Sekulow: Trump will decide whether he sits down with Mueller
Trump attorney Jay Sekulow tells Sean Hannity that although there is no constitutional basis for the special counsel to interview President Turmp, ultimately the decision is up to the president.
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," August 7, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All right. Welcome to "Hannity."
Tonight, we have huge major breaking news on multiple fronts, including election results from five states. We're going to be updating the numbers as they continue to roll in.
But, first, a shocking breaking news report from John Solomon. It is even worse than we originally thought. Tonight, we now have clear evidence that former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr was at the very center of the Clinton campaign's effort to influence, yes, and rig the election, and actually by using your federal government as a tool to do this against Donald Trump. Now, this is worse than we ever thought.
Now, newly declassified text personal memos, handwritten notes from Bruce Ohr and Christopher Steele tonight are showing what is a coordinated effort between the Clinton campaign, the Obama administration to use the infamous Clinton bought and paid for dirty dossier to drag down Donald Trump vote before and after the election.
We're going to have all the damning new details coming up. Plus, reaction, John Solomon, and Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows. This is a huge breaking story.
Also, tonight, must be a slow week for the destroy Trump press as they continue to push the same old, fake, phony, recycled scandal about the infamous meeting at Trump Tower. Now, we're going to call them out once again. And if you thought they couldn't get any more abusively biased, all the fake news media, they rolled out longtime Trump hater Rosie O'Donnell to bash the president. We have all the lowlights.
Now, plus, the left's hypocrisy on full display last night. The West Hollywood City voting unanimously to remove Donald Trump's star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, citing his disturbing treatment of women. Oh, meanwhile, Bill Cosby's star is there, Brett Rattner's star is there. Kevin Spacey star is there, totally intact.
And we'll also show you all the updates from day six of the trial of the century, the 2005 tax case of Paul Manafort. By the way, an incredible exchange between team Mueller and Judge Ellis, apparently, Mueller's guy was in tears.
Now, sit tight. It's time for tonight's important breaking news opening monologue.
(MUSIC)
HANNITY: All right. For over a year, we have been reporting accurately and now we know more about Bruce Ohr's suspicious ties to Fusion GPS. Remember his wife Nellie Ohr actually worked with Christopher Steel for Fusion GPS, and the ones that put together the Clinton bought and paid for Russian dirty dossier.
And as you know, the dossier was a campaign op research document put together by Steele himself. He doesn't stand by it. A former foreign spy, full of Russian lies, full of misinformation, full of propaganda, Hillary paid for it, the DNC paid for it, all by funneling money through a law firm to Fusion GPS.
And now, according to John Solomon's reporting tonight, we have clear evidence that Bruce Ohr, the fourth most powerful person in the Obama Justice Department was working hand-in-hand with Christopher Steele and Hillary Clinton's op research team both before and after the election, clearly to stop President Trump from winning the election, and then after he won the election literally destroy him with the Clinton funded Russian lies that nobody ever verified and has now been totally debunked.
Now, let's take a look at some of the most damning evidence. Look at this, July 1st, 2016, Christopher Steele reaches out to Bruce Ohr, wrote, quote: There is something separate I wanted to discuss with you informally and separately, it concerns our favorite -- well, business tycoon.
Now, that clear reference was to then candidate, President Trump, that was followed up on July 30 of 2016, three months before election day. Steele met Bruce and Nellie Ohr for breakfast.
Now, this was a meet-up that was documented by this text. Quote: Great to see you and Nellie this morning, Bruce. Let's keep in touch on the substantive issues. Glenn Simpson, founder of Fusion GPS, is happy to speak to you on this if it would help.
Now, just one day later, one day, anti-Trump FBI investigator Peter Strzok, he opened up the investigation into the phony claims of Trump-Russia collusion. Do you see how this is all coming together?
And after the election ended, and President Trump was sworn in, which they didn't think would happen? Well, then, the communication even continued now on January 31st 2017, president, now president, just sworn in. Steele texted Ohr, quote: Just want to check you are OK, still in the situation and able to help locally as discussed along with your bureau colleagues.
Now, this text is actually damning for two reasons. One, it shows that Bruce Ohr was, in fact, feeding the FBI, steals lies, misinformation and propaganda. And number two, it shows the FBI was breaking their own protocol, their own rules. Steele had been barred from working with the FBI in November of 2016 because of his leaking to the news media.
And let's also keep in mind the major role that this Steele Clinton paid for dirty dossier played in the FISA applications against the Trump campaign associate Carter Page. We now have proof. Bruce Ohr likely funneled the dossier to the FBI a document or new was up research bought and paid for by the opposing political party in an election year.
And remember just that yesterday on this program, House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunez, he revealed exculpatory evidence was completely omitted from the FBI's FISA applications against Carter Page. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIF., CHAIRMAN, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: There is exculpatory evidence that we had -- that we have seen of classified documents that need to be declassified. These were not --
HANNITY: Exculpatory nature in what way? I don't mean to press, exculpatory in what way?
NUNES: In that the Carter Page, FISA when those -- the judges should have been presented with this exculpatory evidence that the FBI and DOJ had.
Do you see this? There you have it. This is Obama's Justice Department. Part of Obama's branch literally using your federal government, your tax dollars, in this case as a weapon against the Trump campaign and then later the president of the United States, President Trump himself.
They use Clinton campaign material, never verified, never corroborated. The phony Russian dossier to rig a FISA court application, lying to judges to spy on team Trump. Then they use, the very same op research that she paid for to open up a phony Russia collusion investigation into then candidate Trump.
And then they leaked the contents of the dossier to the press because they wanted to influence the election in favor of Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump and lie to you the American people and on top of it all, the FBI, on top of Hillary paying Steele, through Fusion GPS, and the DNC paying them, the FBI paid them. The FBI made 11 payments to Christopher Steele.
I have been saying and now it has all come together, the biggest political corruption, abuse of power scandal in our lifetime, this should outrage every single American I don't care what your political affiliation is. Let me say this slowly. They try to steal in the United States of America a presidential election, and we have the evidence. In other words, they abuse their power to steal an election, a presidential election.
Our Justice Department has been weaponized for pure partisan political gain. We have so much on this major development. We're going to talk to John Solomon and Mark Meadows in just a minute.
But in other news, just the latest example of why so many Americans can't trust the media. They've been missing in action on that scandal. Last night, we called them out again for hyping up yet another fake news story about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Don Jr. and the, quote, Russian lawyer -- oh they met before with GPS and after the Fusion GPS.
Anyway, they claim the president finally admitted to collusion. That's what you have now been hearing for days and days and days. They said there was stunning new evidence that the Trump Tower meeting was political. OK, it ended up being about adoption.
None of this is new. Zero. None of this is stunning. None of this is collusion. We've known for more than a year that Donald Trump Jr. took the meeting, yes, because like everybody else -- oh like Adam Schiff and Hillary Clinton, yes, everybody wants oh, op research on their political opponents.
That didn't stop the media even though we've known him for well over year and the president said it from recycling a fake scandal two days in a row -- oh frankly, all weekend. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump has made an about-face and that much- discussed meeting between his son Don Jr. and a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower back in June 2016. The president now admitting, it was all about getting information on Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is now bluntly acknowledging that a Trump Tower meeting central to investigation was, in fact, about getting dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden now, the president is confirming bluntly what it was all about. He says there was no violation of the law, but he he's admitting finally what it was all about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we've actually entered now a very different realm because we're no longer speculating. Now, we actually have people essentially admitting what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people -- yes, the people being in this case the president nine states inward on twitter admitting what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: All of this phony, fake, feigned moral outrage over a non-story that the president had talked about, we've reported, they all reported over a year ago, that's why we call them to destroy Trump press. That's why the American people don't trust you people in the media. And by the way, that's why we'll call you fake news.
And if you thought the media is biased couldn't get any worse -- well, think again. In order to bash President Trump, he got paid news CNN, conspiracy TV MSNBC rolling out the longest known sufferer of Trump derangement syndrome ever. There she is Rosie O'Donnell. Last night literally standing in front of the White House, leading a sing-along protest against her arch nemesis.
And naturally, the media was more than happy to give her a platform so she could spew all of her hatred on national TV, shocking. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, ACTRESS: He should not be president and I don't believe that he's a legitimate president. I believe if it wasn't for Russia, he never would have won.
They actually gave him the election. I believe that firmly and I think a lot of people do. I believe he should be impeached. I'm sickened by Congress that doesn't call for articles of impeachment when we have so much evidence of his horrible high crimes and misdemeanors.
Did they come in there and make Trump win when every single exit poll and every person in America knew for sure that Hillary Clinton was going to win? Do you think that there was anything to do with Russia or just a real big swirl for a Donald Trump in these specific areas with the same exact amount of votes that were needed?
We're going to stand up at the polls and let him know and unless he goes in and has the Russians kind of fix it, like he did last night in 2016, you know, we're going to see him gone. And that's what I'm waiting and hoping for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: That Rosie's hatred for the president is widespread among all her friends in Hollywood, and all the elite.
Last night, the West Hollywood City Council, they voted unanimously, they're removing Donald Trump's star. Oh, how devastating, from the Hollywood hall of -- walk of fame, in part because of Trump's, quote, disturbing treatment of women.
OK. The move is nonbinding. However, because the West Hollywood City Council is no authority over the walk, let's take a look at the stars' not targeted last night by the West Hollywood City Council.
There we have Bill Cosby recently found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, and you have dozens of other similar allegations levied against Bill Cosby. Oh, there he is, Kevin Spacey. Oh, yes, he's facing tons of accusations of sexual misconduct for more than 10 people, including multiple victims who allegedly abused in their early teens.
You got Brett Ratner he's been accused by multiple women of serious sexual misconduct and assault. Jeffrey Tambor, Oliver Stone, and many others. But the West City Council is saying, their vote has nothing to do with politics, whatsoever.
And finally tonight, day six of the biggest trial of the century, the 2005 tax case of Paul Manafort, well, it's come to a close, but not without a very tense moment between team Mueller and Judge Ellis. Now, according to reports, the judge reprimanded prosecutor in court and then accused him of tearing up. This would be Mueller's guy.
And Judge Ellis repeatedly clashing from day one with members of Mueller's legal team often questioning the relevance of, quote, the evidence or so- called evidence presented in court.
Meanwhile, the prosecution's star witness Rick Gates, he continued his testimony from the stand Manafort's defense attorney -- oh, they raise serious questions about the character of the star witness, including all the instances he actually -- let's see -- embezzled a ton of money from Paul Manafort, the defense team accused Gates of using the money to fund secret life and an affair in London.
And despite all of that, the odds are definitely stacked against Paul Manafort who currently faces a potential life sentence. This is a 2005 case. And remember what the judge said -- to put the screws to Manafort, to make them sing or compose, so they'll get information, so they can get Trump.
They started with his lifestyle. They talked about oligarchs. Then we got the Mueller team guy tearing up in court. And the judge ripping him saying, look at me.
I think the judge knows what's going on here. I think it's pretty obvious but because Rob Rosenstein's mandate was so broad and this has nothing to do with Russia, nothing, nothing to do with collusion, nothing to do with Trump, nothing to do with the election at all.
Well, it's going -- this is what Mueller gives us. Here with more details, reaction to our top story surrounding Bruce Ohr's connection to Glenn Simpson, Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, and from "The Hill", John Solomon.
John, it's your story. Let's get to the how a senior DOJ official helped Democratic researchers on the Russia case, before and after the election.
JOHN SOLOMON, THE HILL: Yes.
HANNITY: Break it down.
SOLOMON: I think you hit it in your monologue just right, Sean. We now know that Bruce Ohr was not just some ancillary figure. He was a central figure. He was the glue that connected the Democratic opposition research effort to destroy Donald Trump during the election by accusing him of having ties to Russia with the Justice Department and the FBI.
And he's not just anybody. He's the deputy to the deputy attorney general. That means the same Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates who signed the FISA warrant for Carter Page, her man is meeting outside of the FBI with the primary sources that Hillary Clinton dug up and he's coordinating. In the beginning, he's finding out what's going on and he's talking then when Christopher Steele is fired by the FBI, he's told -- the FBI told him, you're no longer suitable as an asset to be a source and you may not gather any more information under the color of the FBI.
And what happens 21 days later, Bruce Ohr is gathering information for Steele and giving it to the FBI and Pete Strzok is right there playing wide receiver catching it.
It's extraordinary. The FBI is violating its own rules, it's probably misleading the FISA court. The Justice Department has kept us in the dark about this for 18 months. We'll see tomorrow how good the media is.
I'm going to put these documents up on "The Hill" Website. People can go read them themselves. Let's see if the media writes a month as much about this as they do about the Manafort trial.
HANNITY: Yes, Manafort, the trial of the century over tax case. Congressman Meadows you have been and other Freedom Caucus members, have been the ones number one demanding transparency demanding subpoenas are complied with, there's been obstruction, there's been delays, there's been phony redactions, phony claims to national security.
As we now learn tonight from this reporting of John Solomon, this is deeper. This is more corrupt. There is a bigger abuse of power and obviously, they wanted the government tried their best -- the highest levels of the FBI and DOJ to defeat and then undermine a president in the United States. Tell me if that's wrong.
REP. MARK MEADOWS, R-N.C., FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIRMAN: Well, it's not wrong and what we're seeing tonight, John's done some great reporting and obviously, Sean, you have been on this from day one. But what we're seeing tonight is Bruce Ohr who was with the Department of Justice actually was working as a go-between, between them and the FBI.
Now, what we're also seeing is we're not talking about one or two or three contacts, there was over 60 different contacts made between Bruce Ohr, and Christopher Steele trying to get dirt and actually sell dirt on this president. And we also have text messages now that confirm that Peter Strzok actually worked with Bruce Ohr. So, it's amazing that it's taken so long for this to come out.
O'DONNELL: OK. So, now, we got Comey. Then you got the number two guy at the FBI. Now, you have Bruce Ohr number four at justice, then we had all the Strzok and Page. Then we got everything else in between.
How come nothing ever happens to these people and we're back to a tooth -- we've got Adam Schiff on a tape literally colluding with a Russian thinking he's got naked pictures of Donald Trump. Is that a conspiracy? Is that collusion? Is that worse what they're claiming about Trump?
And then we got Hillary paying for Russian lies, manipulating the American people, and on top of that, using it to spy on Americans. John Sullivan -- how -- or Mark Meadows, we'll go to you, first -- how deep does this go? And when do these people ever get held accountable?
MEADOWS: Well, we know that there's two standards. One -- for those that are well connected and we're seeing that as John is reporting tonight, but it goes very deep. If you start to read some of these emails and the text messages, we're just now starting to uncover really how awful this was.
You know, let's put it in context. It was July 30th, the day before the investigation started when there was a meeting at the Mayflower that started this between Bruce Ohr and Christopher Steele.
HANNITY: All right. Last word we're going to give to John Solomon tonight. And where is this going, there's more coming?
SOLOMON: The conspiracy that we're going to all be looking at in a month for now will be the one inside the Justice Department to defraud the FISC Court, the FISA court. I believe that's where this goes.
HANNITY: Explain that in a little more detail.
SOLOMON: I think for sure, the FBI was intentionally keeping this information, this contact with -- between Ohr as a go-between the flaws in the case of stuff Devin Nunes told you last night. They were keeping, omitting exculpatory information and hiding their back-channel to the Clinton campaign.
And that is going to be a real problem for the FBI when this is all done.
MEADOWS: Without a doubt, agree.
HANNITY: You agree? All right. We're going to follow this again tomorrow night.
We're going to get more reaction. Judge Jeanine Pirro and Gregg Jarrett are next.
Jay Sekulow, the president's attorney, should the president ever talked to Mueller? I say no. We'll ask him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Joining us now with more reaction to our opening monologue tonight -- the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, it's called "The Russian Hoax: The Elicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump", Fox News legal analyst Greg Jarrett.
Oh, also with us, number one "New York Times" bestselling author, "Liars, Leakers and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy", host of "Justice", both friends of the show, Judge Jeanine Pirro.
It's amazing. You guys -- you're number one, he's number one, you're number one, he's -- congratulations to both you. I love you both.
This new development about Bruce Ohr, this is before the election, this is after the election. Christopher Steele is all over this. He's a liar. He's a leaker and I am thinking they not only tried to steal an election, a presidential election, they have tried to destroy this man with somebody they paid and was also discredited, whose dossier was debunked who he under oath said it was raw intelligence, not true.
JUDGE JEANINE PIRRO, "LIARS, LEAKERS AND LIBERALS" AUTHOR: Well, you know, what's amazing about all of this is that it fits right into the plan. If you were going to write a story about what was going on in the FBI and the Department of Justice, he would be part of it. And the fact that this is out now, when it took so long for it to come out, think about how the FBI and the DOJ has been hiding everything they can.
HANNITY: Where's the 20 pages? I want the 20 pages.
PIRRO: You want the 20 pages. We all want the 20 pages.
HANNITY: But isn't the president's say, give me the 20 pages?
PIRRO: Because right now, the president is allowing this whole investigation to take its own course. You know, Congress has oversight, what are they doing about it? They're doing the best they can some of them, but some of them are not.
HANNITY: OK. What is the point of checks and balances, Gregg, and what is the point of separation of powers and you subpoena somebody, they ignore your subpoena and you don't hold them in contempt or impeach them? I know the Freedom Caucus has talked about it, but they're getting real pushback from Ryan and the -- and obviously, the leadership.
What do you make -- this is deeper than we ever thought. This is now getting so bad, I got to ask, where's Robert Mueller on this? Where is he Gregg Jarrett?
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: Well, he's looking in there all the wrong places and the latest documents show that the FBI and the Department of Justice knew that the dossier was phony. They knew that Christopher Steele was a liar. He was on the FBI's payroll. He was on Hillary Clinton's payroll. He said he was desperate to stop Trump.
His bias was so severe and pervasive, they should have disassociated themselves from him. After they fired him, unbelievably, they continue to use Christopher Steele in violation of FBI regulation. So, they were very devious about it.
They used Bruce Ohr at the Department of Justice as the conduit, intermediary and he fed the FBI information.
HANNITY: Bruce Ohr and Nellie Ohr, and Christopher Steel, they're all meeting and she is working for Fusion GPS, and so not only are they meeting before the election and not only are these lies disseminated to the American people to steal an election, then they're meeting to give the information to Robert Mueller? Is that what they're doing, Gregg?
JARRETT: You know, this is really the definition of corruption. The Department of Justice, the FBI, this is really a shameful episode in James Comey's legacy and, you know, it's amazing to me that they continued to obtain information about the president, after he was elected, after he was inaugurated, well into last year. Why? Because they were still trying to verify that dossier which Steele himself said was unverifiable because they had used it as a fraud on the FISA court.
PIRRO: You know, the amazing part of it is that this guy Christopher Steele had been hired by the FBI. They --
HANNITY: Wait, we now know 11 -- he was paid by Hillary.
PIRRO: That's right.
HANNITY: Well, Fusion GPS, but really by Hillary and the DNC.
PIRRO: Yes, her money funneled through Fusion GPS, as well as Perkins Coie.
But one of the things in the article they talk about engaging Steele after 2016 as a confidential human source assisting in the probe.
What does that tell you? That tells you that Christopher Steele may have been a spy in the Trump campaign.
HANNITY: But even after he's fired -- wait a minute.
(CROSSTALK)
PIRRO: He still in conduit for information.
HANNITY: But he's also the bulk of every FISA application. That application and the three subsequent applications.
PIRRO: Let me tell you something. That application was a re-upped every 90 days, it tells me that the judge who re-upped the FISA warrant, was someone--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: With multiple judges.
PIRRO: -- with multiple judges, should have had additional evidence in addition to the unverified dossier. Every one of those judges who signed that warrant should be up in arms unless they knew that they a part of an illegal investigation and surveillance.
HANNITY: Gregg, you get the last word.
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: If there was any probable cause to launch the investigation of Donald Trump. There were no crimes to justify criminal investigation, and no intelligence that justify the counterintelligence probe. Facts were invented or exaggerated, and it all appears to be a hoax to destroy Trump.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Well, that's called the conspiracy and it's called Russia collusion. All right. Last question, quick answer, both of you. Should the president answer a single question of Mueller?
PIRRO: Absolutely not. Mueller doesn't have the authority, he hasn't identified the crime. He hasn't identified that he can get it from someone else.
HANNITY: Gregg Jarrett, should he answer even, let's say, a written question.
JARRETT: No.
HANNITY: Or anything?
JARRETT: No. Nothing whatsoever. Mueller really doesn't have the legal right to do it, and Mueller has proven he cannot be trusted, he has ruined the integrity of his own investigation.
HANNITY: All right. We're three for three because I agree with both of you.
PIRRO: Yes.
HANNITY: Congrats, both of you, number one New York Time bestseller. It's an amazing accomplishment.
When we come back, we'll ask the president's attorney Jay Sekulow this very question. Later, Jessica Tarlov and Jesse Watters, whose world will it be, as Hannity continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. So will President Trump, should President Trump sit down for an interview with the special counsel Robert Mueller?
Joining us now with reaction, President Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow. Jay, great to see you.
JAY SEKULOW, MEMBER, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LEGAL TEAM: Good to see you, Sean.
HANNITY: I could ask the very same question of Gregg Jarrett and Judge Pirro and every other attorney. Joe DiGenova, I've talked to, almost every attorney, universal in saying, absolutely not. Can you give us an update?
SEKULOW: Sure. Well, the first thing is, look, you have to start with this proposition, the depth of corruption that led to this investigation and that frankly continues to permeate this investigation is unprecedented.
So you have to start with that. You mentioned in the earlier segment the irregularities and that's being kind of what took place here. So you have to start with, the question whether the president would sit for an interview.
What the proposition is there are constitutional basis upon that interview can take place. Now frankly, it's the position of the legal team and it's been a pretty clear on this in the last couple weeks, that our position is that there's not a constitutional basis to move an interview forward.
And what I mean by that is the article two power of the presidency is very clear. And the idea that you have a series of questions involving the president's motives for particular actions as it relates to article two power, would frankly be inappropriate in our view, unconstitutional.
So then you ask yourself, does that answer your question? Well, look, the president has stated that he wants to do an interview. I will tell you the position of the legal team is that we do not advise that.
However, there continues to be ongoing discussions and dialogue with the office of special counsel to see if there is something that can be worked out, that we would be comfortable with.
Short of that the answer of course is no. But if -- ultimately the one that makes that determination though, or the lawyers can advise is the president of the United States. So he will make that decision obviously in consultation with his legal team.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: But Jay, I know you're an attorney--
SEKULOW: yes?
HANNITY: And by the way, and you have been my counsel.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: But my question, if you told me absolutely not, I don't think you would appreciate or accept me saying I'm going to do it anyway. That's my, you know, I've known him for 20 years.
(CROSSTALK)
SEKULOW: You know what, I understand that, Sean, but you're not the president of the United States. So there's a different calculus.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Yes. OK. No kidding.
SEKULOW: Look, clearly our inclination, look. Clearly the inclination is no and you could -- I could put a hundred lawyers in the room and a 100 of them are going to say that. I make the joke when I'm talking to reporters that, you know if we put the president up for an interview you will have 12 lawyers saying, I can't believe they did it.
If you don't put the president up for an interview those same 12 lawyers are going to say what are they hiding. But if you look at the constitutional issues that are implicated by an interview, it's very serious. It raises very serious constitutional issues that go to the heart of what you mentioned earlier, separation of powers, article two authority, I've been saying that for a year and nothing has changed in that regard.
Ultimately, the decision is up to the president, we will give advice but there aren't ongoing discussions to see if there could be something worked out here.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Jay, if something worked out here, I looked at the team that Mueller has put together. The president has tweeted about the team he's put together.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: I look at Andrew Weissmann's atrocious record including, let's see, putting innocent people in jail, overturned 9-0 in the Supreme Court, overturned 5-4 -- overturned in the fifth circuit. Tens of thousands of people lose their jobs withholding exculpatory evidence.
I'm not going to drag you into that battle but I've got to ask you--
SEKULOW: Well.
HANNITY: Is it -- it's about the two questions would be obstruction and collusion. There is no evidence of collusion. Can we compare what they are accusing the president of with Adam Schiff's tape, where he is like, you know, excited because he's talking to a Russian that has dirt on Donald Trump supposedly? It turns out to be a hoax.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: Is it collusion that Hillary paid for Russian lies before the election? And it was used to get by.
SEKULOW: There's two things here. First of all, I think we got to be clear on this. This idea, there's been no evidence put forward on any type of collusion between the president and Russian. I mean, no one has put evidence forward on that.
Now that's number one. Number two, let me tell you this. When people say the word obstruction, I want everybody to understand the context in which this is arising. This is arising in decisions that the president makes under his authority under article two, who is going to work for him, who's not going to work for him, where things are developed were they're not.
What policy positions they take, what policy positions they do not. The idea that that would constitute some kind of violation of the law, to me, it seems not only a bizarre legal theory and untested but frankly, out of order under our Constitution.
But let's go back. You're using these examples of the people involved in the investigation on the legal team. Let's go to what started this investigation in the first place.
You had an unverified dossier put together by Christopher Steele who ends up getting fired by the FBI for linking. James Comey wants a special counsel so he leaks a memo that he created based on a conversation that he had with the president.
Now if an FBI agent did that could you imagine the repercussions of leaking that memo? But it gets even better. You've the number four at the United States Department of Justice, I know you've already talked about this, Bruce Ohr, whose wife is working for a Fusion GPS, Nellie Ohr.
And what is her job? Her job is to work with Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer who's putting together the dossier against the president. Now you know what? The fact is, no one could -- it's hard to believe that those are really the facts.
You know what the problem is, Sean? Those are the facts. And really no one has disputed any of those facts. So the problem here is a foundational problem, that's why I say the irregularities in the corruption involved in the process from the beginning is a really unprecedented.
So, all of that factors into the decision that's ultimately made, whether there will be an interview or not.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Let me ask you this.
SEKULOW: Or whether it will be written questions or not. That decision we are close to making that decision, I don't ever give dates. So I will tell you this--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: How is this going to end, when is this going to end?
SEKULOW: I think it ends soon, I cannot give you the date because here's what happens. Let me give you the process. Bob Mueller under his authority will issue a report. That report though does not go to the Congress. This is an independent counsel. We go to the deputy attorney general who is the acting attorney general and then he will determine what goes forward.
At the same time quite frankly, we are developing a report that is going to lay out all of these issues that we've talked about.
So that's how -- this is not a trial. And people need to -- I think people understand that, this is not a trial in the traditional sense of anything, this is a political process that is going forward, and I want to be clear here.
The constitutional issues which is the reason I got -- I was involved in this case in the first place, in fact are the major issues that this issue -- that this investigation turns on. There are serious constitutional implications of this, not just for this president but for the presidency. And that's what history will remember. So that's why we got to be very careful and very direct on how we move forward.
HANNITY: Let me ask you one last question if I may.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: The president has the power to declassify all the subpoenaed documents that Congress has been withholding. And they've been -- they've not been living up to the subpoenas. I don't think I'd get away with that even with you as my great attorney.
SEKULOW: Yes.
HANNITY: The president has a power to demand they'd be literally unredacted and released, why doesn't he do that?
SEKULOW: Well, look, he's respecting a process that's in place that his White House team -- that is not a decision we make as his private lawyers. As his, as council of the president we are not the White House counsel so that's a decision made within the context of the White House and their purview.
That decision I'm sure is being discussed and the issues are being discussed, so I'm not going to -- I'm not going to defend what has or has not happened there because that's outside of our jurisdiction.
Needless to say, and I think this is fair to say, and the American people are asking for this, transparency is important here. And I think one of the aspects of transparency is, what are in these documents. And if it doesn't put our national security at risk I would think that it should be something that should be released and declassified.
But you know what, I said, you're not the president, I'm not the president either. I don't get to make those decisions.
HANNITY: How about Bruce Ohr and this relationship with Nellie Ohr--
(CROSSTALK)
SEKULOW: Still at the Department of Justice.
HANNITY: -- Bruce Ohr and Christopher Steele and the FBI was paying Christopher Steele?
SEKULOW: Yes. Well, look, they fired -- they fired Chris Steele because he's leaking information,--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Leaking--
SEKULOW: -- which is used to be an ongoing scenario. And yet, they're still -- Bruce Ohr is still having conversations with him. And you've seen the most recent pieces that have been posted by John Solomon and others.
I mean, the fact of the matter is that when you look at this in its totality of circumstances, Sean, it boggles the mind. That this is -- this is not a regular investigation, this is irregular. I said the corruption at the outset of this has just been unprecedented. And I think the American people are saying that for what it is.
HANNITY: All right. When we come back, Jesse and Jessica on Rosie O'Donnell's unhinged comments and more, as we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ED HENRY, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Live from America's news headquarters. I'm Ed Henry again in Washington.
We have a major story breaking in Ohio, and we continue to keep a very close eye on the special election. In the Columbus area of Ohio it pits Republican Troy Balderson against Danny O'Connor, a neck and neck race.
We knew it was going to be close for this U.S. House seat long held by the Republicans, it's even closer than we thought. The latest numbers show the two candidates tied basically at 49.7 percent each. With 85 percent of the votes in.
But the Democrat has, well, it's just in a last moment. The Democrat had a slight edge by about 155 votes, right now with 89 percent in. Troy Balderson the Republican is up by .6 percentage points or essentially, about a thousand votes.
So clearly, some of the latest votes coming in are from a county that favors Republicans. Some political analysts say that this will be a test obviously of the president's co-tail, he was there this weekend. Back to Sean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONNELL: We are so thrilled to finally be here at the Kremlin annex and were' going to keep coming back until he's out.
Let the president know, in no uncertain terms that we are alive, awake, and we are awoke. We are not going away.
(APPLAUSE)
O'DONNELL: Good silent people are the wind behind evil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Rosie O'Donnell protest outside the White House last night. The president wasn't there.
Joining us now, it's his world we live in it. He actually has two shows, it's ridiculous. It's Jesse and Brian Kilmeade on TV 24/7. Anyway, Watters World co-host of the hit show The Five, Jesse Watters, and Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov who's--
JESSICA TARLOV, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: You can't, not yet.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: I didn't say -- I said who's world is it going to--
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS CO-HOST: I think it's a foregone conclusion.
HANNITY: Listen, you know what?
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: Unfortunately I think that's--
HANNITY: I'm going to surprise you. You can have Rosie, you can have Maxine Waters, you can have all the people screaming for impeachment. What was the name of the nut roots thing that they had?
WATTERS: Yes, nut roots nation.
HANNITY: Nut roots nation. And they had--
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: I don't even know what that was.
HANNITY: Don't run from the word socialist. If you do, we are not supporting you. I'm all in favor. Nancy Pelosi, too, supporting all of them.
TARLOV: You've named a very diverse list of characters there, I would separate out the sitting congresswoman from Rosie O'Donnell, first of all.
HANNITY: No, no, listen. Maxine--
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: Whoever will be. I think some people I'll keep. And some people--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Maxine, Nancy Pelosi.
WATTERS: Yes, you know, you keep the Hollywood, we'll keep the heartland, how's that?
TARLOV: You guys would love it -- you would love it if Hollywood had any interest in you. When they do you only got Scott Baio, Ted Nugent, and Roseanne Barr.
TARLOV: You know, the only celebrity Trump needs is Trump. He's got more talent than any of these people, he fills up huge stadiums, hit TV shows, his apartment is much bigger than any of their--
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: I think people say that he came from that, right. His apartment is bigger?
TARLOV: The only celebrity that's actually moving the needle is Kanye, and he is moving it for Trump. I think black support for the president doubled.
TARLOV: Don't say that.
WATTERS: It went from 15 to 29.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: No, no, no. From eight to 29.
WATTERS: Eight to 29.
TARLOV: I got to -- 15 to 29.
HANNITY: By the way, it's the lowest disparity in terms of job percentage ever, and this came out in Bloomberg today. Huge news in terms when you break it down demographically with African-Americans and others.
This is great news for the minority's community.
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: It is great news, and the economy, yes.
HANNITY: Thank you. Go ahead and look into the camera and say, thank you, Donald. Thank you, President Trump.
TARLOV: Thank you, Donald, but thank you, Barack, more.
WATTERS: Barack Obama.
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: Where do that (Inaudible) star put it in--
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: But you can say that Trump is going to crash the economy?
TARLOV: Actually I did--
WATTERS: So then when the economy does well you--
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: I ran away from that polls program article. No, there were great circumstances that he had inherited and he had done a good job working with what he got to begin with, and we'll see what happens. The tariffs are hurting a lot--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: And by the way, he got 13 million more Americans on food stamps, eight million in poverty, worse recovery--
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: Fifteen million insured, 12 million new jobs.
HANNITY: Excuse me, yes, that Obamacare is working out so well.
TARLOV: Well, it's the number one issue in the country and Democrats are winning on it everywhere.
WATTERS: Where have the Democrats won?
TARLOV: What, New Jersey, Virginia.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: You guys are so corrupt in power than 1930s cult.
TARLOV: That's absolutely not true.
WATTERS: Yes. You guys have had less power since the 1930.
TARLOV: Inaccurate.
HANNITY: Guess who's world it is today.
TARLOV: Whatever?
WATTERS: What do you mean whatever?
TARLOV: I mean, like, whatever at this point. And I think I did--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: What do you mean whatever at this point? Guess who's world it is.
TARLOV: Well--
HANNITY: Who do you think won tonight?
TARLOV: It was total hyperbole, first of all.
HANNITY: Who do you think won?
TARLOV: I came here with the facts. I listed the celebrities that you have. Did I mentioned "Duck Dynasty"--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Excuse me. Ready? I've got a winner.
WATTERS: You had Jim Carrey, by the way.
TARLOV: He draws a beautiful picture.
WATTERS: You think that's beautiful? Well, she lost hard.
HANNITY: It's his world.
TARLOV: All right.
HANNITY: You are living in it. Go ahead and say goodbye.
TARLOV: Goodbye.
HANNITY: All right. When we come back, a really touching video of an American hero, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. So in Massachusetts police officer made his final radio call after over 30 years on the job but he got a surprise when he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the radio. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone I've served with and to my boys. Time to go home. Just it's time to go home. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this day, after 32 and a half years of service, my father, Southbridge Officer Duane Ledoux is retiring and has given his final code five.
It is my honor to acknowledge this code 5, to set free a man who has sacrificed so much of his time for all of us, so that he made spend the rest of his life discovering new craft beer, exploring his beautiful country. And most important of all, chasing glory. Officer Ledoux, batch number 1041. Dad, you are officially code 5. Love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: His son calls after 30 years. Thank you for your service. All the cops every day put their lives on the line for us.
All right. That's all the time we have left this evening. As always, thank you for being with us. We will always be fair and balanced. We're not the destroy-Trump media. Let not your heart be troubled. There she is, Laura Ingraham, take it away.
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