Mark Levin: Good to know where liberals finally draw a line
Radio show host and author speaks out on 'Hannity'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 29, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And this is a "Fox News Alert." Welcome to "Hannity." The left-wing media is waging what is an all-out war against President Trump. The great one, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham are both here tonight with reaction. Also, Jay Sekulow, Ari Fleischer, Sara Carter will also join us.
But first, an all-out war is now breaking out between the destroy Trump media and the president. Let's be clear. Nobody in the press is going to tell you, the American people, the truth about why this is happening and what's really going on, but we will in tonight's very important "Opening Monologue."
All right, so the president is daily facing intense criticism, and today it's about the fact that he tweeted out earlier today, and principal deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders addressed the outrage earlier. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think that the president has been attacked mercilessly on personal accounts by members on that program. And I think he's been very clear that when he gets attacked, he's going to hit back. I think the American people elected somebody who's tough, who's smart, and who's a fighter. And that's Donald Trump. And I don't think that it's a surprise to anybody that he fights fire with fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Now, I personally would ignore this unhinged duo, if you will, that calls the president a schmuck, a liar and worse on a daily basis and has pretty much an emotional breakdown a day. Now, the White House here does have a point. And look, we're not defending personal attacks, but here is the simple basic truth. NBC so-called news and the rest of the destroy Trump media -- they're not innocent victims that they're claiming to be here.
Now, this war against the president has been going on for a very long time, and it was declared by the media against him.
And tonight -- and this is something you're only going to see right here on "Hannity" -- we will show you how the liberal leftist propaganda media has been carrying out what is a relentless campaign to undermine, delegitimize, smear, slander and destroy President Trump. This war was started by the mainstream media, not by the president.
Let's take a look. At the side of your screen, remember, WikiLeaks -- they exposed what many of us already knew and thought was going on for a long time, and that is the destroy Trump media was caught openly colluding, supporting, trying to elect Hillary Clinton, helping her campaign! Now, these rigid left-wing ideologues -- they all wanted Hillary Clinton to win. They did everything they could possibly do to try and make that happen.
Now, imagine for a second the press giving Donald Trump, any Republican, any conservative this type of treatment. Now, by leaking debate questions like CNN did or allowing stories and quotes to be edited before they go out -- now, the list of examples goes on and on.
And aside from the colluding with Clinton, the media openly mocked, ridiculed the idea that Donald Trump could ever become the president of the United States. "Ha, ha! No, that could never happen!" Really? They were wrong. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SETH MEYERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER, APRIL 30, 2011: Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising since I just assumed he was running as a joke.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHN OLIVER, COMEDIAN, "THE DAILY SHOW"/COMEDY CENTRAL, AUG. 5, 2013: Do it! Look at me. Do it! I will personally write you a campaign check now on behalf of this country, which does not want you to be president, but which badly wants you to run.
(LAUGHTER)
REP. KEITH ELLISON, D-MINN., "THIS WEEK"/ABC, JULY 26, 2016: Now, we better be ready for the fact that he might be leading the Republican ticket.
(LAUGHTER)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST, "THIS WEEK": I know you don't believe that, but I want to go on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry to laugh.
THEN-PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!"/ABC, OCT. 24, 2016: President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States, exclamation point @realdonaldtrump.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Well, @realdonaldtrump, at least I will go down as a president.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And so will @realdonaldtrump.
And you remember on election night, November the 8th, Donald Trump -- he won the White House. It was a funeral for the mainstream media, obviously distraught and depressed and couldn't wrap their arms around what just happened. After all, they were pulling for Hillary to win. They thought she'd win! Remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, MSNBC, NOV. 9, 2016: America is crying tonight. I'm not sure how much of America, but a very, very significant portion, and I mean literally crying. This is a sadness. It is a mourning moment for those people. And it is a moment filled with fear, filled with fear.
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC, NOV. 9, 2016: Our country is about to face some serious crises. And so buckle up. Your country needs you.
VAN JONES, CNN: This was a whitelash. This was a whitelash against a changing country. It was a whitelash against a black president in part. And that's the part where the pain comes.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: Now, since then, it high school been a constant barrage of lies and falsehoods, black helicopter tinfoil hat conspiracy theories about so-called Trump-Russia collusion. Remember, zero evidence of collusion. None. Zip. Zero. But 11 months of coverage. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC, MARCH 22: This Russian connection just keeps building, and every time it builds and expands, you have to wonder if Trump himself isn't worried about what's swirling around under the covers.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN, MARCH 20: CNN has learned new details of the FBI investigation into potential links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, NBC NEWS, MARCH 5: Specifically, Willie, I think what it means is that a federal judge found that people in Trump's organization were colluding with the Russians.
MADDOW, "THE TONIGHT SHOW"/NBC, MARCH 16: What would change the world is if, you know, Russia was interfering in the election and they weren't doing it on their own, and he was in on it, you know.
MADDOW, MSNBC, JUNE 8The FBI director being fired by the president to try to change or stop an FBI investigation into the president's campaign and his top staffers -- that is a big freaking deal.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: These people are just total crackpots! They're unhinged, suffering from Trump derangement syndrome. And the way -- by the way -- by the way, aside from Mr. thrill up his leg, Chris Matthews, has anyone else in the destroy Trump media admitted that there's no evidence when it comes to Russia-Trump collusion? Not really. They're still pushing it day and night, night and day. They're, like, hoping publicly that it comes true.
Then, of course, you got liberal Joe and his fiancee, Mika Brzezinski. Now, everyone tonight is rallying around the sweet couple. But as we have said, and by the way, are about to show you, they're completely nuts, and by the way, not innocent victims in this case. In fact, they have called the president a liar, a schmuck and every vicious, vile name in the book. They have lobbed insult after insult after insult in every way, every single morning for months on end. They're not so innocent. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CO-HOST, JUNE 29: Nothing makes the man feel better than making a fake cover of a magazine about himself, lying every day and destroying the country.
JOE SCARBOROUGH, CO-HOST, JUNE 7: Donald Trump again being a schmuck.
SCARBOROUGH, MAY 30: He looked like a thug. He looked like a goon. You look at the handshake. You look at -- look at this. Just what a thug!
SCARBOROUGH, JUNE 6: This is so unbalanced. This is so -- he is not well.
SCARBOROUGH, JUNE 1: He's Vladimir Putin's hostage.
SCARBOROUGH, JUNE 1: It would be like somebody pooping their pants and then people looking at it and saying, Oh, that's modern art. Don't you understand?
BRZEZINSKI, MARCH 6: This is not funny. This is really bad. Just for the record, we're all really nervous.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
(BEGIN JOE SCARBOROUGH MUSIC CLIP, "MYSTIFIED"/LOW ENERGY PUNDIT RECORDS)
HANNITY: So where was the outrage, where was the condemnation when they were calling the president these names -- schmuck, liar, thug, unfit? Well, apparently, the media is only offended, selective moral outrage when they are the ones that are being attacked.
Now, of course, liberal Joe, Mika are not alone here. You have the rest of the destroy Trump media -- they haven't held anything back, including lying when it comes to bashing and smearing and slandering President Trump. Take a look. We've got all the video evidence you need.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
VAN JONES, CNN, MAY 18: Now he's President Snowflake, OK? Everything he -- "Oh, they're mean to me and they don't like me and I just don't understand it and it's not fair!"
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC, MAY 19: He's there with his wife. He's there with his whole family, as I say, like the Romanovs. He's got -- he's got Jared, who might be a part of this story, hint, hint. And he's got his daughter, Ivanka. It's like a traveling royal Romanov family!
MATTHEWS, MSNBC, JAN. 20: When he said today "America first," it was not just the racial -- I mean, the -- I shouldn't say racial, the Hitlerian background to it.
VAN JONES, CNN, OCT. 19, 2016: This is a very sad night for the country. You can't polish this turd.
DON LEMON, CNN, JAN 11: He called you fake news, what if you had called him a fake president?
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: What did I say in 2007 and '08? Journalism in America is dead. Do you need any more proof? Now, there is a massive, glaring double standard in play here. The destroy Trump media -- they get to say pretty much anything they want about the president, make up lies, make up conspiracies, attack his family, attack his 11-year-old son, attack the first daughter, attack the first lady, attack anyone who dares to be associated with the president!
But if the president ever fights back, "Oh, that's unfair." And they lose it! And they claim Donald Trump is trying to trample the First Amendment and is one step away from dictatorship. This is beyond ridiculous. I don't even believe that they're outraged.
And by the way, they deserve to get hit back because they've been so mean, vile, vicious and lying themselves. And by the way, you, the American people, are not being served here. Enough is enough. The mainstream media has no credibility. By the way, did they ever admit and apologize that they were colluding with Hillary Clinton in the campaign? Of course not. Did they ever come forward and say they were completely wrong about Trump- Russia collusion? Of course not. Are they still pushing their bizarre black helicopter conspiracy theories? Now they've doubled down on it, as they've doubled down on their vicious and vile rhetoric.
And by the way, they just can't stop with these attacks! It's only getting worse. Now, many in the mainstream media are still just refusing to accept the reality that you, the American people, wanted and voted for Donald Trump and his agenda. You wanted him to be president. They're still angry you didn't vote the way they wanted you to. And by the way, something they thought was impossible.
Here's the point tonight. The destroy Trump media -- they're a bunch of crybaby whiners. They can't handle return fire. Oh, it only goes in one direction in their world. President Trump has disrupted what is the monopoly that they have had for decades. And by the way, what we're seeing is like a little baby throwing a fit and a temper tantrum.
And the truth is, the president -- he doesn't need the media. President can reach 100 million-plus Americans on social media all on his own. He can do rallies all on his own. He can find all the other ways to connect with you, the American people, rather than having what he says distorted by them, by an extremely biased and hostile press.
So why should he trust the propaganda media that lies about him, makes up conspiracies about him, attacks his family? Just look at all the corrections, all the retractions, the countless outlets that have had to issue these retractions one after another.
They have earned the single fake news moniker they deserve. They have earned the criticism they've gotten. And here's a truth that they'll never tell you. Members of the media are lazy. They're cheap. They follow each other. They're all overpaid -- by the way, me included, overpaid -- rigidly ideological, in their case, partisan propaganda hacks. They claim to be objective. They're not.
And by the way, they are watching any relevancy they thought they once had evaporate and disappear. They don't care about truth anymore. They don't care about facts anymore. They don't care about being fair anymore. They are driven by an agenda.
And by the way, they have a common goal, to damage, delegitimize and ultimately get this president thrown out of office. And by the way, it's why they're ignoring the six massive scandals that we are reporting here that are going on right under their noses. We're going to have an update on all of those later tonight with Jay Sekulow.
By the way, they are pathetic. They're disgusting. I've never been to a Washington correspondents' dinner because I've always known these are the people they are. And by the way, it's why the destroy Trump media can no longer be trusted.
Here's my advice to the White House tonight. Ignore liberal Joe and Mika. Who cares about them? Ignore the mainstream media. Go directly to the American people. You have the ability to do that. You figured out that the media's had no credibility left. New Gallup poll, by the way, proves all of this. Trust in media is near all-time lows.
So to the White House, let the media continue, have their temper tantrums, spin new conspiracy theories. They can bubble and fizz like Alka-Seltzer in water every night and continue down this ideological leftist path towards irrelevancy.
Here with reaction, author of the brand-new book, it's number one on Amazon right now, "Rediscovering Americanism and the Tyranny of Progressivism," the great one, Mark Levin.
You know, Mark, I guess this -- at some point, you've just got to say they're going to do what they're going to do. They're liars. They're ideologues. They're vicious and hostile. They can't take a punch. And I just think ignoring them at this point's probably the best solution. Thoughts.
MARK LEVIN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Don't I remember Joe Scarborough in the audience when President Trump was giving his State of the Union address...
HANNITY: Yes.
LEVIN: ... jumping up like a clapping seal over and over and over again? Guy's been to Mar-a-Lago, He's been to the White House. He's been to Trump's State of the Union. I haven't been to any of those things. And now all of a sudden, you know, he's part of a bad lounge act over there at the conga line of left-wing freaks that they call MSNBC. You know, it's nice to know we've finally found where the liberals draw the line, on this tweet by this president. It's nice to know.
You know, they weren't bothered by Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton accused of rape and molesting and sexually attacking women in the Oval Office. They said that was a personal matter. They weren't bothered by Ted Kennedy in Chappaquiddick, the lion of the Senate, right? They weren't bothered by another president who had an affair with a mobster's girlfriend, had an affair with an East German spy and with an underage intern.
I get it. The liberals and the Murrows (ph), they're all worked up and they're very upset about it. The only reason I object to what the president did with this tweet is because he jacked up the ratings for that nonsensical show that I never watch, Scarborough and Scarborough and company.
But here's the bottom line. You attack a man repeatedly who is a proud man, who is an accomplished man, who is a man's man. You attack him personally. You attack him for his looks. You attack him for his genitalia. And at some point, a man's going to stand up. You want him to act presidential? Then you have respect for the office of the president!
I'm not saying he should have tweeted that, but it's not the end of the world that he did tweet it, either! So the bottom line is, MSNBC has a problem. From morning to night, it's the same damn show with different people, different dresses, different suits. It's the same thing. Same with CNN. The only reason CNN has ratings, because every damn airport you go to, it's up there. I don't know what's going on in the bars and everything!
(LAUGHTER)
LEVIN: CNN is at the airport. You go, Well, where's FOX?
(LAUGHTER)
LEVIN: So I think this is a lot to do about nothing, this tweet, but I think the media has a big problem, not because of me and you, because the public really hates the media.
HANNITY: You know...
LEVIN: And they hate the media because they're not getting the facts.
HANNITY: This is now I think a transformational moment, on a really serious note. You know, there's a reason your book is number one on Amazon and all your books have been number one. There's a reason talk radio has seen an incredible resurgence in the last three years. And you know, frankly, you know, a lot of nights, we're number one in all of cable right here on this show thanks to those wonderful audiences because people are seeking out outlets. They know they have choices. They don't have to sit there and be lied to and propagandized every night the way they are!
LEVIN: No, and that's right. And you know, it's not just Trump, although I've never seen anything like this before. Look at the way they treated Sarah Palin. Absolute disgrace! They still do at the New York Times. Look at what they've done. Look at the way they treated Reagan. He was done, he was a B actor, one of the greatest presidents in American history.
Republicans are dumb and they're incompetent and they're immoral. Liberal Democrats are smart and moral and the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The people are onto this now. This is why I said the other night on your program it is very important that Trump continue to engage the media. He can think about the way he wants to tweet, whether it actually makes sense. But they really -- they're not -- it's not that they're upset about this tweet. They don't want him tweeting anymore! They don't want him to go over their heads! They don't want him to go around them. Trump himself said, Look, 1 out of 10, I screw up. OK, 1 out of 10 he screws up. That's a better average than the media, now, isn't it!
HANNITY: Yes, that's true. And by the way, I'm all in favor of the president tweeting. You know, I'm with you. 90 percent we can live with. And other 10 percent occasionally. But I don't blame him for -- listen, if I was attacked -- there's something personal with Joe and Mika.
And I just think -- frankly, I would -- nobody watches their show, Mark. I mean, they've got the lowest rated show basically in cable. They've got zero audience. The only people they seem to talk to are their friends. And they don't have any impact or significance. They seem emotionally unbalanced together on the show every morning, you know, calling the president a schmuck, calling the president a liar, a thug, a goon, an idiot...
LEVIN: Let me -- let me just say...
HANNITY: You know, there's -- there's...
LEVIN: ... they would never...
HANNITY: ... anti-Trump anthem video is a little creepy.
LEVIN: They would never say that about Barack Obama ever. They'd never say that about any Democrat ever. But Trump is different. They can get away with it. You know what? That's NBC and MSNBC that tolerate this lounge act as their morning show with their grotesque comments, and so forth. They've got a personal agenda. It's obvious. Joe Scarborough, as I said, he's at the State of the Union. He's at the White House. He's at Mar-a-Lago. And now, all of a sudden, the president's a thug and he's a this and a -- by the way, Joe...
HANNITY: Maybe he got rejected.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVIN: Maybe so. But he likes to call people names.
HANNITY: all right...
LEVIN: I'm not president. Let me try this one. You ever see the little banjo player...
HANNITY: Real quick.
LEVIN: ... on the bridge in the movie "Deliverance?"
HANNITY: Yes.
LEVIN: That guy looks like Joe Scarborough! Tell me. Doesn't he?
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: All right...
LEVIN: You put it side-by-side.
HANNITY: We'll put it side-by-side the next time -- all right, we got to roll. Number one...
LEVIN: God bless.
HANNITY: ... Amazon, Hannity -- Amazon.com, Hannity.com, book stores everywhere, "Rediscovering Americanism," the great one, Mark Levin. Thank you sir.
When we come back on this busy news night, we get more reaction to the media's war against the president. Laura Ingraham will join us tonight.
And also later, an update on our "Hannity" investigation into the six massive scandals that the media refuse to cover, and by the way, Democrats don't want you to know about. Jay Sekulow will be here to respond.
Also, Ari Fleischer is one of two White House press secretaries now saying it's time to end the dog-and-pony show that is the White House daily press briefing. He is here tonight, along with Sara Carter from Circa News. And a very important mini monologue about a once respected news anchor who is now toeing Jeff Zucker's anti-Trump company line over at the fake news network, CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: And welcome back to "Hannity." Now, we just outlined in the "Opening Monologue" of our show how the destroy Trump media is now waging an all-out war against President Trump. But there's another side of this. They are also purposely ignoring and distorting his accomplishments. And we're going to put them up on the side of our screen so you can see them yourself.
Here now with reaction, editor-in-chief Lifezette, FOX News contributor, nationally syndicated radio talk show host, the one and only Laura Ingraham. Great to see you, Laura. The stock market's doing well. A quarter growth of 3.2 percent?
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you, Sean.
HANNITY: You know, I see -- let's see, stock market is doing well. The economy's turning around. It was predicted today we might have a quarter growth of 3.2 percent, gutting Obama-era regulations, Neil Gorsuch, a promise made, promise kept...
INGRAHAM: Illegal immigration down. Illegal immigration down.
HANNITY: Fifty, sixty percent. That's correct.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
HANNITY: I mean -- thoughts.
INGRAHAM: This is all good stuff. And there have been a lot of things happening on the trade front, as well. We finally got our cattle and our beef producers in the United States -- first time in decades they can actually sell in China, which might seem small to people on the East Coast, but actually, people in the Midwest and West, it's really important to them.
So there have been a lot of great things happening. And of course, the media want to focus on the Russia obsession or what -- what some MSNBC hosts and what Trump responded to. The fact of the matter is, the country is doing better. It will do a lot better once Republicans in Congress actually deliver bills to the president that he can sign that are actually consistent with the agenda that he ran on.
And think about -- think about how much better our country will be if we do a tax cut, maybe next year tax reform, we get this "Obama care" repealed and replaced. That alone will send this economy into the stratosphere. I mean...
HANNITY: Neil Gorsuch.
INGRAHAM: ... amazing.
HANNITY: By the way, and energy, right?
INGRAHAM: Yes. Great speech today by the president on energy, about what's going to be possible now in the United States because of the deregulatory moves that are also balancing environmental concerns, contrary to the "sky is falling" mentality that you hear on the usual cable channels.
So all this good stuff is happening. I think a lot of the hot air on these other networks or the bloviating everyone's screaming about...
HANNITY: You know...
INGRAHAM: ... Trump this or Trump that, I think most Americans, Sean, really tune it out. I don't think it affects most people's lives.
HANNITY: I think they are now.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
HANNITY: I think they might have -- for a while, and then they began to hear no evidence, no evidence, no evidence, no evidence, and they began to shake their heads and realize they were being lied to.
You know, but we put up on the side of the screen -- I can't even think of a single instance where I've turned on another news channel and they've talked about the president's accomplishments, ever. They don't talk about it.
INGRAHAM: Yes. Do you notice that the major networks did virtually nothing on Kate's law or on...
HANNITY: Right.
INGRAHAM: ... no sanctuaries for criminals act, both introduced today. The Democrats are really in a bind on Kate's law because, of course, how could you possibly, possibly say that we shouldn't up the penalties and expedite the deportation of repeat violent felonious illegal immigrants in the United States? It's crazy. How can you not be for that? But they're actually against the sanctuary bill that was introduced today. This is good stuff, but they do not want to cover that because they know it's popular. They don't want to touch it. So they'll stay on Russia or...
HANNITY: All right...
INGRAHAM: ... or Mika Brzezinski or one of those stories.
HANNITY: I would be -- I'd be totally negligent as a host if I didn't appeal to the sarcastic, iconoclastic side of Laura Ingraham.
INGRAHAM: Uh-oh.
HANNITY: Sometimes I appeal to your attorney side. No, no, no. I like you best when you're sarcastic -- and not ask you about liberal Joe, the president's a schmuck, a thug, a goon, a liar, an idiot, pooping pants, and I think the most bizarre, the creepiest thing of all is this anthem anti- Trump music video. All right, no, you have to -- no laughing allowed. I want to hear your most sarcastic...
INGRAHAM: OK.
HANNITY: I watched this, and it's creepy!
INGRAHAM: No, no, no. Joe (sic), I saw your segment last night on that video. I had not seen the video. I'd only played the audio with dogs howling in the background. And first of all, does the word "flat" -- "vocally flat" mean anything to you? OK. If you can't hold a tune and you really can't play the guitar very well, you're not really a musician, OK? So I wrote a book called "Shut Up and Sing." We just have to have a new edition just called "Shut Up," OK, just shut up.
HANNITY: All right. Laura Ingraham...
INGRAHAM: It's so bad.
HANNITY: ... good to see you.
INGRAHAM: It's so bad.
HANNITY: So -- it really -- it's so -- it's -- I'm embarrassed for them. Anyway, thanks, Laura Ingraham.
Coming up next, breaking news night, an update, "Hannity" investigation, the six massive scandals the media is not covering, Democrats do not want you to know about. But people may go to jail. Jay Sekulow here with reaction.
And later tonight, two former White House press secretaries are saying it's time to end the dog-and-pony show spectacle that is known as the White House press briefing. Ari Fleischer is one of them. He will join us. Also Sara Carter from Circa News.
And also tonight, which one so-called respected news anchor is now toeing the line over at the fake news network of Jeff Zucker and given up pretty much all principle and honor? We'll explain. Our mini monologue tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARIANNE RAFFERTY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Live from America's news headquarters, I'm Marianne Rafferty.
A high ranking member of the Obama administration will soon testify about Russian involvement during the 2016 presidential election. Former national security advisor Susan Rice has been accused of unmasking the names of Americans in contact with Russian officials during that time. She has denied any wrongdoing but Rice has never formally answered questions from lawmakers. The House Intelligence Committee hopes to hear her testimony before its August recess.
Meanwhile, House Republicans taking action Thursday to crackdown on illegal immigrants and the cities that shelter them. The House passed a bill that would deny federal grants to so-called sanctuary cities. The other legislation known as Kate's law would increase the penalties for deported aliens who try to return to the U.S. Both bills still need approval.
I'm Marianne Rafferty. Now back to "Hannity."
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Now, tonight we have more on our "Hannity" investigation into what are the six most important scandals that the media in this country is not covering and Democrats, they don't want you to know about. We are going to put them up right there on the side of the screen. Joining us now with reaction, the chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, also an attorney for the president, Jay Sekulow is with us.
Let's start with, of course, President Obama knowing in August of 2016 of Russian meddling and does nothing.
JAY SEKULOW, AMERICAN CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE: This is what, I mean, if you just look at the facts of this situation. So the previous president, President Obama, knows that there was, getting intelligence reports about Russian meddling in the elections, does nothing. Why does he do nothing of any significance? Well, because he, quote, doesn't want to get involved in the election which really was code word for they thought Hillary Clinton was going to win the election. She doesn't. Donald Trump ends up becoming president of the United States.
So we've got a special counsel now investigating information about Russia activities in the election which the previous administration already had intelligence on. Why are they investigating -- why don't they investigate the fact that the previous administration did nothing when they had this information because the other information evidently was known, whatever it is? This is what makes no sense.
HANNITY: And what about Loretta Lynch's obstruction, tarmac meetings, it's not an investigation, it's a matter, and maybe she put the kibosh on any possible indictment?
SEKULOW: Look, the fact is we now know Loretta Lynch is being called before the Senate Intelligence Committee with a series of questions, and these are serious questions, about the statements to the FBI director like this is an investigation, call it a matter, just do it. And of course you've got the whole situation, which it's always been perplexing to anybody that was trying to look at this why she would allow herself to put yourself in a situation where she had a meeting with the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, while his wife was the target of an investigation or matter, as they call it. And --
HANNITY: Is there a chance she obstructed?
SEKULOW: Excuse me?
HANNITY: And we need an investigation into whether she obstructed.
SEKULOW: Of course.
HANNITY: What about James Comey? Did Comey when he leaked to the "New York Times" government material, did he violate the Records Act in your view?
SEKULOW: Yes, multiple times. Not just the Records Act, by the way.
But let me just say this on James Comey. Here's one thing we do know about all of this. The only one that was engaged in illegal conduct that we're aware of is who? James Comey who took his notes from the president of the United States, a meeting he had with the president, put them in his government computer, in his government vehicle, put them in his government desk, and then releases them after he's terminated from his job to a friend of his to leak them to "The New York Times" because he was afraid that the media was already camping out and he wouldn't be able to get away for the weekend or whatever his story was. How in world is James -- look, here's the thing with James Comey. If this was a regular FBI that leaked their form 302 after they got fired, there would be FBI agents visiting them. But that's not apparently what happened here. So hopefully they are investigating. They need to be.
HANNITY: We've talked about Mueller and we've talked about Flynn and the Espionage Act, so let's just stay on the last thing. I think the person that will be in the most legal jeopardy with the pay to play scheme, Uranium One deal, email server, certainly the mishandling of classified information and destruction of, which are felonies, is Hillary Clinton. Will she likely be in jeopardy legally? Because evidence is incontrovertible she committed felonies.
SEKULOW: And it's going to be dependent upon whether they actually close the case as to her or not with the formal closing or not. And the statute of limitations issue is really not a problem there. So the question is, is there a grand jury investigating this? Yes, they can. But the question is, is there a grand jury investigation actually going on in this, because if you look at the totality of the circumstances, and we've been talking about this, Sean, for a year. None of this makes any legal sense. I understand the media discussion about it, but the legal sense that there's never -- James Comey's explanation for why he didn't want to proceed with the case -- and by the way, usurping -- even if the attorney general was conflicted out, which he clearly was and it would have been the deputy attorney general, but usurping all of that, inexcusable. That whole process with James Comey was inexcusable, absolutely.
HANNITY: All right, we've got to run. Thank you, Jay, appreciate it.
Coming up next on this busy breaking news night, two former White House press secretary now saying it's not time to change the circus at the daily White House press briefing. One of the two men behind the movement, Ari Fleischer, will join us along with Sara Carter from "Circa News."
And also tonight, we revealed the CNN anchor under the direction of Jeff Zucker who is sounding a false alarm on President Trump's treatment of the press. Stay with us on this busy news night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." So the destroy-Trump media has been complaining yet again about White House press briefings not being televised. Yesterday two former press secretary to presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton said that the White House should embargo all video from press briefings.
President Bush's press secretary, Ari Fleischer tweeted out "We support no live TV coverage of White House briefing. Embargo it. Let it be used, but not as live TV. Better for the public, the White House, and the press." Here with reaction, CircaNews.com Sara Carter and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
Here's my take on it. They all want to get their clip of the night of them being tough, them grilling, in this case poor Sean Spicer or Sarah Huckabee Sanders. It's vicious. And I don't think it's productive and I don't think the American people are getting anything out of it unless you want to watch a remake of Morton Downey.
ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Sean, the fact is most White House reporters get their news now from briefing. They get their news from phone calls and other ways reporters dig for information. The briefing is a TV show and it's been one for years. And Mike McCurry and I have argued this point even before Donald Trump took office. Stop the live coverage. Stop the red-hot TV show from taking place in which both the press secretary and the press posture and peacock for the cameras as opposed to a serious briefing.
(LAUGHTER)
FLEISCHER: It's far better --
HANNITY: Is that what it is, peacocking?
FLEISCHER: -- live TV. Mike makes the point, Mike McCurry, that when the camera was behind him, the obvious point was to get a video of a reporter acting enraged or engaged. And Mike said why are we letting them do that? So this was actually Mike's idea to turn the cameras off for live coverage so reporters don't do that anymore. And I think he's right.
HANNITY: Sara, I actually have a different idea, and it would be this. Let the reporters send in the night before, early in the morning, 6:00, 7:00, their top questions of the day, top three questions from every person. Put them all together, get the top 15 or 20 issues they want answered. Give the 40 some odd people in the press office time to give a thoughtful, well thought out answer. Pass these answers out before the press briefing, and then if they have questions specifically about what was sent to them, then they can get a little deeper into it. Why not do it in an intelligent way that's informative and gives people time to respond, not gotcha?
SARA CARTER, REPORTER, "CIRCA NEWS": Well, that's what happens sometimes when we are working on stories. We give people time for fair comment. And we're digging, we're digging those facts. But, Sean, I don't think the White House press corps is going to buy that. They want to be able to ask whatever question they want on the moment, on the fly. But I have to agree with Ari, it has turned into a train wreck and some kind of horrible reality TV show. This isn't just about a mutual relationship where people are sharing ideas or they're asking questions. And Ari is 100 percent right. Most of the time, my idea of investigative reporting is going out there and hitting the beat and calling the sources. It's not going to a press briefing and getting an answer. The story is not there.
HANNITY: Ari, I know it's been bad. I know you dealt with a pretty difficult time. And it was Bush derangement syndrome when you were there. But let's see, MSNBC's morning host called the president a schmuck, a goon, a liar, a thug, an idiot, pooping his pants, and now has gotten into the music industry with an anti-Trump anthem video that is almost psychotic looking. It's pretty bad.
FLEISCHER: It's so much worse now that it was, and it was pretty bad when I was there. It's gotten worse.
But the point that Mike and I are making is we need to have both sides take a break. There ought to be a truce now. And the truce is best for calming down the atmosphere. The point here is if the briefing isn't on live TV, reporters have a lot less incentive to posture and do the things they do so they can ask the same question 17 different ways and they're tougher than the next guy so they can get an answer. They will just move on. It's not live coverage anymore.
HANNITY: The media is now invested to try to take this guy down. I appreciate both of you.
When we come back on this breaking news night, we will reveal the longtime CNN host who is now joining his comrades at the fake news network to whine about President Trump's treatment of the press. You don't want to miss a very important mini monologue. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Now, the sky is falling over at CNN, this according to a brand-new narrative being pushed by the chicken little himself, CNN's fake news director, the chief over there, Jeff Zucker. Sadly, even longtime host Wolf Blitzer of all people, now he is toeing the company line and sounding an imaginary alarm about President Trump and his treatment of the press. Now, we are calling out Blitzer tonight and everyone else wrapped up in CNN's faux hysteria. That is tonight's mini monologue.
Last night poor Wolf Blitzer, he raised the possibility that Trump's treatment of the liberal media could be so dangerous. Really? Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": You met with Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You're meeting with the White House communications team. Have you raised the concern that all of us in the news media have about the president calling all of us enemies of the American people, because that is a very, very harsh statement and potentially very dangerous?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Wolf, I don't see ISIS poses, severed heads, which I'll get to in a second. Now, of course Blitzer's freak out is just the latest example of the CNN pundits that want to keep their jobs pretending America's freedom of the press is in danger. No, it's not. Now, naturally this includes their chief White House correspondent, he is almost as unhinged as liberal Joe, Jim Acosta. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What we are witnessing right now is just this erosion of our freedoms in terms of covering the president of the United States. This issue of turning off the cameras in the briefing room, Wolf, I could hold up my phone tomorrow and live stream that press briefing with Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders, whoever comes in there, and that is just where technology is right now. So to think we are going backwards and not having things on camera to me is just preposterous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: I am so sorry, Jim. You are still whining about the cameras in the White House press briefing room? Maybe it's you. Maybe you just need a hug. Go see Joe and Mika. Sadly Acosta's constant whining and complaining and crying pales in comparison to one CNN morning host who actually believed the president is putting journalists in physical danger. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN ANCHOR: At one point does this become dangerous? And I'm not just talking about dangerous in terms of tearing at the social fabric. I'm talking about dangerous as in a journalist gets hurt, because I can tell you working overseas in warzones, people are emboldened by the actions of this administration, emboldened by the all-out declaration of war on the media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Not true. Pretty unbelievable. Then there's CNN political analyst, "Daily Beast" editor in chief John Avlon who thinks that Trump is doing something sinister, evil. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: When you call critics fake news, let's just think about that for a second. When fake news is a real problem proliferating on the Internet via social media, right, all of sudden what you are doing is a consciously Orwellian switch to try to muddy the meaning of language, muddy the definition of truth versus lies, fact versus fiction. When that's emanating from the Oval Office, that is something that's real sinister and we've got to keep an eye on as a country as citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: CNN is fake news. And by the way, here's what's happening. This is all under the direction of Jeff Zucker and now playing the victim. But in reality, the fake news network, CNN, has been aggressively pushing the Russia tinfoil hat conspiracy theories, and there are other blatantly fake news stories. They've been doing it for months in a desperate attempt, for whatever reason, Zucker has destroy-Trump mentality, an agenda.
So will CNN's president, Jeff Zucker, is he going to come out of hiding? Will he ever respond to this? It seems unlikely. Look at what happened when James O'Keefe of Project Veritas actually tracked down Zucker and asked about CNN's abusive and biased coverage. By the way, FOX cannot independently verify the footage, but you can see it yourself. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James O'Keefe, how are you? Do you have a comment about the Russia story? OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Jeff, I will invite you on the program. You can come on my show. We will give you a full half-hour. We will talk about your network and the things said on your network.
By the way, they're the lowest rated network. They have a crisis in credibility, CNN. And their elitist president, by the way, are they ever going to put aside their petty differences with the president? It now seems personal on their part. Maybe start covering him fairly. We report, we'll let you decide. Fair and balanced.
Coming up, we need your help, and this is an important question of the day. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right, time for our important "Question of the Day." It's a simple one. Should the White House end these ridiculous live broadcasts, the dog and pony show press briefing? We want to hear from you. I think they should. Go to Facebook.com/SeanHannity, @SeanHannity on Twitter, let us know what you think.
That is all the time we have left this evening. We hope you'll set your DVR so you never missed an episode of "Hannity," 10:00 eastern. By the way, I'm off for a few days for the Fourth of July. Our good friend Kimberly Guilfoyle will be filling in toward. Always fair and balanced here on "Hannity." Thanks for being with us. Have a great night, great Fourth of July. God bless America.
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