Lara Trump: Johnny Depp isn't doing himself any favors
Daughter-in-law of the president goes on 'Hannity' to warn against the normalization of violent rhetoric
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 23, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: This is a Friday "Fox News Alert." Welcome to "Hannity." Major breaking news tonight. We have an incredible important monologue about the chief purveyors of fake news in the destroy Trump media. People that you don't know about we will expose tonight in a special mini monologue.
But first, the Senate Judiciary Committee leaders are now finally opening an investigation into former attorney general Loretta Lynch's alleged interference with the FBI in their investigation into Hillary Clinton's e- mail server.
Also tonight, a "Hannity" investigation into the intense and dangerous hatred now spewing from Hollywood and liberal campuses against our president. We'll cover it all in this special "Opening Monologue."
It's about time. We have to commend a group of bipartisan senators for actually doing their job, announcing earlier today they are going to investigate the former Obama attorney general, Loretta Lynch, for potentially influencing the investigation, obstructing just as it relates to Hillary Clinton's e-mail server.
Now, there are several questions that you, the American people, deserve answers to when it comes to Loretta Lynch. First, we know -- remember last summer, Lynch met on a tarmac with Bill Clinton for about 40 minutes just days before the former FBI director, James Comey, announced that he was giving Hillary Clinton a free pass, despite the fact that Comey said she was extremely careless with the handling of government information. Reckless disregard, extremely careless -- well, the legal term is gross negligence! It's the same thing!
And by the way, number two, James Comey revealed while testifying before Congress Loretta Lynch very well may have obstructed justice by telling him to call the investigation into Hillary Clinton a "matter," which was Hillary Clinton's own campaign way of referring to the investigation!
Lynch needs now to be put under oath. She has a lot of explaining to do to you, the American people. And we also know this, that, by the way, if (ph) you need to know if Lynch was acting on her own. We need to know. We need to know if she was given instructions from others in the Obama administration.
This is a massive story! Jay Sekulow will be here tonight with action. We promise you we will follow this story closely. And don't forget Sara Carter's report and John Solomon's report that they said Comey confronted her, Loretta Lynch, with information that maybe she had already decided never to bring an indictment against Hillary regardless of what the evidence was able to show.
Also tonight, story two, very important, Hollywood's deep, visceral hatred towards President Trump continues now to be on full display. The viciousness and disturbing threats coming from the leftists knows no bounds. Actor Johnny Depp is only the latest to make threatening comments about the president with this disgusting comment about assassinating the president of the United States of America! Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?
(LAUGHTER)
DEPP: I want to clarify. I'm not an actor.
(LAUGHTER)
DEPP: I lie for a living. However, it's been a while, and maybe it's time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Now, after facing intense backlash, Depp -- well, he issued a half-assed apology, telling People magazine, quote, "Well, I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump. It did not come out as I intended. And I intended no malice." Really? Assassination, no malice at all? Now, "I was only trying to amuse," he said, "not harm anyone." All right, the Secret Service is now saying it is aware of Depp's disturbing comments but is declining to mention if, in fact, there will be an investigation into Johnny Depp.
You know what? Enough is enough with this crap, this nonsense. The left's viciousness is now completely and totally and utterly out of control. There needs to be a very serious effort to thoroughly, completely investigate any person in this country that makes terroristic-like threats to the president. We must prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.
Look, if you watch this how, you know I'm a champion of the 1st Amendment, freedom of speech. There's got to be some line when it comes to threatening the life of our president. And let me remind the left that just last week, Republicans were targeted by a radical left-wing ideologue in what was an assassination attempt. Steve Scalise was fighting for his life. And as I said then, we can only hold a person who commits crimes responsible for their actions, but we shouldn't be encouraging what is political violence!
And by the way, Johnny Depp -- he should stop attacking the president, maybe focus on his own problems since he has more than, what, enough to go around? And what's so deeply disturbing about Depp's threat is that it's only one example of this intense, violent vitriol, out-of-control anger coming from the left.
For example, we have new audio tonight of how a fired Nebraska Democratic official saying that he was glad that Congressman Steve Scalise was shot, hoping he'd die? Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PHIL MONTAG, NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: No, this (EXPLETIVE DELETED), like, his whole job is, like, to get people -- convince Republicans to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) kick people off (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health care. I hate this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I'm (EXPLETIVE DELETED) glad he got shot. I'm glad he got shot! I'm not going to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) say that in public.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HANNITY: Oh, and by the way, over at the black helicopter tinfoil hat conspiracy theory news networks, NBC, you know, political analysts -- a former friend of the program, Maxie (ph) Shock (ph), she made these comments, made this comment about the president by comparing him to a suicide bomber. Elise, really?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISE JORDAN, FORMER RAND PAUL CAMPAIGN ADVISER: It's a sad day when you cannot depend on the president's word. And you know, my advice would just be to Republicans who do cozy up to it, it's just like hugging a suicide bomber. He blows you up in the process with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Also tonight, another new disturbing example from Hollywood actress Patti LuPone. Watch what she says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why should President Trump come see your show?
PATTI LUPONE, ACTRESS: Well, I hope he doesn't because I won't perform if he does.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?
LUPONE: Really.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me why.
LUPONE: Because I hate (EXPLETIVE DELETED). How's that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And if that's not enough or bad enough, there's a photo that is so graphic, we have to warn you about it before we put it up on your screen. Remember an 11-year-old son of the president saw this on television, Kathy Griffin making her ISIS-style pose with a bloodied and severe head of the president.
Then of course, the performance of Shakespeare in the park, "Julius Caesar," you know, a favorite of liberal Joe and Mika, Central Park, featuring a Donald Trump lookalike brutally stabbed and murdered on a nightly basis.
Now, in addition to all that, you have people like Robert De Niro wanting to punch the president in the face, and Mickey Rourke and Marilyn Manson advocating, saying publicly, speaking out for violence against the president.
Take a look at this headline from The Washington Free Beacon. Quote, "30 GOP congressmen have been attacked or threatened since May." Now, the left is suffering way beyond Trump derangement syndrome. This is now a psychosis, completely unhinged. Take a look at how vile some of their rhetoric has been just over the years. Watch and listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA, SINGER: Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.
PROTESTERS: Pigs in a blanket, fry `em like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry `em like bacon!
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll put Mr. Burgess (ph) up against Sean Hannity. He'll tear him up! I want to talk to them, whether they're independent or whether they are Republican. I want to argue with them and get in their face.
JOSEPH BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The press always asks me, don't I wish I were debating him. No, I wish we were in high school, I could take him behind the gym.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will fight every day until he is impeached! Impeach 45!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of us thought, Oh, Ivanka's going to be our saving grace, you know? When he's about to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) nuke Finland or something--
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- she's going to walk into the bedroom, and you know, Daddy, Daddy--
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't do it, Daddy, you know?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a weird tension. I think it's a dangerous time for the 1st Amendment and for the free press in this country, and at the same time, we're oddly influential with the guy who wants to kill us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How dare he say that to the -- how dare he say the things he does? Of course I want to punch him in the face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: This psychotic viciousness, these threats of violence from the left -- it needs to stop. Now, I've been saying this for years. And by the way, for all you left-wing Soros-Clinton groups that always want to silence conservatives, let me give you a reminder of what I said about the need to protect our president, President Obama at the time -- 2014, numerous times I said this on radio and television. Just take a sneak peek at how I said to protect America's presidents when Obama was president.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HANNITY: If we're not protecting our presidents, we're not protecting our leaders, we've got a big problem. The rest of the world is watching this.
You're talking about protecting the president of the United States of America, and it's just -- there's no room for error. You got to protect our president. That represents the free world.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HANNITY: Here with reaction to all these breaking news stories, Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera, Fox News anchor, attorney Gregg Jarrett, Charlie Kirk, founder, executive director of Turning Point USA.
Geraldo, I begin with you. This isn't funny anymore.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: This is beyond unhinged. This is a danger.
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX CORRESPONDENT: You know, I was thinking a lot about -- well, Johnny Depp is going through a troubled period in his life. And let me -- let me say that I hope that this is a function of that, rather than a sincere desire to threaten the life of the president by referencing John Wilkes Booth and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
I think it's horrifying. I think it's sloppy. I think it's low-down, arrogant, obnoxious. And -- and this is my main point, Sean -- it is also maybe illegal! It could be criminal! It is illegal to threaten the president of the United States.
Previous court decisions have found that humor or satire can be a defense to that. But I tell you a good way to stop these people from making these cavalier threats or these overt acts like the Shakespeare in the theater stabbing of -- of President Trump, AKA Julius Caesar -- have the Secret Service, which is charged with the safety and sanctity of the president, visit these people in person.
There is nothing more designed, more calculated to make you wet your pants than having have these great, big Secret Service agents knock on your door-- Mr. Depp, do you -- will you have a minute? We have to talk to you about -- apparently, you have violated section So-and-So--
HANNITY: That's the point!
RIVERA: -- and -- and--
HANNITY: You can't make a threat!
RIVERA: -- if we find you guilty, you're facing 5 to 10 years in prison.
HANNITY: And Gregg, back on the legal side, you -- you can't make terroristic threats to kill a president!
GREGG JARRETT, FOX ANCHOR: No, but it has to be knowing and willful and it has to be a true threat. Being stupid, offensive and in bad taste is not a crime. If it were, Depp would already be behind bars, given his most recent movie, which was cruel and unusual punishment for viewers to watch.
So it has to be a real, genuine threat, and you know, Johnny Depp sitting on a stage talking crazy doesn't constitute a real threat.
HANNITY: Well, what about Madonna--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: What about dreaming about blowing up the Obama White House, Gregg, which I'd never do--
JARRETT: Same thing.
HANNITY: -- as I can prove in numerous -- the numerous times I said, Protect President Obama. He's America's president.
JARRETT: Well, the real dangers is that provocative language and images inevitably so provoke acts of violence. We've seen it on so many different occasions. You know, in the 40 years (sic) I've been doing this, I have never seen such venomous political climate, so poisonous that, you know, it's inexorable that something bad is going to happen.
HANNITY: You know, and that's -- that's chilling. And by the way, something bad happened. We have congressmen targeted for assassination in Alexandria. Geraldo is (INAUDIBLE) Charlie, what's going on on college campuses?
CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA: You know, it's completely out of control. And on that day when Congressman Scalise was shot, you know, I thought back. I said, You know, I think or organization profiled some professors that actually have been calling for the public death and execution of GOP congressmen (INAUDIBLE) very well. We dug it up. One example is John Griffin (ph) who is a professor out in Washington who said GOP congressmen should be lined up and shot. This is not a hyperbole. He posted on his Facebook page.
And this is a pattern. This is the new normal. And look, Sean, your monologue hit it right on -- right on the mark. They actually don't want him politically dead, they want him dead. And this is--
HANNITY: That's scary.
KIRK: I mean, the leftist celebrities -- I mean, they no longer just want him to impeached, they want him and his family dead.
HANNITY: Let me go back to Geraldo real quick. Geraldo, I agree with you, you know, especially in light of the assassination attempt. I make my living with the 1st Amendment. I defend everybody! There's got to be at this point, though -- I don't know whether to believe them, not believe them. I'm sorry, I can't read somebody's mind! If you're talking about blowing up the White House, if you're talking about assassinating a president, it -- I -- I -- we have to take that to be real, don't we?
RIVERA: I think that with the town halls specifically, these hotbeds of really vehement emotion right now, we need -- and I've been advocating this now -- airport-type security for our legislators, our elected officials and certainly for the first family and the president of the United States. We've got to err on the side of caution. It just takes one nutjob to create a tragedy.
HANNITY: All right, guys. I wish we had more time. Thank you all for being with us. Very important topic. Scary times we're living in.
When we come back, we have more on the Senate Judiciary, our top story tonight. They have opened up an investigation into Loretta Lynch. Jay Sekulow will give us the law, join us with reaction.
And also tonight, President Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, reacts to Johnny Depp's vicious comments.
Also, you don't want to miss, tonight, I will expose two men you likely don't even know that are responsible for all the fake news, all the black helicopter conspiracy theories that are being reported in the destroy Trump media.
Also, Ainsley Earhardt will talk about and her exclusive interview with President Trump as we continue breaking news on this busy Friday night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." This is a "Fox News Alert." Explosive news tonight regarding the former attorney general Loretta Lynch. The Senate Judiciary Committee has opened now an investigation, a problem into allegations of interference by Lynch into the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server.
And by the way, to add to the last segment, before we move on, Hillary Clinton tweeted earlier tonight, quote, "Forget death panels. If Republicans pass this bill, they are the death party."
Joining us now with, the counsel for the American -- chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, also an attorney for the president, Jay Sekulow, is with us.
JAY SEKULOW, TRUMP LEGAL TEAM: Hi, Sean.
HANNITY: You know, I've been saying that this is all going to boomerang back. No evidence by anybody of any Russia collusion, 11 months of media lying and conspiracy theories. But it did open up the door that, OK, now we got to look at Loretta. Now we got to look at Hillary. And I would argue Hillary is going to be right behind Loretta Lynch in terms of investigation issues. Thoughts.
SEKULOW: Look, we said this a year ago, that this was a significant event, that whole incident at the tarmac with the then attorney general of the United States and the former president, Bill Clinton, on the weekend that his wife was being interviewed by the FBI -- by the way, not under oath -- for issues involving the elimination and mishandling of classified information, the so-called e-mail scandal. It was much more than an e-mail scandal, it was an illegal enterprise that was going on.
But now you've got the Senate Intelligence Committee (sic) saying, We want answers to questions. And one of those questions or a series of those questions focus in on a very, very significant development. And that is, where there memorandums or statements made by the attorney general to members of the Democratic National Committee stating this -- We will not let this investigation of Hillary Clinton go too far. Those assurances have been made.
If that proves to be true -- and there's a lot of evidence starting to swirl, and now both -- by the way, Republicans and Democrats have signed this letter saying they want answers to these questions. This is how an investigation starts. It needs to, and it goes a step further than that, Sean. There's a lot more at play here than just this.
HANNITY: Let me ask one last question. I have been saying that Robert Mueller needs to recuse himself and get out. And he's also hired Hillary Clinton's lawyer and Obama and Clinton donors and Rosenstein's--
SEKULOW: Yes. I want to -- I want to -- I want to--
HANNITY: -- relationship with all this. But here's my question. The president spoke out in his interview with Ainsley this morning. And she's going to join us later in the program.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: He even sees this as bothersome! Listen to what the president said.
SEKULOW: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome. So we'll have to see. I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters. Some of them worked for Hillary Clinton. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous, if you want to know the truth, from that standpoint.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: This is the most extreme conflict of interest! This is the biggest case of investigative -- investigative mission creep, if you will, I've ever seen in my life! It is a witch hunt, but yet it keeps going on! And the people that should to be investigated, Hillary and Loretta Lynch, we're only just beginning that.
SEKULOW: Well, and let me just -- first of all, what the president said was absolutely correct. I mean, he said it exactly right. Sure, I mean, you've got this whole -- I mean, if the witness is the friend of the prosecutor, how does that all play out? Well, it's not supposed to play out that way. That's number one.
Number two -- and let me be really direct on this. This leaking of information that is continuing to happen, that is where the most significant issue is here. Why are we OK with leaks coming out of whether it's the Department of Justice, whether it's the State Department, whether it's even the House and Senate Intel Committees, on information like this (ph). Why is that OK?
HANNITY: All right, Jay--
SEKULOW: So I'll tell you what the special counsel--
HANNITY: -- I'm going to -- I have to go, but--
SEKULOW: -- needs to do. They need to look and make sure these leaks stop immediately! They have no choice. That's an obligation.
HANNITY: Loretta Lynch needs to be investigated. And if there's wrongdoing, prosecuted. Hillary Clinton we know committed felonies. And I'll tell you what else. This deep state selective leaking to hurt or--
SEKULOW: That's where it's coming from.
HANNITY: -- destroy a president must be cleaned up if this country is going to move forward and -- and the election results -- a duly elected president is able to do his job. That to me is number one.
SEKULOW: That is the--
HANNITY: The deep state is that dangerous.
SEKULOW: -- primary task--
HANNITY: All right, Jay--
SEKULOW: -- that has to happen now is that those that are engaged in this activities (sic) inside the government, what I call the unelected bureaucrats, the fourth branch of government -- that has to be put to a stop now.
HANNITY: Absolutely.
SEKULOW: There's no time to waste on that.
HANNITY: It has to be!
SEKULOW: That's just not the way the Constitution works.
HANNITY: I want Hillary prosecuted because she committed felonies. That's just a fact. And if we deny that, then there's not equal justice under the law.
Jay, thank you.
Coming up -- so what does the president's family think about Johnny Depp's new assassination comments and all the other outrageous things said? We'll check in with the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. She'll join us.
Also later, Ainsley Earhardt talks about her exclusive interview this morning with President Trump. Also tonight, she has an exclusive interview with Ivanka. We'll play some of that. It begins to air on Monday.
Also, ever wonder who's behind all the fake news in this country? Who is responsible for the conspiracy theory destroy Trump media? Two people you may never have heard of. We will expose them in one of the most important monologues coming up towards the end of the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?
(LAUGHTER)
DEPP: I want to clarify. I'm not an actor.
(LAUGHTER)
DEPP: I lie for a living. However, it's been a while, and maybe it's time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Johnny Depp last night talking about the assassination of President Trump. Now, Depp has since supposedly apologized for those remarks.
But what does President Trump's family think about all these vicious, vile, hateful attacks? Well, joining us now is Trump for President senior adviser, the president's daughter-in-law, Eric Trump's wife, Lara Trump, is with us. How are you? Good to see you.
I'm sorry again that, you know, we have you back to talk about, you know, a lot of hatred that is focused right on your father-in-law and your family. And I know he has since said, "I intended no malice." OK, when you talk about assassination, how do you not intend malice?
(LAUGHTER)
LARA TRUMP, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: It's really sad, Sean. Listen, you're right. We are back here talking about it again. And at least he apologized, I guess. It's really disappointing.
HANNITY: "I intended no malice," does that sound like an apology?
LARA TRUMP: Well, listen, I was in Iowa with my father-in-law for the rally the other day. What I can tell you is the people in this country are sick and tired of this sort of thing. They don't think it's cute. They don't think it's funny. Johnny Depp is not doing himself any favors with fans of his by doing things like this. And it really does speak to a bigger problem, which is that this sort of thing has become normalized. We see what happened with Shakespeare in the Park. We see Kathy Griffin. We see late night hosts. Madonna going to blow up the White House. This is just, it's out of control and it's really, really sad. And as a family member, as an American, it's incredibly disappointing.
HANNITY: What's very fascinating to me is I don't hear Nancy Pelosi saying guys, everybody on my side of the aisle stop. I don't hear Hillary saying it. I don't hear any real Democratic leaders saying it. Why are their voices so quiet in all of this? Because I've got to believe that if it was them, they would be very outspoken and probably attacking every conservative and demanding that they denounce it.
LARA TRUMP: Let's be very clear. This has never happened in this capacity to any other president. It is happening to Donald Trump because he is Donald Trump, because their candidate failed, because they have nothing else to say. They have no platform. They have no real leader. They have no real message. And so the only thing they can do is pile on the president. And unfortunately it's to the detriment of this country. Instead of trying to be proactive and help pass legislation that might be beneficial to people in this country, instead it's all just anti-Trump.
HANNITY: Yes. I actually think the real reason behind this is he is a threat to the establishment, to the deep state, to the swamp. And there are so many real swamp creatures Democrat and Republican, Lara. I mean, they are all over the map. And when I see what happened in Alexandria, Virginia, and we've got targeted assassinations now and target assassination list and literally a Nebraska Democrat praising the Scalise shooting, hoping this man dies when he was fighting for his life, and 30 GOP Congressman have been targeted because they support the president. This is not a one-off. This is not isolate. This is now leading to real violence and real assassination attempts. And I don't why the left, I don't know how the left continue to get away with this, because I know I would be targeted for firing and probably rightly so.
LARA TRUMP: No, you're exactly right, Sean. I said actually I got a chance to speak just before my father-in-law did to people in Iowa. And I said the exact same thing. The only reason that you see all this hate coming his way, they only reason the mainstream media is broadcasting live day after day because they are incredibly scared because they know what Donald Trump is going to do. They already see the great things that he's doing. They don't publicize them, of course, but they understand that Donald Trump is there to clean up Washington, D.C. And that threatens their life very much, their livelihood, the way things have been going for a long time for them is about to change, and they all understand that.
HANNITY: Yes. What specifically do you make of it? You have the silence, too, because every election season, although it's not true, I'm a conservative, conservatives are labeled racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic. I can't even think of all the phobias I'm supposed to have that I don't. But more particularly the attack against women. I don't know if you remember, Mitt Romney had, quote, "binders," women's resumes, women he wanted to hire. And it became, quote, "sexist" of him to have that. But the specific targeting of you and Ivanka and Melania, and even, we're not leaving an 11-year-old kid alone? Just leave the kid alone. Don't let him turn on the television and see an ISIS pose with the severed head, the bloodied head of his father.
LARA TRUMP: It's really sick, Sean. And I mean I think what we're seeing is that the Republican Party is becoming the only party of tolerance here in the United States. That's what the Democrats like to label themselves, but we see it every day. I see it on posts with my social media. We see it with baron. We see it with the first lady, with my sister-in-law Ivanka. It's really sad that see these things happening. But the party of tolerance, the left, I don't think they can claim that anymore.
HANNITY: All right, Lara Trump, thank you for being with us. And congrats, by the way, on your baby soon coming, congratulations.
LARA TRUMP: Thank you.
HANNITY: And up next on this busy, breaking Friday news night tonight here on HANNITY.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS HOST: Should he recuse himself?
DONALD TRUMP: He's very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome. But he's also, we're going to have to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The president addressing, speaking out about Comey and Mueller's relationship with "FOX AND FRIENDS" co-host Ainsley Earhardt. Ainsley will join us next with a full report tonight.
And later, we will expose the two men most responsible for fake news, conspiracy theory news in America. You don't know who they are. We will introduce you to them tonight in a special mini monologue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." "Fox & Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt got an exclusive interview with President Trump and the first lady Melania Trump. Also while in Washington Ainsley sat down with Ivanka Trump. That interview with air Monday on "Fox & Friends." But here is a preview of what they discussed. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS HOST: What you advise him in regards to his tweeting?
IVANKA TRUMP, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: I try to stay out of politics. I -- his political instincts are phenomenal. He wanted something that no one could have imagined he'd be able to accomplish. There were very few who saw it early on. I feel blessed to have been part of the ride from day one and before. But he did something pretty remarkable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Ainsley's full interview with Ivanka will be airing on Monday beginning of course at 6:00 a.m. Ainsley Earhardt joins us now. All right, so wait a minute, you've got the president, the first lady, and the first daughter. I'm not doing my job. You're killing everybody here at the network, making us all look bad.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: You have a good rapport with Ivanka. Tell us about it.
EARHARDT: Well, I just feel extremely blessed. I said -- I'm actually here in South Carolina right now visiting my family. I said, Ivanka, I'm from South Carolina, and I'm being invited to the White House and standing in the Rose Garden, and I remember visiting the White House as a child, just that tour that anyone can go on. And she said Ainsley, I feel the same way. She said I can't believe this. I grew up in New York City. She was always impressed with her dad's success. But now he's the president of the United States of America. So we did talk about that. We talked about what they agree on, what they disagree on. We talked a little bit about her faith and what it's like to raise children in the White House or in Washington. She said her children are still privileged and still feel that it's an honor to come and visit the White House. She talked about cooking with her children. Who does the cooking, who does the cleaning.
HANNITY: You asked her, and we keep hearing that Ivanka is more liberal than her dad and trying to pull her dad in a different direction. I've known her father for a couple of decades. He's not changing his mind if he doesn't want to change his mind. That's my feeling. But you asked her about these disagreements, and let's play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVANKA TRUMP: So naturally there are areas where there is disagreement. We're two different human beings. I think it's normal to not have 100 percent aligned viewpoints on every issue. I don't think anyone operates like that with their parents or within the context of an administration. And I think that all different viewpoints being at the table is a positive thing. And I think one of things that in this country we don't have enough of is dialogue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: What she is saying is true based on my experience with the president and knowing him all these years is that he likes -- we used to have late night conversations about the Iraq war, and he would tell me all the time that I'm wrong, I'm wrong, I'm wrong. So he likes disagreement.
EARHARDT: Absolutely. And we remember in the primaries she couldn't vote for her father because, remember, she was registered as an independent. So yes they do disagree on certain issues. We talked to her about Us Magazine this week, Us Weekly, has a whole article, the headline is about their disagreement. She said they never even interviewed me. It's funny that they wrote those articles, or that article in first person. And she said they never asked me any of those questions. So she said don't believe everything that you read. But she said it is OK, and she heard that to have disagreement and to feel strongly -- feel differently than her dad does.
HANNITY: Speaking of knowing, I knew the minute he said when he tweeted James Comey, don't lie. Who knows, there may be tapes. I knew he didn't tape them. But he did want to cast doubt in the mind of James Comey because he knew way before the rest of us did that Comey was very angry and disgruntled. You asked him a good question about this. I want to show our audience this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't have any tape and I didn't tape. Look, when he found out that there may be tapes out there, whether it's governmental tapes or anything else or who knows, I think his story may have changed. We will have to take a look at that, because then he has to tell what actually took place at the events. And my story didn't change. My story was always the straight story. My story was always the truth. But you will have to determine for yourself whether or not his story change. But I did not tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Ainsley, what I really liked about that is it was just a really brilliant jujitsu, I thought, because he knew how disgruntled James Comey was. More importantly, he was also exposing something. In this day and age of surveillance, unmasking, and leaking intelligence, who knows if any one of us are being spied upon at any given moment? I thought it was a double whammy for him in a good way.
EARHARDT: Sean, you've been criticized for even putting that out there that he possibly taped the conversations, but think about that. He has a reputation to protect. And you know, has anyone ever said anything about you that you disagreed with that wasn't true. You want to protect your reputation. Imagine being the president of the United States of America and the FBI director is not telling the rest of the country what he is telling the president in the Oval Office according to the president. He told the president on three different occasions you are not under investigation. But James Comey was never saying that in public. He did say it when he was questioned after the president wrote on Twitter you may or may not have been taped, because he had to do what he had to do, prove himself innocent. I understand why he did it. I thought I was brilliant.
HANNITY: In this day and age of surveillance, who knows? Ainsley, Great interview. So you have got Ivanka, Melania, and President Trump. You're making all of us look really bad, but congratulations, and thank you for sharing it with us.
EARHARDT: Thank you.
HANNITY: The full interview with Ivanka airs Monday morning starting at 6:00 a.m. on "Fox & Friends."
But first, the most important mini monologue I give. We will expose the two men most responsible for fake news conspiracy theories in the destroy- Trump media today. You probably don't know them. I will tell you who they are. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." All right, remember back in 2007 and 2008, I kept saying journalism in America is dead. And every week right here on this program we uncover more and more examples of bias, anti- conservative, anti-Trump, destroy-Trump news that makes my point.
Tonight I want to expose two men who are largely responsible for peddling all of this political propaganda. This is an important, revealing mini monologue.
All right, each and every day, CNN, MSNBC, they churn out that health dose of liberal spin conspiracy theories to their viewers. Who is behind the destroy-Trump media strategy? Look no further than the fake news chiefs themselves, the president of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker, the chairman of NBC news, MSNBC Andy Lack. So what do we know about Zucker and Lack, besides that they'll never hire me and I never want to work for them.
First Jeff Zucker, Harvard educated, long time Manhattan, New York elitist. He rose up the ranks at the very liberal NBC before finally moving to CNN to become its president in 2013. And recently Zucker was quoted in "Variety" as saying "It's really the renaissance of journalism in America because of the nature of what is going on." Really, the renaissance of journalism? OK, let's pause for a minute to take a look at what the so- called renaissance of journalism looks like at the Clinton News Network. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like we are just covering bad reality television is what it feels like now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a grotesque abuse of power by the president of the United States. This is the kind of thing that goes on in non-democracies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Apparently the president gets two scoops, and everyone else around the table gets one, and no word if there were sprinkles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the dessert course he gets two scoops of vanilla ice cream with his chocolate cream pie, instead of the single scoop for everyone else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's gains weight according to the sources. He doesn't trust people around him. He's withdrawing. Not a good picture.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's now lives with himself, which is a dangerous place for him to be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he wants to say that, Barack Obama wants to say whatever, if George Bush says I looked in his eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only winner, the only people who have to be happy tonight are sitting in the Kremlin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now he's president snowflake, OK. Everything he -- oh, they're mean to me, and they don't like me, and I just don't understand it and it's not fair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a white-lash. This was a white-last against a changing country. It was a white-lash against a black president in part.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Jeff Zucker, are you really proud? Do you really believe that that is a renaissance in journalism? Now, remember, according to the president, President Trump, he actually said he helped get Zucker his job with CNN. Wow. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
Now let's take a look at the NBC News chairman Andy Lack. Lack, by the way, is a New York City native, a liberal, a longtime so called journalism. He started his career at CBS ultimately becoming the president of NBC news in the early 90s. Lack then bounced around to a few other corporations before returning to NBC News as its president in 2015. At the time "Variety" reported, quote, "Andrew Lack returns to NBC as news chief will face challenges restoring credibility." So has Andy Lack succeeded in restoring credibility over at NBC News? We report, you decide, fair and balanced. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump again being a schmuck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He looked like a thug. He looked like a goon. You look at the handshake, and you look. Look at this. Just what a thug. This is so unbalanced. This is so -- he is not well.
He is Vladimir Putin's hostage.
Totally unprepared for the job of being president and unfortunately not knowing what he does not know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And possibly unfit mentally. Sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be like somebody pooping their pants and then just looking at it and saying, oh, that's modern art.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the president asked the FBI director for loyalty, he's actually trying to change the character of the American government. Hitler in 1934 began to demand precisely loyalty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said today America first. It was not just a racial-- I shouldn't say racial. The Hitlerian background to it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here you have a deranged president or a pathologically lying president.
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC HOST: A lot of people who I think are critical of Donald Trump generally look at praise like that from somebody like Donald Duke and wonder if he is a gateway drug.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Really? A schmuck? You call the president a thug, a goon, daily unhinged, emotional outbursts, daily, NBC News. And by the way, if you think that's bad, remember NBC now has even been known to float bizarre tinfoil hat, black helicopter Russian conspiracy theories night after night after night for months and months and months. Of course their flagship program on cable, "The Rachel Maddow Show." Watch the theories evolve daily.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADDOW: Just last week, Reuters reported on 18 new previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian government officials.
U.S. investigators, including the FBI, are looking into a Russian citizen in conjunction with one of the incidents on the Trump campaign last year.
Maybe he is not as charitable as he says, or maybe he's not really under audit. All of those little things might be true. OK, that would be interesting to know. I don't know that that would change the world that much. But what would change the world is if Russia, you know, was interfering in the election, and they weren't doing it on their own and he was in on it.
The FBI director being fired by the president to try to change or stop an FBI investigation into the president's campaign and his top staffer, that is a big freaking deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: If it wasn't so sad, it's actually funny. So I ask, Andy, are you proud of that kind of reporting? Tom Brokaw, are you proud of that? Our former colleague, Megyn Kelly, I think is a better journalist than that on her worst day. Are you proud Megyn? Are you proud, Matt Lauer?
In case you're still wondering what party affiliation these two fake news chiefs belong to, look no further than their campaign contributions. Since 2000 Jeff Zucker's wife has donated a whopping couple of thousand dollars to the DNC. And that pales in comparison to the very generous Andy Lack and the Lack family. Andrew, he's contributed over $50,000 to Democrats since 2002, including President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Maxine Waters, Barbara Boxer. And meanwhile, his wife, Betsy, she has contributed more than $100,000 to Democratic candidates and causes.
And coming up, we need your help, a very important "Question of the Day," straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right, welcome back to "Hannity." Time for our Friday "Question of the Day." We just told you about Andy Lack and Jeff Zucker. Do you think they need to be a little bit more responsible regarding the coverage of their networks and the destroy-Trump media's attempt to take down this president? We'd like to hear from you. Go to Facebook.com/SeanHannity, @SeanHannity on Twitter, let us know what you think.
All right, the week's over. That's all of the time we have left this evening, this week. Hope you have a great weekend, fair and balanced always here on "Hannity." We'll see you back here on Monday.
END
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