Fallout out from decision to revoke John Brennan's clearance
White House strips security clearance from former CIA Director John Brennan; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
This is a rush transcript from "The Five," August 15, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JESSE WATTERS, CO-HOST: Hello, everybody. I'm Jesse Watters along with Judge Jeanine, Juan Williams, Dana Perino, and Greg Gutfeld. It's 5 o'clock in New York City, and this is "The Five."
We start with a Fox News alert. Stunning news out of Washington, President Trump revokes the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders reading a statement from the president explaining why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with Mr. Brennan are now outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior. Mr. Brennan's lying in recent conduct characterized by increasingly fringe commentary is wholly inconsistent with access to the nation's most closely held secrets and facilities, the very aim of our adversaries, which is to sew division and chaos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: Brennan, the now MSNBC contributor, is a constant critic of President Trump. Here he is just last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: I think Donald Trump has badly sullied the reputation of the office of the presidency with his invective, with his constant disregard, I think, for human decency, as well as his befriending of autocratic leaders around the world, and his continued pursuit of relationships to benefit himself as opposed to the country. I do think that America's standing in the world has also been tarnished. When I think even more fundamentally, what he is doing here in the United States is very polarizing. And he is, I think, the most divisive president we've ever had in the oval office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: A fresh reaction from John Brennan on twitter, quote, this action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech and punish critics. It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent. The White House is also now reviewing security clearances of top former intelligence officials and FBI employees, including James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Susan Rice, Peter Strzok, and James Clapper. All right. Judge Jeanine, I know you've been following.
JEANINE PIRRO, GUEST CO-HOST: Like a bird.
WATTERS: . this Brennan situation very closely. They say these people retain their clearances to consult with their successors. I don't think he's doing any consultation now. And as a professional courtesy, do you believe he has forfeited his professional courtesy by the frenzied rhetoric that he's been exhibiting on cable TV and on twitter?
PIRRO: Well, he's certainly has been engaging in a lot of frenzied behavior and criticism. But here's the bottom line, you're not entitled to a security clearance. You don't have a right to have it. The president has the arbitrary right to take it away. How many people do we know, whether or not, they have it or don't have it? When does the sun set? And here's a guy who has lied to congress a million times. That's no exaggeration. But, you know, he denied the CIA that he was running improperly access computer files of the senate stolen. It's all in my book which we'll talk about later.
(LAUGHTER)
WATTERS: She beats you in the punch.
GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: Yeah, she's good.
PIRRO: But here's the thing, look, the guy is -- he is -- this truth to power nonsense that you need to be able to have this, it's really for an institutional reference. Nobody -- and Pompeo ain't calling this guy.
WATTERS: Right.
PIRRO: So why does he need it? And you know what? I have no problem with it. They're not entitled to it.
WATTERS: All right. So, Juan, Judge Jeanine brought up one of the issues at stake, the fact that he has lied about spying on senate staffers. He also lied to congress when he says, oh, we don't listen to American's phone calls in bulk. And he also lied about the use of the dossier. Said it wasn't really considered in the intelligent assessment, which it was. So, three things there alone, the guy proffering false information to congress and to the American people. He doesn't have a great track record when it comes to honesty.
JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: I think he has a great track record and I think he's a patriot. I'll tell you, to me, I don't understand why Michael Flynn is not on that list. Do you have any idea why Mike Flynn is not on there?
WATTERS: Well, I think we know why.
PIRRO: No, I have an answer.
WILLIAMS: Any Republicans not on the list? You just think about it.
WATTERS: Comey is on the list. Is he still a Republican?
WILLIAMS: Comey doesn't have clearance, so he does not, necessarily. This again, you know, he puts Comey, he puts McCabe there. They don't even have clearance. So he puts them on the list because, essentially, and you hear this now from the Democrats, he's created an enemies list. So he attacks the press as the enemy of the American people. He attacks his critics. He makes people who work for him sign nondisclosure agreements. Transparency, huh? And them, of course, he's trying now politicizing intelligence gathering. He does not consult with Jim Clapper, his own director of national intelligence, about this move. So, to me, this is like, so sad and so authoritarian and, yet, I suppose all his supporters will just, ah, big deal.
WATTERS: I think you meant Coats.
PIRRO: Yes, Dan Coats.
WILLIAMS: Dan Coats, yeah.
WATTERS: Dana, is this rare? I mean, has this ever happened before?
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: I think it's not an exaggeration to say it's unprecedented. But, as the judge said, the president does have the right to make this decision. I look at it this way, why today? Well, how do you solve a problem like Omarosa? By having something to lead with today. This document is actually dated July 26. They didn't change that today when they release it. So they've been holding onto it, maybe because of Brennan's comments last night on MSNBC they decided that was just the last straw, and they decided to move forward. But it did provide the White House a way to pivot to the story that they want to talk about of the day, and that is this issue.
It's very clever, the use of the word erratic because it's not just a word that they pick out of thin air. Erratic is one of the words that you're asked about when you are going to a clearance or when your friends and colleagues or your former work associates, they'll be asked, did you ever see Jesse exhibit erratic behavior because that would be a tell that there might be something wrong with them and they would not be able to deal with that. I do think it looks a little bit like political retaliation that the president has the ability to do it, so if he wants to do it, fine. I just don't think it actually does anything beyond this new cycle because john Brennan is not going to stop talking. He's not even using his security clearance anyway.
WATTERS: All right. Greg, welcome back.
GUTFELD: Thanks for having me back, Jesse. Your hair is as big as ever.
(LAUGHTER)
WATTERS: You've been missed on your book tour. What do you think about this latest clearance revoking?
GUTFELD: Well, I think when people say this is unprecedented, that doesn't matter anymore because everything since 2016 is unprecedented. And so -- also when you have complaints about behavior, emotional behavior, Brennan's criticisms of Trump are also pointless because we've been through that. He still won. You can still think he's a jerk. He still beat the pants off you, so get over it. So, there's two big reasons here. Brennan is just another person who was broken by 2016. He's like the reverse version of the movie Big. Instead of a child becoming a man, he is transformed from a man to a petulant child by some supernatural surreal event, which was the 2016 election. This has happened to a lot of people. He's fallen and he can't get up.
WATTERS: Do you think this is Trump derangement syndrome?
GUTFELD: Absolutely. And, also, the second reason is and why his opinion means nothing to me, it's back in the '80s at the height of the cold war.
PIRRO: Thank you.
GUTFELD: . Brennan voted for a communist in the freest country we have ever seen. He has no standing to be critical about any Russian -- any Russian meddling or any kind of Russian policy because he didn't just collude, he cheer lead. He cheer lead at a time when we really needed people there to fight -- to be anti-communist. So the fact that he got this far is outstanding. I look forward to his book because I know there will be one. And the other thing about this, I understand the idea of pivoting, but in Trump world, news is bocce ball. So, a ball comes, a ball be Omarosa, and the next ball would be Brennan. But, the fact is, you can't tell the difference between that being pivoting and or just being another day because it's used every day.
PERINO: I also think it's quite strategic.
GUTFELD: Yeah.
PERINO: I mean.
GUTFELD: I think they would do -- I think they do this every day.
PERINO: They do. Like, he wakes up every day thinking you want to be proactive and you end up having to react to things.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Brennan, last night, the clip that we saw here, he's reacting to Trump calling Omarosa a dog. And then -- so what Brennan says is that he's failed to live up the president, has failed to live up to minimum standards of decency. It's disheartening and dangerous for a president to behave in that way for our nation.
GUTFELD: How dangerous, though?
WILLIAMS: How dangerous? How ugly, how disheartening.
GUTFELD: Words.
WILLIAMS: . Brennan is right on target.
GUTFELD: Words.
PIRRO: But you know what the problem is, Juan, the problem is that you've got Brennan and Clapper, the people who lied to congress, who anyone else, you know, would be in jail right now. But these are the guys who are monetizing and politicizing. These are the guys who are actually going on television. And if you don't think that security clearance adds to their ability to be lobbyists and consultants and advisors, it's huge. They're monetizing it. Michael Flynn is not the guy hiding somewhere.
WILLIAMS: Well, I don't think it's monetizing to say that he was the CIA director. He was.
GUTFELD: How did he get on MSNBC, with his good looks?
(CROSSTALK)
PIRRO: Clapper got on CNN because he lied and said he never leaked anything. Then we find out he leaked something to CNN, and now he's getting a check from CNN. Come on.
WILLIAMS: Let me just say, we have 4 million people, judge, who have security clearance in the country. I think it's a million-plus who had top-secret clearance.
PIRRO: Million three.
WILLIAMS: Right. So these guys aren't monetizing. These guys are.
PIRRO: Yeah, that's why they still have.
GUTFELD: We need to build a wall.
WILLIAMS: What?
GUTFELD: We need to build a wall.
(LAUGHTER)
GUTFELD: Or get around people with clearances.
WATTERS: I think what they're doing there he's leveraging his clearance in order to gain credibility when he goes on television and makes these really outrageous statements. Some of these statements, he says the President of the United States is a danger to national security. He suggested Trump met one-on-one with Vladimir Putin because he was hiding something from his own security team. He says the president has no credibility, and he says he is a Ponzi scheme artist, comparing him to Bernie Madoff, and he says this is all going to catch up with him, kind of making these veiled threats like, oh, your day is going to come.
PERINO: So, he doesn't even need a security clearance, right? It doesn't necessarily matter. Now that he has the reputation he has. Now that he's done what he's done, he will always be able to be on television, always be able to write books, so like that -- this doesn't change that for him. But I do think it is professionally embarrassing.
WATTERS: It is.
WILLIAMS: But you know what? Most Americans agree with what you said Brennan believes, which is that Trump is lying about his relations with Russia, and that Trump is not.
PIRRO: What?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, that's what.
GUTFELD: Surveys show that Americans are not the least bit interested in the Russia story. And you have to be very skeptical of somebody this emotional. Brennan is emotional wreck right now. You can't -- there's something going on in his head that's not right.
WATTERS: He's erratic.
GUTFELD: He's erratic.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: You won't believe what liberal New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said about America. Wait until you hear this next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: Democrats are giving Trump and Republicans plenty of political fodder after another good night at the ballot box for the president. First up is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, he is raising eyebrows for these comments about America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK GOVERNOR: We're not going to make America great again. It was never that great. We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged. We will reach greatness when discrimination and stereotyping against women, 51 percent of our population is gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: The governor clarifying those remarks saying that America is great and will reach purple greatness with full equality. There's also Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen apologizing after saying this about Republican senate candidate -- she's currently a congressman, Marsha Blackburn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STEVE COHEN (D), TENNESSEE: The (INAUDIBLE) president. He's going to come down here and he's going to endorse Marsha Blackburn. Because Marsha Blackburn, if he says jump off the Harahan Bridge, she'll jump off the Harahan Bridge. I wish he'd say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: That's so rude. OK. Congressman Maxine Waters' birthday is today. Here's her wish.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: My biggest birthday wish would be that we're able to get a leader of this country who represents us, who has a respect of all of our allies. I would wish that we could remove him from office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: Actually, the president wished her a happy birthday today, and said anyone who sees her should wish her a happy birthday too. Meanwhile, Congressman Keith Ellison scored a victory in the Minnesota primary race for the state's attorney general just days after domestic abuse accusation against him surfaced. Ellison is also being criticized for past appearances with controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. So, let's start with Andrew Cuomo. I found something of interest, Greg.
GUTFELD: (INAUDIBLE).
PERINO: A tale of two Cuomos. In 1994, Mario Cuomo, his father, in the most eloquent speech of his career, it was called that at the time, said America is the most magnificent mosaic that is America. And then, Andrew Cuomo said America was never that great.
GUTFELD: Interesting fact. So, Andrew and Chris, right, brothers? You know that the movie Dumb and Dumber is based on them.
PERINO: I do not have known.
GUTFELD: Interesting, interesting fact. Look, OK, here's the big point, you look at all this inflammatory rhetoric and you've got to realize that we're being sold a bill of goods about this era being super divisive and awful and evil. I was at the Nixon Library over the weekend. The first -- when you walk in, you see the first year which is 1968 in the museum, you walked through there, war, riots, domestic bombings, domestic terror, internal-external threats, assassinations, communists were ascended during that period. The only thing missing was asteroids and Rosie O'Donnell. It was a terrifying era. So people have to realize that this is not an era of great conflict. Right now we are in an era of peace and prosperity. But we're being sold that this is the worst possible time to be alive. When in fact, you know, pace Cuomo, America is great. We are -- we are -- we've never eradicated more poverty in history. We have more people working. We have the highest rate of optimism, in what, almost two decades. So the idea that -- I think he's biting into the media world that this -- of an apocalyptic end. But, actually, all you've got to do is go back to '68 and see that.
PERINO: Can I add one thing?
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: You sent me a text when you were there, and you said social media have been around then the country may not have survived.
GUTFELD: Yes. If Twitter and Facebook were around in 1968, we wouldn't be around now.
PERINO: Interesting. Let me ask you about this, Jesse, because we're seeing this several times where a candidate and a 2020 hopeful goes out and says something quite provocative, like Elizabeth Warren said about the police at Netroots Nation. Then they end up having to walk it back. They back track it or they end up apologizing. Are they all just -- like, demolition derby to see who can knock each other out?
WATTERS: Well, historically, you'd think the Democrats are ready to win because that's what usually happens in a midterm like this. And they're ahead a little bit on the congressional ballot. So you think if they keep their mouth shut, nominate normal centrist candidates, raise a lot of money, and be anti-Trump. They can't contain themselves though because their base is so crazy and frothing at the mouth so much, they get carried away at these events and they say the things they think the radical left wing base wants to hear. And that's when you get things like Andrew Cuomo who had to walk this back less than 24 hours later. I agree with Greg. I think America was great when we defeated the Nazis, when we won the cold war, when we put a man on the moon, when invented the internet and the iPhone and all that stuff.
GUTFELD: Don't forget Tang.
WATTERS: And Tang. Don't forget Tang. So, and you have a guy like Keith Ellison who, you know, he's gotten massive amounts of abuse allegations he's dealing with. He supported a cop killer in the past. He's hanging around with Farrakhan. You have this other guy, Cohen, that wants to push his opponent off the bridge. And now, John Tester.
PERINO: He wants her to jump.
WATTERS: Sure, OK.
PERINO: Just to be clear.
GUTFELD: Clarification.
WATTERS: And then you have Jon Tester out there in -- was it Montana, and he's hanging out with Pearl Jam at a fund-raiser with a poster that has a corpse of President Trump. So these people are following their left wing base off a cliff, and all they need to do is keep it together and not screw up. And they could actually win the house back.
PERINO: Can I get Jeanine's -- looks like judge -- Judge Jeanine.
GUTFELD: J.J. I call her J square.
PERINO: Keith Ellison, he's the co-chairman of the DNC right now. He's running for -- to be attorney general of Minnesota. What do you make of that?
PIRRO: Well, I mean, to be attorney general for Minnesota, you're saying with the domestic violence?
PERINO: Well, not only that, like the stuff that he has had about police in the past.
PIRRO: Oh, yeah. Well, there's no question that to be the attorney general, you have to work with police, you have to find them credible. They bring you cases. And I think that what's happening with the domestic violence allegations, I think it's going to hurt him more in the general election. Although, you know, where he's from, it's going to be a problem. But, yeah, there's a real problem. But I have a question. I've got to tell you. When Andrew Cuomo says every American needs to be fully engaged, and I ran against him and I have never said a negative thing about him since I ran against him for attorney general in 2006.
PERINO: OK. Well, don't hold back now.
PIRRO: But, no. I really don't. I intentionally don't. He won fair and square. That's the end of it.
PERINO: Right.
PIRRO: All right. But when he says we want every American to be fully engaged. Greg, I want to ask you, what does that mean? Is that mean, like, with a diamond ring? What does that mean, fully engaged?
GUTFELD: I have no.
PERINO: Quite clever. A little playing on words. Juan.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: You know when I see blindness, I want to hand you a cane because it seems to me, if you're woman in America, I think the reason Betty Friedan had such success in the 1960's that you talk about it's so tumultuous is that women felt like, hey, you know what, we want freedom. We want equal rights. I think the reason we have a civil rights movement, -- rights movement in the 1960's is because black folks said, hey, there is not equal rights in a country that was based on the idea of all men being created equal. So when you talk about America back in the '50s, I guess, yeah, I guess they're people who might say, ah, you know, make America great again. Are you trying to say we should go back to those days where white men ruled the entire universe and nobody else could have any fair standing?
PIRRO: So do you agree with Andrew Cuomo when he says it was never great? In 1960, you're saying yourself, from the '60s that they made America great because they resolve the issue.
WILLIAMS: Correct. America has that. America has always been great because of the promise of America. But the actuality of America is we're a country that had slavery in the 1800. And we have to always worked to improve.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: . and the Founding Fathers blessed us with a flexible.
WATTERS: I think he's saying it wasn't that great from 2008 to 2015.
WILLIAMS: We don't have to interpret, you know. But here's the thing for me, the big news yesterday was Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty. Tim Pawlenty wanted to be -- run for governor in Minnesota, via Republican governor for a second -- or maybe it would be a third term, I think? But Pawlenty was defeated. Why was he defeated? Because he was opposed to Donald Trump, especially after.
PERINO: Because the party has changed.
WILLIAMS: The party has become the party of Donald Trump. So you have people now, not only there but in Kansas with Kris Kobach who won by a sliver, who are put in -- the Republican Party position where they're going to be weak in the general election.
PERINO: Well, a couple of those races did moved to top subs and we'll follow them. And judge, we've got to go. Coming up, new Omarosa attacks, you won't believe what she's now accusing President Trump of. The video, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIAMS: Former White House aide Omarosa continuing her scorched-earth attacks on the Trump White House. But is she going too far with this latest charge?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMAROSA MANIGAULT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDE: I don't want to see a race war as Donald Trump does. I'd like to see things happen for the communities of Chicago and Flint, as we've talked about on the campaign. To see the rebuilding of Puerto Rico. I'd actually like to see the inner city youth get the educational tools that they need and the funding that they need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Omarosa also appearing not to follow her own advice when it comes to one upping President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANIGAULT: There's one way to shut Donald Trump down, and that is to just don't give him the oxygen, and the oxygen comes from the clicks, the likes, the shock, the discussion. If you ignore him then you starve him of the thing that he loves the most and that is controversy and attention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: So, Greg, I'm going to give you the first shot here. She says that the president wants to sow racial division. She sights her attacks on everybody, including herself, I guess.
GUTFELD: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: She's also mentioned LeBron, Maxine Waters, on and on. What do you make of that?
GUTFELD: Well, it just raises the question of what she was doing working with such a despicable character, especially as an African-American. I mean, what was she thinking?
She's a horrible winner and a despicable loser. Do you remember the tape she made when Trump won, and she made that gloating promise that those who defied Trump were going to get on their knees?
PERINO: Oh, I remember.
GUTFELD: She was awful as a winner, and she's horrible as a loser.
PERINO: Yes.
GUTFELD: The best lesson here -- and I've mentioned this before -- you have to choose competence over loyalty. All right? Just because somebody was good to you, you don't hand out jobs as thank-you notes.
And we all knew, we all knew. We were going the only reason why he's giving her job is out of gratitude, because she would say anything. And she would kiss his butt, because that's all she knew how to do. And now she's fired. She's doing the reverse.
You know, fake -- anybody can fake loyalty, but you can't fake competence. And I think that Donald Trump has learned that lesson, as you noticed by the recent hires in the staffing is no longer that way.
WILLIAMS: I don't know. What did he say, Jesse? Only the best people?
WATTERS: Only the best. In a weird way, the media's obsessing all week about Omarosa and then behind the scenes, the president is probably just ripping apart Obama's legacy.
PERINO: Yes.
WATTERS: And tearing up all these regulations and putting through all these judges. So who knows? Maybe this is working.
But I think Omarosa's days are over. I think this is the last day we're going to discuss Omarosa on "The Five."
WILLIAMS: That would be good.
GUTFELD: Are you telling the producers, just so we know?
WATTERS: Yes. But why? Is she going to come out with another unhinged allegation tomorrow?
PIRRO: She says that she has more tapes.
WILLIAMS: Yes, that's right.
PIRRO: Yes. And so do you think we're going to ignore the tapes? Of course not.
But you know, this is one thing about Donald Trump. He is loyal, but I think his loyalty, giving people jobs. Jeff Sessions, that was probably the worst error he thinks he's made since he became president. You know, Sessions is somewhere in a closet hiding. He did it out of loyalty. He did Omarosa out of loyalty.
PERINO: Why doesn't he fire him, then? I am curious. Like, why doesn't he fire Jeff Sessions?
PIRRO: Why would you fire Jeff Sessions? It will start a whole Jim Comey. You know, it would be another two years of this lunacy.
But I've got to say something about Omarosa. You know, Donald Trump gives everyone a chance. People from the Trump Organization, low-level, he wants everyone to rise up.
But you know what? It's not about competence. It's about lunacy. He didn't even have to check her competency. He just had to check her mental state.
WILLIAMS: Well, she says that he has mental issues. She says that he has declined.
PIRRO: He hasn't changed; she has.
WILLIAMS: I don't know these people, Judge. You do. When you speak, I listen.
PIRRO: You do?
WILLIAMS: Because I figure you have -- you have the inside track.
PIRRO: Do you watch my show?
WILLIAMS: Of course I watch your show.
GUTFELD: Have you bought her book? "Liars, Losers and Leakers"?
WILLIAMS: My heart wants to come out of my body on Saturday night.
PIRRO: You were yelling at the TV?
GUTFELD: A lot -- a lot of us feel that way, Juan.
WILLIAMS: You go get 'em, Judge. Come on, Judge.
All right. So Dana, the heart of her argument, she says, is not only he wants to pit his base, his mostly white base, against successful black people. He has no blacks on his staff. What do you say to this?
PERINO: I think that the evidence of -- is not there. I cover this every day. I do not see that with him. I think -- look, hiring for diversity, I think it's important for a lot of reasons. And maybe they'll take a look at that at the White House. That's up to them.
But I don't think that the president is wanting a race war. When she says that, she makes herself look even more ridiculous. And I would imagine that African-Americans who are watching the news and paying attention to this, think that she is cheapening the discussion. By saying this.
WATTERS: And the A.P. just came out with a thing, and they said that the black Americans aren't even buying her terms. Because she was so despised by the black community before this. And now this. They don't trust her at all.
She worked for the Gores and she worked for the Clintons. She got fired from those positions. And then, in her book, she actually says she wanted to work for Hillary Clinton's campaign, but it fell through, so she went to go work for Donald Trump instead.
PIRRO: And that's why people in her community say she's an opportunist, quote, an ego-driven hustler.
WILLIAMS: I don't think there's much debate. I think you guys are right. But the thing -- why didn't she left after Charlottesville? You could say that's a -- I guess people who were Jewish also had thoughts about leaving after Charlottesville. Some of them have.
By the way, Jesse, yesterday, Sarah Sanders apologized for this business about "Oh, black unemployment under Trump."
WATTERS: Yes, I think she said she got the years wrong, where she was trying to compare it. Eight to one and a half, instead of from one and a half to one and a half.
WILLIAMS: Why did you repeat it?
WATTERS: Because it's one and a half to one and a half.
WILLIAMS: Jesse.
WATTERS: And that was the point.
WILLIAMS: The point, Jesse, is these people make stuff up.
WATTERS: Here's my point, Juan. Lowest black unemployment ever under Donald Trump.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Not under Barack Obama.
GUTFELD: Give him some credit.
WILLIAMS: Where did most of that employment come from? Under Obama.
WATTERS: Juan, didn't do you want a picture with Trump when he was in the building?
PERINO: Oh, my gosh.
WATTERS: Didn't you take a picture with him? You know what? I think you've got a picture with him. Where's that photo?
PERINO: Oh, my God.
WILLIAMS: Do we have that?
WATTERS: Is that on your mantle?
WILLIAMS: No, it's in the fireplace.
GUTFELD: There was a picture! There was a picture.
GUTFELD: You burned the evidence, Juan. You burned the evidence.
WILLIAMS: You know who has the picture?
PIRRO: Who?
WILLIAMS: The guy who takes care of our lobby, who asked me. He said, "Mr. Williams, do you think you could get me a picture with him?"
WATTERS: All right. How convenient.
WILLIAMS: Donald Trump says I'm a big baby, because I helped the maintenance man get a picture.
Next up, it's beer boycott. A man in Massachusetts promising never to sip Sam Adams again because the CEO supports the Trump tax cuts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATTERS: That's the same face, I think.
GUTFELD: Yes. No monologue today. I took the redeye in, and I'm kind of brain-dead.
Speaking of brain-dead, some Massachusetts mayor proclaimed on Twitter the other day that he would never drink a Sam Adams beer again, because the company's cofounder praised President Trump's tax cuts.
Jesse, this is another example, I think, of how people get too close to the sun, being -- the sun being politics. So -- so something political happens and that affects every one of their decisions. Like, I don't like this comedian anymore. I won't drink this beer.
WATTERS: Do not politicize beer.
GUTFELD: Exactly.
WATTERS: Can't we all get along?
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: And you know, it would be like the Florida governor not drinking orange juice.
PERINO: Yes, exactly.
WATTERS: Because Tropicana criticized the president. It's stupid. What's he going to do, drink Corona? What, he's going to go out and drink Heineken? Come on. It's American-made here, and it helps your own state.
GUTFELD: Are you saying build a wall around Corona?
WATTERS: No, I had one last night.
GUTFELD: I know you did. I love Corona. A little bit of lime. It's delicious.
Judge, doesn't this make more people drink the beer that's being, like, slandered? Like the people go, "Well, I'm just going to drink more Sam Adams."
PIRRO: Well, it's like Chick-Fil-A. You know, the more they criticize, the more -- and by the way, I love Chick-Fil-A. I know it's on the corner down there.
PERINO: Can't get in there.
PIRRO: I honestly drink Pabst Blue Ribbon. Did you ever hear of that one? Yes, OK. But with this guy, it's ridiculous. It really is. You know? It's like football. They politicize football, too. All right? And they're just ruining a good time.
GUTFELD: Yes, what about you, Juan? Do you make -- would you say, if a guy supports Trump, also makes a coffee that you like, would you stop drinking the coffee?
WILLIAMS: This is interesting to me.
WATTERS: No, Juan drinks Kool-Aid.
GUTFELD: Oh!
WILLIAMS: I just started drinking coffee.
PIRRO: You just started? What?
WILLIAMS: In the last ten years. And now I'm a big coffee drinker. But that's life, you know?
GUTFELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: But I will say this. What's interesting is just over the weekend -- I don't know how this came into my mind. But I was watching the news, and there's President Trump at his place in New Jersey with a bunch of bikers, and he's encouraging them to boycott Harley-Davidson. Oh!
So now the shoe is on the other foot.
GUTFELD: And that's wrong.
WILLIAMS: And by the way, Judge.
PIRRO: Yes, that's right. Turn this way.
WILLIAMS: Judge, you know, you're the -- you play along. Thank you. But Judge, Pabst Blue Ribbon?
PIRRO: Yes.
WILLIAMS: I drink Bud.
PIRRO: Yes.
WILLIAMS: I don't think people who drink Pabst and Bud have been helped by the Trump tax cuts. You know what I mean? I don't think that --
PIRRO: Are you kidding?
WILLIAMS: The people -- the neighbors who put up a sign that said shame -- shame to that brewery up in Massachusetts, they said how can you be complicit in separating children from their mothers?
WATTERS: You've got to stop drinking the coffee, Juan.
GUTFELD: I don't know what's in that coffee.
WILLIAMS: Don't mention it, right, Jesse?
WATTERS: Separating children at the border? We're talking about beer.
WILLIAMS: That's why -- that's why the neighbors said --
WATTERS: You need to have one.
GUTFELD: President Obama did the same thing. OK. Dana.
PERINO: Well, I'm curious how Democrats are going to try to spin that the economy is not good.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: Or that it's working against people. They are trying. And I think that in some congressional districts it's working. I just don't see -- I don't see it. Also when somebody tells me not to drink something, I'll drink it.
GUTFELD: That's exactly right. Now that I know that.
PERINO: Oh, yes. But not --
GUTFELD: Whatever you do, stay away from --
PERINO: All of these things.
GUTFELD: Exactly. All right. People -- you know what they are -- are going to new extremes to screen potential matches before going out on dates. We'll have that story ahead. And more Cramps.
(MUSIC BY THE CRAMPS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PIRRO: Extreme vetting for dating? People are now reportedly paying an agency to scope out their potential dates' social media footprint before meeting them for the first time. Vet Your Date is promising to sniff out fake profiles on dating web sites in exchange for a fee of around 20 bucks.
So since online dating now -- and I'm going to start with you, Greg --
GUTFELD: Yes.
PIRRO: -- is something like a $1.5 billion enterprise. I mean, don't you think it makes sense that people would want to vet the people that they are connecting with online? Protect themselves from the criminals out there?
GUTFELD: I am on two sides of this fence.
No. 1, I vet everything. The day I was born, I would vet my parents. You know, and someone's selling you a car, you vet them before you go look at the car.
But at the same time, I miss the risk of a bar. Like, going into a bar, you never know what could happen. You might meet this amazing person. You might meet this crazy amazing person. And it was like, the fun thing about the bar is like, you get the feeling that this could be a good night. You don't have that anymore online. You don't have that excitement.
But I will say this. It's -- you don't need a vetting system to do this. You can do this on your own.
PIRRO: How do you do it? If you're communicating with somebody online, they -- there's cat fishing. They're not who they say they are. And, you know, you meet somebody and, you know --
GUTFELD: You're trying to ruin my M.O. You don't need to vet, America.
WATTERS: Greg likes to roll the dice. He enjoys the risk.
PIRRO: Yes.
GUTFELD: I'm Steve, a 21-year-old mechanical engineer.
WATTERS: He could be anybody.
PIRRO: OK, as a female, aren't you concerned about it? Do you think women should be -- guys, we're talking about women.
PERINO: So I met --
WILLIAMS: That's the judge. I think she'll hammer on the table.
PERINO: I'll listen.
WATTERS: Order in the court.
PERINO: I met my husband on an airplane, randomly sat next to him 21 years ago this Friday. We've been married 20 years this September, so I don't know a lot about this. But I know a lot of friends. Many of them have met their significant others and gone on to marry their loved one online.
I did hear of a good tip that I will pass on that a young woman gave to me. That when you meet up with a guy after you meet online, and then you go and you meet up, the first thing that you do is you ask, "Can I see your driver's license?" Take a picture of it.
PIRRO: Wow. Wow.
PERINO: And you send it to your girlfriends to say, "I just want to let you know this is who I'm out with tonight."
GUTFELD: I don't have a driver's license. What do they do?
PIRRO: That is such a great idea.
PERINO: Is this a good idea?
PIRRO: This is the last person I've been out with.
All right. Let me ask you.
WATTERS: It's good idea. I mean, if you get into a taxi, if you go anywhere.
PIRRO: Yes. OK.
So Jesse, when I was a D.A., I used to have all these women, lonely hearts. I mean, they would meet somebody and then give them money, money, money, money. Now -- oh, yes, they would.
WILLIAMS: I'm amazed. It's like they send pictures to guys now. I think this is -- I mean, when I was a teenager --
PIRRO: I'm talking to him.
WATTERS: Go ahead, Juan.
WILLIAMS: I'm like amazed. Amazed. Go right ahead, Jesse.
PIRRO: OK, Jesse. OK.
WATTERS: The floor is yours.
PIRRO: OK, so what they would do is they would give them so much money. These -- a lot of senior citizens, they would end up losing their house.
So don't you think it makes sense that now that people are meeting online. If you have an affection for someone and you've been communicating with them and you think that you're meeting this person or you're sending this person money, who's a -- whatever, an engineer. And then you lose everything. Don't you think it makes sense to vet them?
WATTERS: Yes, extreme vetting. We should have done that with the San Bernardino people. We didn't even look at what they said on Facebook. That could have helped a lot.
But yes, I think this is -- I agree with Greg. I like the whole idea of people going out to the bar. You don't know what you're going to get until you get back later. Who knows what could happen? That's part of --
PIRRO: Did you ever see that movie, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar"?
WATTERS: Yes.
PIRRO: A good story.
GUTFELD: Did you?
WATTERS: Never.
GUTFELD: Never saw it.
WATTERS: I'm trying to go along with the story.
GUTFELD: You're referencing a movie made in the '70s.
WILLIAMS: Vetting them. If you'd vetted them --
PIRRO: So what do you think?
WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, first of all, it's an interesting dichotomy. Because what you're talking about is older women who get taken by these catfishing people. There was a story in the notes that said this woman was sending millions to some guy in Australia.
PIRRO: Oh, yes.
GUTFELD: And it was me.
WILLIAMS: It was you.
GUTFELD: Yes, how do you think I've got four of these mugs?
WILLIAMS: By the way, one of the great quotes is she says, "I'm very clearheaded but I have a little bit of dementia." Oh, my God.
Anyway, you know, I just don't think -- I think that people necessarily should talk. If you go on a date. You should meet somebody. I can't believe that you have two-year relationships, and you're sending a guy money.
PIRRO: It happens all the time.
GUTFELD: It's loneliness. Loneliness. People get lonely.
PIRRO: It is loneliness.
WILLIAMS: It's bad.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PIRRO: All right. "One More Thing" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATTERS: Time now for "One More Thing" -- Greg.
GUTFELD: Thanks, Jesse. Well, as you know, I was away. I was doing a bit of a book tour. Do we have any pictures? First let's go through these pictures.
This is a kid. I think this was at Nixon Library. Don't tell me I don't have his name. That is totally wrong that I don't have his name in front of me. This kid made a robot out of duct tape. And I can't think of his name. Damn it! It was in front of me! Anyway.
PERINO: We'll catch him tomorrow.
GUTFELD: Quinton. Quinton did that. All right?
This is me --
WATTERS: How about a last name?
GUTFELD: See the guy in the middle there? His first boss was my dad. He met me at the book tour. His name is Mr. -- jeez Louise. Barbara. Mr. Barbara was his name, and that's him.
And then I was at the Ronald Reagan Library. There I am posing with the bust of Ronald Reagan.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: By the way, thanks to John Heubusch who runs the library. He's got a brand-new book out called "The Second Coming." It's fantastic. So good that Dana Perino actually has proclaimed it great, as has Peggy Noonan. You should pick up this book right away. Do you have any more pictures? Anything else?
WATTERS: I think that about does it.
GUTFELD: Wait, that's it. Guess who I'm with there, Jesse?
PERINO: Scott Adams.
GUTFELD: Scott Adams.
WATTERS: Drink.
And next time I run long on my "One More Thing," everybody tell me to wrap in my ear.
GUTFELD: Look at these shirts. What is this? "Make Greg Better Again." Isn't that great?
WATTERS: All right. Tour's over.
PERINO: All right. I just wanted to mention that earlier this week, it kind of got lost in all the other news, New Jersey was hit with this staggering amount of rain, and it led to a lot of devastating flash floods.
Northern Brick was one of the hardest hit areas, receiving 7.8 inches of rain in just over seven hours on Monday. They had to evacuate 100 homes in the 55 and older Green Briar One community. And the U.S. Coast Guard -- I just wanted to point this out -- they were out there helping everybody. The governor has declared a state of emergency in five counties. Lots of volunteers have been helping, too. And Jim Murdoch of News 12 New Jersey gave me that tip, so thanks to Jim.
WATTERS: All right. Nice tip.
Juan.
WILLIAMS: Well, folks, I'm all shook up. Elvis Presley is back on the big screen. Yes, the king's 1968 comeback special is being shown in 500 theaters across the nation this Thursday night. Thursday marks 41 years since he died, but it's 50 years since this special first appeared on TV. It revived his career at a time when he'd been spending a lot of time making movies.
The coolest part: seeing Elvis in a black leather jumpsuit jamming with the band mates from his early days in Memphis. He was nervous. A lot of rust. But as you'll see, he gets it going, and it turns out to be very special.
The show got great ratings 50 years ago and put Elvis back in the music spotlight.
WATTERS: All right.
All right. This is a very cute story. I don't usually do cute stories, but here we go. A little girl, 6 years old, names Katelyn from Utah got her parents' Amazon account and ended up going on a $350 shopping spree, all toys. No one found out until the packages arrived. And her cousin calls her a little scammer in the making.
PERINO: Did she get to keep them?
WATTERS: She did not. She had to give them back. She gave them away. Smooth move, Katelyn, but sorry. You don't get to keep it.
GUTFELD: Lesson learned.
PIRRO: All right. So "One More Thing." I learned the art of self- promotion from Greg Gutfeld. So last night, I was in Washington, D.C., Virginia Women for Trump, "An Evening with Judge Jeanine Pirro." You can see all the women there. Promoting my book.
And there I am with -- Kellyanne was there and Alice Butler Short, who was one of the women who was running it. And I don't know. You can see a lot of people where I don't say anything. I had a lot of people.
GUTFELD: "Liars, Leakers, Liberals."
PIRRO: No. 1 New York Times best seller. And I just want you to know that I'm just thrilled to be able to talk about it on your show.
WILLIAMS: We're thrilled to have you, a No. 1 best seller.
PIRRO: Thank you very much.
WATTERS: All the luck. All right. Set your DVRs. Never miss an episode of "The Five." Someone else that has great hair besides me. Bret Baier.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS: Thank you very much. Nicely done.
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