audio for a second. But honestly, you guys have been way ahead of the curve, the two of you working together on a lot of this. In fact, well, why don't you tell us.
JOHN SOLOMON, "CIRCA NEWS": On May 11th, and I came on your show that day too, and we reported that we had confirmed that James Comey had told both the president and Congress that the president was never under investigation. He was not the target or focus or subject of the Russian investigation.
A lot of our media friends ignored that. More called me and actually taunted me a couple times. I'll honestly report that. Some of my colleagues called me and said you're hanging out there and it's way too soon to be reporting that. It turns out that that turned to be true.
I think two things happen today. One, there was prima facie proof of collusion. It just wasn't between Russia and the Trump campaign. It was between either misinformed or malicious sources and reporters who recklessly reported a false story. That was the collusion that was proven today. And they even helped James Comey at the end carry out his revenge by leaking that memo.
I think the second thing is there's probably more interest that should be focused on what happened between James Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch after what we heard today. And I'm hearing tonight that Comey may have had other meetings with Lynch that are going to come to light in the next few weeks.
HANNITY: Wow. I just heard you correctly?
SOLOMON: Yes.
HANNITY: Listen, on 18 U.S. code 4, we'll get back to that with Gregg Jarrett and Geraldo, he's got a problem. Jay Sekulow mentioned he may have another problem as it relates to leaking the information. Now you're saying there could be other issues here. Sara, give us a headline on that follow-up and then we'll keep both of you into the next hour.
CARTER: I think John couldn't have said it better. I think that there's going to be a lot more coming out in the near future with regarding to mainly Comey and his meetings with Lynch, and also the investigation into Russia and Hillary Clinton's email server. I think we're going to go back to that. I think there's going to be a lot more revelations.
And I have one quick point, Sean. There were people within the FBI, there are FBI agents that were so frustrated with him.
HANNITY: And they were frustrated the day on the Hillary Clinton issue.
All right, stay with us. Sara and of course John Solomon will stay with us. We have, yes, another hour. Thank God, this is one of the nights I could do 10 hours of "Hannity." That's coming up next. John Roberts, by the way, will have a full report how the president now is reacting to what happened today, all the events, J. Edgar Comey's testimony and more reaction. Jay Sekulow, Ari Fleischer, Geraldo Rivera, Gregg Jarrett, and Mercedes and Matt Schlapp straight ahead.
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