Should Americans still care about the Clinton email scandal?
Sebastian Gorka and Geraldo Rivera launch into a heated debate on 'Hannity.'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," January 4, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: We start tonight with a massive stunning development that should have Hillary Clinton very worried tonight. The Daily Beast reporting the Department of Justice has in fact reopened the investigation into Clinton's server scandal. Now, according to that report, investigators are now gathering information about how Clinton and her top aides handled classified information including questions about how much classified information passed through her unsecure server? Who put the information onto the server? Which investigators knew about all of this and when did they know about this?
Also breaking tonight, John Solomon, who will join us from The Hill, reporting that the FBI has also opened a brand new investigation as it relates to the Clinton Foundation and they are trying to determine whether or not any pay for play occurred while Hillary Clinton was serving as Secretary of State. We have been saying and I have been saying on this program 2018 will be the year that all of these scandals boomerang back on the left, the media, the Democratic Party and tonight it's all beginning to unfold.
Now for example, take tonight's new information about the Clinton server scandal and couple that with the DOJ, now looking into the Uranium One Scandal. And we are also learning that the DOJ will give house investigators access to all of the documents and all of the witnesses in the Russia investigation and the dossier investigation.
Now, all this means -- all this information about the Clinton bought and paid for Russian propaganda, that fake news salacious dossier, Russian dossier, will finally now see the light of day. You have got to buckle up. It's going to get very interesting.
Now, also tonight -- we will get back to that in a minute. Look, if you don't work or live inside the mainstream media and their giant, well, incestuous almost like bubble, well then you might have seen that the economy under President Trump is on an absolute tear. This is good news for forgotten men and women in this country.
Take a look at these numbers Dow Jones, now, soared today to over 25,000 -- its highest number ever. The job market continues to boom. ADP reporting today 250,000 new jobs created in December alone which is the most in nine months for that survey. And take a look at this headline. Job cut announcements in 2017 -- see the lowest level since 1990, Challenger Report says. And here is another headline, Manufacturing in the U.S. just accelerated to its best year since 2004.
And earlier today, the president is moving to now open up offshore drilling, that's right, off the coast, both coasts and in the Gulf, which is vital to America becoming energy independent, the life blood of our economy. And that's just only some of the good news from this week alone. Unemployment, a 17-year low, 4.1 percent under President Trump, before the 250,000 jobs, 1.7 million jobs were created. That's now 2 million jobs. African-American unemployment in America is now at a 17-year low. Food stamp use is at 7-year low, 2 million fewer people using food stamps now under President Trump in one year. Home prices are up six percent. The Trump administration has now taken a chainsaw to burdensome regulation from our government and for every new one they created, in terms of regulation, 16 have been slashed and cut away.
There is GDP so far, we have seen two quarters of over three percent growth. And, remember, Barack Obama, the only president in the history of this country to never reach three percent GDP growth for an entire year.
Now, here's what the media will never tell you. Well, there is a night and day difference between the economy just a year ago and now under Donald Trump for one year. And under Obama's economy I will remind you it was God-awful. Lowest labor participation rates since the 1970s, 95 million Americans out of the labor force, the worst economic recovery since the 1940s, the lowest home ownership rate in 51 years, 13 million more Americans on food stamps. 8 million more on poverty, 43 million total living in poverty under Obama.
In just one year the economy is now turning around and that's before the $1.5 trillion historic tax cut even had a chance to take effect. All good news for us.
And liberals, the media, they said, "Oh, the tax cuts are going to be terrible for the economy. It's only going to benefit corporations." By the way, corporations don't pay taxes. It turns out to be a big fat lie. They pass the cost onto us. companies like, look, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Southwest Airlines and others, American Airlines, Fifth Third Bank, even Comcast the parent company of Conspiracy TV MSNBC. Wow, because of the tax cut they have given their employees $1,000 bonuses and pay raises. Other companies have said they will invest now billions back into the U.S. economy, build factories and manufacturing centers and hire new employees. Not to mention you, the American people, will soon start to see money in your paychecks where it belongs.
It's all because of what -- this tax bill that the media said was god-awful. It just shows you how clueless and how the media lies to you daily and frankly how much they hate President Trump. They have this Trump-hating obsession which I told you about last night, which means that they will do and say anything to try and hurt him on a daily basis.
Let me tell you how it works because I told you all about CNN, he actually called them a demented liar and then conspiracy TV, NBC has to say, "No that's not enough. He is not only demented is he deranged and a pathological liar," and they talk to each other.
What we have now is a media so corrupt -- they are all a bunch of sheep. They are brain-dead. They are hypnotized and it's like watching a horror movie unfold before our eyes. Remember, only days ago the media wanted to you believe we were on the verge of nuclear war with North Korea. Why is that? Because unlike his predecessors, President Trump refused to be an appeaser and capitulate to the threats of Kim Jong Un in North Korea.
Watch the media's hysterical coverage as they lie to you.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC: President essentially daring the leader of nuclear on North Korea tonight to prove that his button works. This is our world now.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN: Sixteen tweets today to start the New Year, some of them deeply disturbing.
These are the messages from a person who is not well, from a leader who is not fit for office.
JOY BEHAR, "THE VIEW"/ABC: Trump needs to be medicated and hospitalized at this point or he is going to just kill all of us.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN: His recent tweet about North Korea and the nuclear button -- the size of the nuclear button that has raised alarm bells not just from Democrats but from Republicans as well.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: That frenzy display was two days ago from the media. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slapped down the press for attacking the president. Good for her. Let's watch this.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
PETER ALEXANDER, NBC NEWS: Should Americans be concerned about the president's mental fitness that he appears to be speaking so lightly about threats regarding nuclear buttons?
SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think the president and the people of this country should be concerned about the mental fitness of the leader of North Korea. He has made repeated threats. He has tested missiles time and time again for years. And this is a president who is not going to cower down and is not going to be weak and is going to make sure that he does what he has promised to do and that's stand up and protect the American people.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: Understand, 48 hours ago your media was losing their minds and predicting oh, potential nuclear fallout. That was, of course, until Steve Bannon's comments about the president surfaced. Then the narrative magically shifts away and changes and the world is going to end at any minute and then they find a new best friend. That's right, oh, let's see, a guy they have hated forever. They have uncontrollable glee that Steve Bannon, a guy that they hate, said something about the president. It just shows you how pathetic all of these people are.
Now, look at how breathlessly they are covering the Bannon story. Did they ever tell you a single thing about the economy that's good? Anything that Trump has done good -- if the dog bites, the bee stings, if you are feeling sad, in the media's world it's all Donald Trump's fault. Watch this.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, MSNBC: New revelations from a soon to be published book are rocking the Trump administration tonight portraying President Donald Trump as a volatile and uncontrollable force within the White House.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN: President Trump issued a statement like no presidential statement ever before in American history lambasting his former campaign and white house senior strategist Steve Bannon in no uncertain terms.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: Now it seems Bannon has turned on his old boss. Bannon on the record saying things implicating him in the Russia probe and it suggests Trump's oldest son and son-in-law committed treason.
JOE SCARBOROUGH, MSNBC: You have Steve Bannon, the guy that they all would have had their arms around and had their thumbs up taking pictures two days ago. Now Steve Bannon is talking about treason.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, "GMA"/ABC: And that bombshell book rocking the White House, Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" features -- it features blistering attacks on the president and his family from Steve Bannon, the strategist by Trump's side during the campaign and the early days in the White House. It has drawn a furious response from President Trump.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: This is how bad it is. Look at the graphic from CNN "fake news" Jake Tapper, and the one he used earlier today to talk about the new Michael Wolff book. Mental fitness -- really? Now in a way I feel sorry for "fake news" Jake. He has to take his marching orders from his Trump- hating soon to be scandaled plagued boss Jeff Zucker who is best friends with Matt Lauer. The media could barely control themselves over the Bannon story and you can bet they will drag this our as long as possible until the next crisis they create comes along.
And if it's nuclear war coming, two days later they'll forget about it. Here is the thing when it comes to the media in this country. Their biased abusive attacks against this president are unprecedented. But you know what, in a way, they have always shown their liberal bias. The media has been an extension of the Democratic party for decades.
Here's the proof. They have a long history of breathless, hysterical reporting but only when conservatives or Republicans are occupying the White House. The media has also bent over backwards to praise the presidents they so love adore and worship like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, people that appease murdering dictators and despots.
Now, let's start with President Ronald Reagan, this is where our history lesson begins tonight, back in 1984. You might remember, it was a microphone check. He was doing a weekly radio address, "Oh, he is going to destroy Russia with nukes." He was joking, keep in mind this was never in the actual real speech. Listen to this.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I have signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: Okay, of course the audio was released. The media tried to make it into a huge massive international crisis even though it was a joke. Take a look, back then, how NBC News reacted.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
TOM BROKAW, NBC NEWS, OCT. 18, 1984: It was the joke heard around the world, the one by President Reagan about bombing the Soviet Union and it resulted in a soviet red alert and it became a campaign issue in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By August 14th the story became world news, a major item on Moscow Television where the joke was not treated as a laughing matter.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: And look at this headline from the New York Times: Reagan's gaffe. And it only gets worse from there. The media couldn't stand the fact Ronald Reagan ended up by being strong, defeating the Soviet Union and he didn't fire a single shot. And that started when Ronald Reagan called the communist regime what it really was, an evil empire. Take a look.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS, MARCH 8, 1983)
REAGAN: They preached the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man and predict its eventual domination of all people on the Earth. They are the focus of evil in the modern world.
So in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware of the temptation of pride, the temptation of lively declaring yourselves above it all, and label both sides equally occult, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle from right and wrong and good and evil.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: He didn't give them billions of dollars. President Reagan was confronting evil in his time. But then, it was way too much for the media, the liberal media to handle since they prefer the policies of let's see bowing and kissing rings and appeasement. Here's a quote from the New York Times describing Reagan's speech, quote: "In the long run, however, the greater danger lies in Mr. Reagan's vision of the super power relationship as good versus evil and his near proclamation of holy war against evil empire."
Well, it turns out the so-called paper of record, just like the rest of the liberal media was completely wrong. If media followed the advice the Soviet Union, who knows might still be standing. Next remember George W. Bush, he labeled rightly so Iran, Iraq, and North Korea the axis of evil. You may remember this.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, JAN. 29, 2002: North Korea has a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction while starving its citizens. Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom. Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop Anthrax and nerve gas and nuclear weapons for over a decade.
States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil arming to threaten the peace of the world.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: How do you describe in the last century alone, let's see, over 100 million human souls destroyed. Is that not evil?
Here are some of the headlines after George W. Bush's speech immediately thereafter. "Response to terror: Has Bush overstated North Korean threat?" "Allies hear sour note in 'axis of evil' chorus." And even years later the media is still attacking Bush's speech. Take a look at these examples from the Media Research Center.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
ANDREA MITCHELL, MSNBC, JAN. 28, 2014: Up until that moment, Iran was cooperating with the United States on the border of Afghanistan. It was post 9/11. Iran was more or less an American ally. By being included in the axis of evil it turned the Iranian government in a completely different direction. It was a turning point in American politics and in foreign policy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ABC NEWS, OCT. 9, 2006: When Kim's father Kim Il Sung feared the U.S. would use nuclear weapons in his country, that fear was reinforced 50 years later when the U.S. labeled North Korea part of an access of evil with Iran and Iraq. Kim Jong Il feared he would be next after Iraq.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: The media eviscerated President Bush but he was right. Just take a look at Iran and North Korea today. Bush was able to see back then that they needed to be confronted head on. And as for the media, well, they can't stand the kind of tough and direct acknowledgment that America does have enemies, that there is evil in our time. Apparently they would rather their presidents bending down and kissing the rings and bowing and kissing the feet of murdering dictators.
Let's go back to the early 1990s, Bill Clinton sucked up groveling to Kim Jong Un's father Kim Jong Il and giving billions in energy subsidies allowing North Korea to keep their nuclear fuel rods, and then goes on TV and tells you, "This is a great deal for the American people." What a lie that was. Take a look.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, OCT. 21, 1994: This is a good deal for the United States. North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program. South Korea and our other allies will be better protected. The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons. South Korea, with support from Japan and other nations will bear most of the cost of providing North Korea with fuel to make up for the nuclear energy it is losing. And they will pay for an alternative power system for North Korea that will allow them to produce electricity while making it much harder for them to produce nuclear weapons. The United States and international inspectors will carefully monitor North Korea to make sure it keeps its commitments. Only as it does so, will North Korea fully join the community of nations.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: Today we know his bribery or attempted bribery of dictatorship failed. Now, despite the obvious flaws, back then with the deal with North Korea, the media praised Bill Clinton's efforts. They loved him. Watch this.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS, 1994: The deal that could end the long-running crisis with North Korea over nuclear weapons. It could also ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and open the way for normal relations between the U.S. and one of the world's last old line, hard line, communist states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beyond the details, North Korea seems to have made fundamental decision that the cold war is really over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crucial inspections are being delayed five years while the rest of the deal is implemented. American officials say the delay is a small price to pay for getting North Korea to shut down its entire nuclear program.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: I know you would think the media would learn from history, learn the lessons of history. But they didn't because they are all a bunch of brain dead sheep with an agenda. Back in 2015, just like President Clinton, we had President Obama proudly announcing a nuclear deal $150 billion to the mullahs of Iran threatening to blow us and wipe us off the face of the earth along with Israel. Watch this.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, JULY 14, 2015: Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States, together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not, a comprehensive long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This deal demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change, a change that makes our country and the world safer and more secure. This deal is also in line with a tradition of American leadership.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: Total BS, total stupidity. And what Obama forgot to mention -- oh, he gave the radical mullahs that are saying and chanting "death to America" in Iran, he gave them 150 billion of your dollars, plane loads of cash and other currencies. And Tehran, they are still allowed to keep and spend their centrifuges, which puts them on the path towards building a nuclear weapon once the deal runs out just like North Korea.
The media, they didn't care about any of this. They were quick to heap praise on Obama, the peace-prize winner.
(VIDEOCLIP STARTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "GMA"/ABC, JULY 14. 2015: The U.S. and world powers reaching a major agreement with Iran blocking one of our biggest rivals from developing a nuclear weapon.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, "TODAY"/NBC, JULY 14, 2015: The president is about to deliver a statement on this historic nuclear deal reached with Iran overnight. This agreement is supposed to freeze that country's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS, APRIL 2, 2015: Has the U.S. and its allies successfully blocked Iran from making a nuclear bomb, at least for now?
MITCHELL, NBC NEWS, APRIL 2, 2015: But tonight the United States could be entering a new era in its relationship with Iran.
ROBIN WRIGHT, "NEWS HOUR"/PBS, APRIL 2, 2015: I think it begins to change the dynamics of a tense relationship of 36 years between Washington and Tehran. I think the deal provides more than the United States anticipated and I think it could help prevent an arms race in the region that would be detrimental to not just the Middle East but to the whole world.
(VIDEOCLIP ENDS)
HANNITY: That's tonight's "Hannity" history lesson. It personifies your media in this country for who they are. They are afraid of strong leaders that dare to confront evil in our time. They are people that love capitulation and appeasement even though it fails every single time. If you really want to know how the media wants a president to behave on the world stage, then take a look at this picture. Take a look, right there. Oh, yes.
So what does our history lesson prove? The media has been and will continue to be mindless liberal, left wing, radical idealogues that no longer report the truth. They might only like President Trump if he sucked up to, what, radical Mullahs in Iran and kissed Kim Jong Un's ring and give them billions? Guess what? That's not something this president will do.
We have big breaking news tonight from The Hill's John Solomon. Our top story, the FBI has launched a new investigation into the Clinton Foundation. This is something we have been calling for on this show. We have Sebastian Gorka, Geraldo Rivera with Reaction. Stay with us. Busy night.
HANNITY: This is a Fox News Alert. It is not a good night for The Hill's John Solomon reporting tonight new investigation and the Clinton Foundation has been opened by the FBI. Now, according to the report investigators will be looking for any possible wrongdoing surrounding pay-to-play or other illegal activity while Hillary Clinton was serving as your Secretary of State.
Also tonight, The Daily Beast reporting, the DOJ is looking into Hillary Clinton's email server. John Solomon, Sara Carter will join news a minute. Here with Reaction to the shocking news as well as tonight's opening monologue is the former Deputy Assistant to the President, Fox News contributor, Sebastian Gorka, and Fox News correspondent at large apparently co-host to The Five now Geraldo Rivera. I have been watching you all week.
This is huge news. They are now looking into the Clinton Foundation and it's now confirmed. They are now are clearly also now looking into the email server scandal which we now know Comey basically rigged with Peter Strzok because they wrote an exoneration months before the investigation.
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I think in terms of the email scandal, there is no doubt but that the fix was in. It is also an archaic scandal and if we go back there again the eyes of the public will roll back in the head what's next Benghazi?
HANNITY: Were laws broken in your view as an attorney? Felonies?
RIVERA: They may have been but don't know what crime it would be. You need intent to violate the act?
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: If you set up a private server in a Mom and Pop shop, bathroom closet, you put secret, top secret classified special access and then you destroy it, delete it, bleach bit it, acid wash it -- come on.
RIVERA: The reason the other aspect of this -- the pay-for-play Clinton Foundation aspect of this is much more intriguing is that it is new. We haven't threaded and threaded and hours and hours you more than most, but I want to know how the Clintons became so wealthy when they never had a real job.
Those are good questions but if you conflate this with that email thing again.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Why would we ever give up 20 percent of America's Uranium? Robert Mueller knew the FBI had a spy inside of Putin's ring, bribery extortion, money laundering kickbacks, Sebastian and they still allowed CIFIUS to sign off 9-0 across the board and the money went back to the Clinton Foundation $150 million, huge amounts.
SEBASTIAN GORKA, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: We have been waiting more than a year to find out if America is still a nation of the rule of law and now Hillary is going to find out the answer to her own question what difference does it make? And Geraldo, I didn't know you studied law but I will have to tell you something, as a former federal employee, intent is utterly irrelevant when it comes to the handling of classified materials in federal law. You do not need to be giving that information to a foreign agent. If you simply misplace it, you have committed a felony. It's one of the few aspects of federal law where intent is irrelevant. And that woman had at least 1088 emails at the highest classification of the federal system on her private server. That's a felony, Geraldo.
RIVERA: This is the way I totally disagree with your legal analysis. But let me make it much more.
(CROSSTALK)
GORKA: It's a fact, Geraldo.
RIVERA: I can make a much more important point. I care about the 45th President of the United States. I care about Donald Trump. I want his presidency to be a success. I fear that he is not touting his strength as Sean alluded in the opening of this program. We have an economy now that is robust that is booming that is including everybody from the wealthy to the person the urban person.
GORKA: So Hillary gets a pass?
RIVERA: I wanted.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Lack of employment, seven-year low.
RIVERA: I want to tout that success. I want to scream that from the rooftops, that positive message is what the American people are yearning who hear not Hillary Clinton e-mails --
HANNITY: Whoa, whoa, what about equal justice?
RIVERA: What do I care about Hillary Clinton?
HANNITY: Equal justice under the law? Sebastian?
GORKA: Is the statue of lady justice blindfolded for a reason, Geraldo? All Americans should be equal before the law whether your last name is Rivera or whether your last name is Clinton. This woman has committed felonies, it goes without saying. The fact that more than 50 percent -- it does.
RIVERA: It does not go without saying. You cannot make a statement like that because you are a smart man. You cannot make a statement like that.
GORKA: Oh my gosh, Geraldo, the director of the FBI said she had 108 classified e-mails on her private server. That's a felony, Geraldo.
RIVERA: And in the last two, three years why hasn't there been any meaningful --
GORKA: That's the question.
RIVERA: It's not --
GORKA: That's the question.
HANNITY: Hold on a second.
RIVERA: Do you really want Donald Trump to be dragged back into that crap again?
HANNITY: It's not Donald Trump. He has no say in this. Why and I ask you this, why would Comey and Strzok, a Trump hater, be writing, hang on, exoneration months before they ever even interviewed the main people involved?
RIVERA: With dozens of hostile eyes on Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server there has not been one scintilla of proof that any leak --
HANNITY: Next question
RIVERA: -- to a hostile --
HANNITY: Wait a minute. Our own Bret Baier, 99 percent certainty, five foreign agencies had access to that. Next question, so, you are telling me it's not obstruction of justice. If I have subpoenaed e-mails, 33,000 I delete, hang on, then I acid wash and bleach bit the hard drive. And then just to make sure, I take the blackberries and I smash them with a hammer. You are not telling me that's not intentional obstruction of justice?
RIVERA: I am telling you that even if you --
HANNITY: True or false?
RIVERA: -- even as you recited that with your eloquence, my eyes rolled, why, because I don't care about Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is not --
HANNITY: You care about the law. You care about equal justice.
RIVERA: I care about the president succeeding and uniting the country --
HANNITY: He is not going to do it.
RIVERA: And moving forward together. We have big issues.
HANNITY: Sure. Right. Dr. Gorka?
GORKA: Every American, Geraldo included, should care if federal law enforcement officers are breaking the law. When Hillary Clinton was interviewed, her co-suspect was allowed to act as her counsel. And the FBI, not Hillary, the FBI destroyed the laptops that were central to that investigation. Geraldo, you should care about that because that means we have got bad cops.
RIVERA: I care about the future not the past, Dr. Gorka.
GORKA: What if the crime was committed against your daughter 10 years ago, would you care about that person?
RIVERA: If you show me one victim from that whole e-mail baloney --
GORKA: America --
HANNITY: America's national security.
GORKA: America.
HANNITY: Foreign agents picked up on it, Geraldo.
RIVERA: Like what?
HANNITY: Intelligence --
RIVERA: Like a CIA document that says that?
HANNITY: Oh, boy. All right, we're going to have to leave it there. Now, when we come back, we will go into tonight's huge breaking news. John Solomon who broke it is here exclusively with Sara Carter. That's next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Our top story tonight, Fox News alert, the "Hill's" John Solomon out with a huge development as it relates to the FBI that is now launching a new investigation into the Clinton Foundation and whether the foundation engaged in any pay-to-play or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State.
According to Solomon, FBI agents in Little Rock, Arkansas where the foundation was started have taken the lead in this investigation and have already interviewed at least one witness in the last month and additional activities are expected in coming weeks. A huge development tonight.
John Solomon joins us along with Fox News contributor and investigative reporter Sara Carter. You know, I have been saying, John, this is going to be the year of the boomerang. This is a massive development. Tell us what you have.
JOHN SOLOMON, VICE PRESIDENT DIGITAL VIDEO, THE HILL: You know, I think it's expected. We have a signal from the Justice Department late last November when they sent a letter to Congress saying we may revisit some of the issues that were closed under the prior Obama administration. And I think tonight we are seeing the first evidence of that coming true.
FBI agents in Little Rock interviewed a witness who had information about pay-to-play allegations against the foundation. And senior law enforcement officials told me -- multiple officials told me that there is an ongoing active investigation. And I remember Sarah being on this show months ago predicting that this was still open and something lurking out there that would come back and I think she turned out to be right.
HANNITY: Sarah, let's go back to what you reported. I had my own confirmation November the 3rd. You had it before then that in fact the attorney general did not recuse himself as it relates to the uranium one scandal.
SARA CARTER, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: That's absolutely correct, Sean. And not only with the uranium one scandal but all we have to do is look at what happened with the Clinton Foundation. We know that that actual investigation was never thoroughly shut down. It never officially closed so this is very important.
There are a lot of senior FBI agents, a lot of people not just in Little Rock but in New York and in Florida and other places where they have been investigating the Clinton Foundation who are breathing a breath of fresh air right now and are really taking heart to what's going on in Little Rock. And I'm sure there is going to be a lot more information coming out in the next few months.
HANNITY: Is it going to be that long or how long do we think this has been going on? John or Sara, whoever may know?
CARTER: It's been going on for quite a while -- well, it's been going on for quite a while for years, actually. I think what happened was that it was stymied. You know, there were so many people insulating the Clintons and insulating under the Obama administration that these agents felt they couldn't move forward. And some of them were actually threatened. So, I think the odds --
HANNITY: And we now have the witness. We have Victoria Toensing's client and --
CARTER: Correct.
HANNITY: -- and he was able to infiltrate and discover that Putin's network was involved in all sorts of crime. Robert Mueller of all people knew all about it. CFIUS still went forward 18 months later knowing bribery, kick backs, extortion, money laundering had taken place. John, you are also reporting Comey's original Clinton memo released nine separate versions?
SOLOMON: Well, there were five separate instances in the original memo where he used the term gross negligence which is the felony standard for mishandling and all of those were edited out. There is something that goes to the spirited debate you just had with Dr. Gorka and Mr. Rivera.
In the original memo, Comey wrote that there was pretty clear and convincing evidence that the -- excuse me, extreme likelihood -- realistic likelihood that her server really had been penetrated by foreign powers but that got edited out, too. It's amazing what got edited out. If you read the original version and what was originally released, it seems like two different documents.
HANNITY: So he -- you are saying that Comey believed that Clinton's server in the mom and pop bathroom closet had been infiltrated with top secret, special access program, classified information and foreign agencies got a hold of it?
SOLOMON: He said it was reasonably likely that that had happened. And that is something that we didn't hear in the press conference, right. So, these edits are more significant. They are more substantive than I think we knew and I think there is a lot of questions on Capitol Hill tonight about why would Comey allow these things to happen.
HANNITY: And why did he write the exoneration months before the investigation which is part of it. Let's go to the Daily Beast. Sarah, I'll ask you, the Department of Justice also reopened now. Now that we know that the exoneration which John is reporting about and the original copies now are out, now they are reporting Department of Justice also has opened that investigation into the server again and I agree with Dr. Gorka. It's about the rule of law. What do you know?
CARTER: Well, yes, exactly. And I think that's very important. It is about the rule of law and I think what we are seeing is numerous investigations. This was what was promised by the Department of Justice, remember months ago everybody was concerned, but they weren't talking about it publicly. And I think now what we are seeing is a trickling out of all of these investigations, Sean, which are going to be ongoing throughout the year.
And I want to go back to something that John just said, you know, this is reason why intent was not important. When you think of Comey and intent and gross negligence and all these words and extremely careless, the fact that foreign agents, foreign states may have more than likely penetrated Hillary Clinton's e-mail server is the reason why gross negligence is the law because we don't want people getting our classified information, particularly foreign states.
And that's why it is so extremely important. But the fact that she wasn't held to the same standards as Christian Saucier and others is something that we have to question and something that needs to be --
HANNITY: Christian Saucier --
CARTER: Exactly.
HANNITY: -- he took the six pictures within the submarine, year in jail, away from his wife, kids, all of that happened. That is such a good analogy, isn't it?
CARTER: Yes. And lost everything. Lost all of his benefits and he admitted to it, he lost it all. He was --
HANNITY: I hope the president pardons him. I really hope the president pardons him especially if we have. OK, so, if the Justice Department is -- if we now are confirming all of this, John, and it's been going on a long period of time, they are not going to comment publicly on it, are they?
SOLOMON: They are not.
HANNITY: So only because of both of you and you both really deserve so much credit here because you really have been out on a limb and you have been proven right time after time while the rest of the media has ignored it. But if the Justice Department is doing this and they had all that foundation, I got to believe it's coming soon, John.
SOLOMON: Yes. I think the thing you have to watch for if this is going to get really serious, we're going to see a grand jury impaneled. In grand jury something will come up.
HANNITY: Do we know if one might have been impaneled already?
SOLOMON: No evidence of it yet. I think they are really at that first stage of just talking to witnesses. But if we get to a grand jury and panel on either case, e-mail or the foundation, I think you know that there is some serious business ahead.
HANNITY: Last word, Sara.
CARTER: I agree with John and I see that coming in the near future.
HANNITY: Wow, thank you both for being with us. You guys have been phenomenal. We appreciate it. We will keep our audience up to date, 2018, the year of the boomerang, stay with us. If the media won't cover it, we will. Tomi Lahren and Jessica Tarlov next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: More breaking news tonight. We are following multiple breaking stories including a bombshell report from The Hill revealing that the FBI is opening a new investigation into the Clinton Foundation. And also breaking The Daily Beast reporting the Department of Justice has taken a fresh look at Hillary Clinton's private e-mail serve server scandal.
And according to the report DOJ officials now are interested in finding out how much classified information was in fact sent over Clinton's server who put that information in to an unclassified environment and how.
They are also reporting they want to know which investigators knew about these matters and when did they know it? And in light of today's report, former senior advisor to Clinton, Philippe Reines wrote on twitter, quote, this is definitely a political persecution. Really? Here with reaction, Fox News contributors Tomi Lahren and Jessica Tarlov. Happy New Year to both of you.
JESSICA TARLOV, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Happy New Year.
HANNITY: OK. Now, here it is. You have to admit James Comey months before even investigating the e-mail server scandals, writing the exoneration and he had a special category for Hillary. It wasn't done by the field offices of the FBI. Now that they're opening investigation into both of this, can you just admit you can't write an exoneration before the investigation?
TARLOV: No, I can't admit that. What I can admit that what he did according to several --
HANNITY: You can't admit that? You can have the exoneration and then do the investigation later.
TARLOV: What several officials have said that it was normal practice to begin drafting what you saw the outcome would be -- I completely take your argument, but there are a number of people --
HANNITY: You completely take my argument and dismiss it?
TARLOV: No, I'm just saying it's not what I think about it. It's not what a number of people who have defended James Comey's decision say about this either.
HANNITY: And then he's doing it with a guy that calls Trump --
TARLOV: And there's difference between --
HANNITY: He's doing it with a guy that calls Trump loathsome and loves Hillary.
TARLOV: Yes. That guy -- no, that guy was a Kasich supporter in the first place. That's who he wanted.
HANNITY: Excuse me. He is on texts with his own girlfriend saying la, la, la.
TARLOV: But he was also on text with his girlfriend saying la, la, la, I like John Kasich.
HANNITY: All right. La, la, la, let's bring in Tomi Lahren. Tomi, your thoughts.
TOMI LAHREN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I'm just wondering, Jessica, when will we hear from Hillary in all of this. I mean, she seems to like to talk quite a bit usually in anti-Trump fashion, but we've got all of this coming out about Hillary. I would like to see her stand to the plate and own it.
TARLOV: You are not having anything come out about Hillary. These are reinvestigations that have been settled. This is because Jeff Sessions is scared of Donald Trump because he goes on twitter and he says lock her up again. He says my DOJ is supposed to be doing this. This is pressure not because of --
LAHREN: Jessica, do you think that it's important --
HANNITY: If Jeff Sessions (INAUDIBLE) would have resigned.
LAHREN: Hold on, do you think that it's important that we investigate this? Does she think --
TARLOV: It has been investigated.
LAHREN: -- Democrats. Do you think it's important that we investigate matters of national security? Do you think that that's an important step to be taken?
TARLOV: A hundred percent that's why we did it already. I'm also curious then what do you think about Jared Kushner use of private e-mail?
HANNITY: Excuse me, whoa, whoa, whoa.
TARLOV: How do you feel about that and other White House officials?
LAHREN: Private e-mail?
(CROSSTALK)
LAHREN: -- in Kushner's basement and then the Secretary of State, Jessica.
HANNITY: Stop for a second. We know in the Clinton case that top secret classified special access program information, it was all there. And that foreign agents, it was in the Comey draft had likely gotten it.
TARLOV: Had likely gotten it. Not confirmed.
HANNITY: Excuse me. She put it in a mom and pop shop bathroom closet.
TARLOV: I haven't heard a lot about the bathroom. The bathroom seems inadvisable.
HANNITY: Inadvisable.
TARLOVL: The whole (INAUDIBLE), that was a new little New Year's humor. You just don't get my jokes this year.
HANNITY: No, apparently not.
TARLOV: No. Anyway, everyone knows the server was a mistake. Hillary Clinton knows the server was a mistake. Bill Clinton knows the server was a mistake. What do you want from this?
HANNITY: No. Mishandling of classified information, destroying classified information is a felony, and when you bleach bit it and you acid wash it and bust up the hammers and you delete it, that's called obstruction.
TARLOV: So Jim Comey just did this because he wanted Hillary Clinton to win.
HANNITY: Jim Comey wanted her to win. Exactly.
TARLOV: And then what about the letter that came out right before the elections that we all agreed. I know judge Pierre was certainly saying that.
HANNITY: He had no choice, Tomi, at that point there was no choice.
TARLOV: He had no choice? But to bring up something that was completely irrelevant in the investigation?
LAHREN: And you know what the nice part of about it is Jessica? Despite all of this, despite all the people that wanted to see Hillary win, I'm excited because the American people were too smart for it. So I put that a win in our column. Yes, we are still going to talk about it because it's a matter of national security. I want to see Hillary come out and I want to see her fess up. I want to see the Democrats --
TARLOV: You don't want to see her come out anymore. Every week you tell me you're done seeing her.
LAHREN: -- and I want to understand --
TARLOV: She has spoken about this. It was a mistake. She has been exonerated.
HANNITY: All right, I got a question.
TARLOV: I would love to know what you think about Jared Kushner and White House officials using private e-mail.
HANNITY: Don't fall into her diversion Tomi. I have another question.
TARLOV: Fall right in. It's not even a diversion. It's completely legitimate. Don't you have an e-mail?
HANNITY: That was very good. Here is what I want to know. America doesn't have enough uranium. Uranium is the foundation or material for nuclear weapons. Now, why would we ever -- why would Hillary, Eric Holder -- why would know -- Robert Mueller knew that Putin wanted to get a foothold in the uranium industry in America?
And he had his thugs in this country bribing, extorting, money laundering, racketeering the whole bit and kick backs. Why would America -- why would anybody ever sign off on giving a foreign entity control of uranium when we don't have enough uranium? On the surface, does that make any sense to you at all?
TARLOV: It doesn't buy what I understand from it --
HANNITY: Whoa, slow down. It doesn't.
TARLOV: It doesn't exact what happened but we can --
HANNITY: That's what happened.
TARLOVE: -- transfer uranium out of the country. And Hillary Clinton did not sign off on it.
HANNITY: Excuse me, wrong. It went to Europe and we believe it went to Asia.
TARLOV: We believe it went there.
HANNITY: We know it went to Canada.
TARLOV: So it went to allies because I believe Europe and Canada are our allies. That's one thing. But if you are saying it went into Putin's pocket that's different thing.
HANNITY: But wait a minute, but we have a shortage, Tomi, of uranium. We need more of it not less of it.
TARLOV: This is because we are resource scarce? Hillary Clinton didn't even sign off on that.
HANNITY: Actually in uranium we are. She did sign off on it, that's a lie. I don't believe it (INAUDIBLE) State Department.
TARLOV: The state department. She did not.
LAHREN: We know what Hillary did as Secretary of State, Jessica.
HANNITY: Pass the buck.
LAHREN: We know it. There are so many smoking elements here and the Democrats continue to play it off, well, we don't know, we don't know. You guys know nothing about this whole apparent Russia collusion either but you still bring it up every sentence. We know that Hillary delete 33,000 e- mails. We know about uranium one, but yet you're still going to go back and talk about Jared Kushner, which is a whole lot of nothing burger because you can't accept that the Democrats --
TARLOV: Why do you get to decide that but this isn't? We haven't had a thorough investigation and then you probably want a second special counsel to look into the e-mail probe.
LAHREN: Well, I can tell you about 33,00 deleted e-mails because that sure doesn't sound innocent to me.
TARLOV: I'm sorry I didn't hear you. I was yelling.
LAHREN: --deleted 33,000 incriminating e-mails, whoopsie.
TARLOV: The incriminating e-mails?
LAHREN: Why would someone, as Sean mentioned, why would someone delete 33,000 e-mails and bleach bit a server, a private server that they had in a basement?
HANNITY: Subpoenaed.
LAHREN: Why would they do that if there was nothing suspect?
TARLOV: I mean, she says they were her private e-mails and I know there is probably more in there beyond yoga.
HANNITY: Do you think it's about, well, about yoga, a funeral and wedding, 33,000? Really you buy that?
TARLOV: I send a lot of e-mails personally.
HANNITY: And she said she also e-mailed Bill, but Bill doesn't have an account.
TARLOV: No, well, Bill Clinton doesn't personally e-mail but his staff does the e-mail.
HANNITY: Oh, she said Bill.
TARLOV: Well, I think she is referring to but that she must know that her own husband doesn't send e-mails.
HANNITY: So like she was asked did you wipe the server clean like with a cloth?
TARLOV: Yes. It's not a funny joke. She is not a funny woman. It doesn't mean she is a criminal.
HANNITY: Laws were broken.
LAHREN: It absolutely does. She is still a criminal and she's not funny.
HANNITY: Game on. The boomerang begins. When we come back, our video of the day, the hate Hannity hotline and Stephen Colbert made me laugh. I will tell you why straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right, time first for the picture of the day. I have to warn you, I don't usually find this professional, Trump hating, Obama sycophant funny, but Stephen Colbert actually made me laugh. He tweeted out this ad begging to be considered the dishonest and corrupt media awards, which will be announced by President Trump next Monday. And we're going to have our own awards tomorrow.
Now, according to the poster, Colbert, he's gunning for the fakest dishonesty award. He may just get it. I still hate the show. Good luck, Stephen. All right, now it's time to play some of the messages you left for me on the Hannity hotline. Some of you don't particularly like me. Watch this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what's so pathetic about you, Hannity? It's not about country. It's about your ratings and about party. How pathetic. And the fact that you are supporting such a piece of (BLEEP) makes you so transparent. It's unbelievable, Hannity. I wish you knew how the rest of the world felt about you. You are a (BLEEP).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hannity, you need to go put some (BLEEP) paint on your face and look like a (BLEEP) clown because that's what you sound like. You wonder about fake news, I don't give a (BLEEP) news, but this is nothing but propaganda.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sitting here watching you talk about how the news is demented and crazy. I wish you would sit here and look at yourself how crazy you are acting. You're hilarious. You're about to cry. Everybody making fun of your president. Your president's an idiot. You better face it before he gets all of us killed.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HANNITY: What's up with those evil laughs? By the way, to all of you, thank you for watching. And if you want to unleash on me, feel free. Get it off your chest, no matter how mean. We don't care, 877-225-8587. Remember, we will never be the fake news destroy Trump media. We are fair and balanced. Thanks for being with us. Let not your heart be troubled. The news continues.
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