Huckabee: Hillary's going to 'light Bill up' over AG meeting
Former Arkansas governor explains on 'Hannity' that he suspects the Democratic candidate was made 'livid' by her husband's private meeting with Loretta Lynch
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," July 1, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
ERIC BOLLING, GUEST HOST: Welcome to a special edition "Hannity: Clinton Corruption, the Lynch-Clinton Scandal."
I'm Eric Bolling, in for Sean tonight. After igniting a political firestorm by meeting with Bill Clinton while the FBI investigates Hillary Clinton's email server scandal, Attorney General Loretta Lynch is now trying to assure Americans that the criminal probe will be fair and impartial. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORETTA LYNCH, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: As I've always indicated, the matter is being handled by career agents and investigators with the Department of Justice. They will make recommendations as to how to resolve what those facts lead to.
The recommendations will be reviewed by career supervisors in the Department of Justice and in the FBI, and by the FBI director. And then, as is the common process, they present it to me, and I fully expect to accept their recommendations.
JONATHAN CAPEHART, WASHINGTON POST: You're on your plane, and in walks the former president of the United States. What were you thinking at that moment?
(LAUGHTER)
LYNCH: Well, as I've said, you know, he said, Hello, and we -- we basically said, Hello. And I congratulated him on his grandchildren, as people tend to do.
I may have viewed it in a certain light, but the issue is how does it impact the work that I do and the work that the Department of Justice does? And I certainly wouldn't do it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: And last night on Fox News, the reporter who broke this story, ABC's (INAUDIBLE) Christopher Sign, dropped this bombshell about the Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER SIGN, ARIZONA REPORTER: They then make the decision -- "they" meaning the president's team, the former president's team -- they wait for her to land. She arrives. Some people step off of her plane. The former president steps into her plane.
They then speak for 30 minutes privately, the FBI there on the tarmac instructing everybody around, no photos, no pictures, no cell phones. He then gets off the plane, gets on his own plane. He departs. She continues on with her planned visit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Here now with reaction are the chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice Jay Sekulow, the president of Judicial Watch, Tom Finton, and my fellow co-host of "The Five" Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Jay, sounds like she's a little complicit in this. If you listen to the laughter, you listen to her, she's an innocent bystander. Oh, yes, we crossed paths. Did they cross paths innocently?
JAY SEKULOW, AMERICAN CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE: Well, no, they didn't -- first of all, this was not like they ran into each other in the FBO (ph) or in the terminal. This was -- someone had an intentional meeting.
And at the end of the day, no matter how that meeting was arranged, the attorney general of the United States, who is the chief law enforcement officer, who is investigating criminally Hillary Clinton -- Bill Clinton could well be a witness if not a defendant himself -- she allows the former president of the United States on her aircraft.
How that was arranged -- irrelevant. It reeks of impropriety, the attorney general today trying to basically talk her way out of what is clearly a breach of trust to the American people, an unethical action on behalf of the attorney general, and laughing about it that they were talking about grandchildren.
This is not funny. This is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. She's violating the internal rules of professional conduct within the Department of Justice. Look, I was a government lawyer. I understand the rules. She understands the rules. She violated them.
BOLLING: K.G., Jay points out it reeks of impropriety, but -- and the legal standard backs him up. It says -- the legal standard being to disqualify a party in a case, not just impropriety itself, but the appearance of impropriety, right?
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST "THE FIVE": Yes. So that's a very low threshold, when you think about it. And this is significant because it does show that there was some contemplation. There was a meeting of the minds, so to speak. It wasn't a quick, casual, How are the grandkids these days? You know, I guess a little bit more of a substantial conversation. She refers to it as primarily about family stuff and grandkids.
But I mean, she should know better. He certainly knows better. And this is part of the deal, you know, with the Clintons. They have this way of exerting their influence, whether it's through a conversation like that, a face-to-face.
I mean, Bill Clinton is certainly someone who could be also called in this investigation since the back half of the investigation against Hillary Clinton is about the improprieties of the global Clinton Foundation, money accepted from other countries, et cetera.
So this is very improper. It's not just about his wife's e-mail server because this is a two-pronged investigation, and he's certainly a part of it.
BOLLING: They want transparency. Hillary has a lack of -- I'll give you some transparency. They believe they're above the law. They're always doing this type of thing!
Hey, Tom, is this part -- did Loretta Lynch say that she's going to come out and -- well, she didn't exactly say she will absolutely, definitely take the FBI recommendation. She say she would fully expect to take it. However, she says she will. The timing of it -- did she do this because we're hearing reports that the FBI agents on this case are furious?
TOM FINTON, JUDICIAL WATCH: Well, they ought to be furious because she made fools of them all, that this witness and potential subject of an investigation just bypassed the whole system and met with the boss, the one making the decision in the end.
By her own admission, she's still going to make the decision in the end as to whether to accept -- she says she'll fully expect to accept it. But that's no guarantee, and frankly I wouldn't expect her to guarantee a certain result without knowing what the result -- what the facts are going to be.
Look, she blew up this investigation, and I don't really know how to fix it. But she blew it up, and there's got to be consequences. That's why we asked for an IG investigation.
Eric, we had testimony this week from Huma Abedin, Mrs. Clinton's top aide, one of her top aides at the State Department. She said she called up Justin Cooper, Bill Clinton's employee, to get her e-mail address on the Clinton e-mail server that was set up by Bill Clinton employee. The e-mail server supposedly was in Bill Clinton's home, in his basement. And this man is meeting with the attorney general?
BOLLING: Right, right.
FINTON: This Justice Department, by the way, is a disaster. They've been in court, by the way, defending Hillary Clinton's use of this e-mail system while prosecutors supposedly are criminally investigating it!
BOLLING: Jay, talk to us about this theory or this feeling, Oh, you know, it was just a meeting (INAUDIBLE) or pat on the back or someone describe -- James over here described it -- hey, it's kind of -- it's almost like the "Sopranos" style of, Oh, let's just meet for a minute, talk about the kids, with a wink.
GUILFOYLE: Right.
SEKULOW: Well, here's the thing. I mean, first of all, I think this thing's a faux investigation. I mean, at the end of the day -- not that the FBI is not trying to do their job and James Comey trying to do their job. But what the attorney general did today or this week was sabotage that investigation, exactly what Tom and Kim said. It sabotaged it. That's number one.
Number two, it's the ministry (ph) of presence. Bill Clinton's presence on that aircraft, a government aircraft controlled by the United States of America, sends a signal. They may have talked about their kids or his golf game. It does not matter! It's his conduct, not what his heart was, not what her heart was, not her emotions, how she felt about her grandchildren. Doesn't matter!
She is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, and she allows on that aircraft, as the staff leave, purportedly, and has conversations with someone that could well be, if not is, a target, direct target of this investigation!
Eric, let me take it one step further. She needs to go! She certainly should have recused herself. She did not. She should then resign. If she doesn't, the president should fire her.
(CROSSTALK)
SEKULOW: This is the attorney general of the United States. She's not acting like an attorney or a general, frankly.
BOLLING: K.G., President Clinton appointed Loretta Lynch.
GUILFOYLE: Yes.
BOLLING: Should he fire her?
GUILFOYLE: Well, yes, right, I'm sure. It seems like he was definitely sending a shot across the bow, face to face Clinton-style to exert influence.
But listen, this isn't even a close call for me. She should recuse herself, and I say this as a former officer of the court. I'm a former prosecutor. And I'll tell you, if we ever had the audacity to try and have an ex parte communication with a judge or a member of a jury, you would be in huge trouble. It is highly improper. It's not a close call. She knows better. He knows better as an attorney.
And there's already some impropriety in the fact that he has appointed her before, and yet she's supposed to impartially investigate not only his wife but his foundation? I mean, come on! He's certainly the subject that they would want to talk to, as well, as this proceeds forward. That's why the FBI is furious!
BOLLING: Hey, Tom, I only have a few seconds here. Tell us about the timing of Loretta Lynch's statement, Friday before a long weekend. They tend to do these things because they know the news cycle kind of gets buried with the weekend news, with the holiday.
GUILFOYLE: Fourth of July.
FINTON: I mean, it's an attempt to squelch the story, and it's not going to work. You know, one of the reasons we have these rules is to prevent this situation from occurring, this blowing up of the investigation.
GUILFOYLE: Exactly.
FINTON: Arguably, you know, this woman now is a witness in the case.
(CROSSTALK)
SEKULOW: I'd move to recuse her from the case if I was the defense lawyers, frankly. I mean, this -- the whole -- one other thing, Eric. If Kim did this, Tom did it, or I did it, we could be disbarred.
BOLLING: All right, we got to leave it right there, guys.
GUILFOYLE: True.
BOLLING: We got a lot more show coming up on this special edition of "Hannity." Thank you, all three, very much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, R-PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: When I first heard the story, I said, No, no, you're kidding. I don't believe that. I thought somebody was joking. But it's not a joke. It's not a joke. It's a very serious thing. And to have a thing like that happen is so sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Donald Trump is slamming the Clintons over Bill's private airport meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Former governor Mike Huckabee is here next with reaction.
And later, Loretta Lynch says she will not recuse herself from the Clinton e-mail investigation despite growing calls to do so.
That and more as this special edition of "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
BOLLING: Welcome back to this special edition of "Hannity: Clinton Corruption, the Lynch-Clinton Scandal."
Earlier today, White House press secretary Josh Earnest made it clear that President Obama is playing no role in the Justice Department's probe into Hillary Clinton's private server. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I will leave it to the attorney general to describe the role that she will play and the process that the Department of Justice will undertake as they conduct this investigation. The president's expectation is that this investigation will be handled just like all the others. He believes that this matter should be handled without regard to politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Meanwhile, Donald Trump blasted Attorney General Lynch's meeting with former president Clinton during a speech earlier today. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Bill Clinton goes in the other day, into an airplane, just happened to be -- oh, just a coincidence, you know. He just happened to be at the airport at this time. Think of it, just happened to be at the airport.
You know, when I first heard the story, I said, No, No, you're kidding. I don't believe it. I thought somebody was joking. But it's not a joke. It's not a joke. It's a very serious thing. And to have a thing like that happen is so sad.
And as you know, Hillary is so guilty. She's so guilty. I mean, you can read them right off here. And how that's not being pursued properly -- and I think that he really -- I think he really opened it up. He opened up a Pandora's box.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Joining me now is former 2015 GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Huck, what is going on with these Democrats? Are they all corrupt?
MIKE HUCKABEE, R-FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: Well, I mean, that's too easy a question to answer, Eric. But let me tell you, the biggest fireworks show in America this weekend is going to be wherever Bill and Hillary get together and sit down and have a conversation about this because I have a feeling that Hillary is going to light Bill up over this meeting.
My guess is she didn't know he was going to do this, and when she found out, she was livid because this makes her look bad, makes Bill look bad, makes Loretta Lynch look bad. Nobody looks good in this thing.
It is a political gift, however, in that it does now call attention to what many people will certainly believe is nothing less than an insider's game and the kind of corruption that is just making people furious and driving them to Donald Trump.
BOLLING: Huck, I'm trying to figure -- I gamed this out all day long. I'm trying to figure out why Loretta Lynch today decided to make the statement about wanting to agree with whatever the FBI comes forth, what they present her, because the way it works is the FBI presents the information, Loretta Lynch decides to indict, call a grand jury or not.
And I'm wondering if maybe they were going to say, You know what? No indictment. Not enough there. And then she's trying to put it on the FBI before that, knowing that this meeting occurred and the world is going to say, Well, wait a minute. If there's no indictment, it's because of the meeting.
HUCKABEE: Well, I think that she put herself in a box. This is twice in the last couple of weeks. Once was after Orlando, when the heavily redacted statement where all of the references were taken away from jihad, and then they had to go back and put them back in and admit maybe they had taken out too much. And now this.
In both cases, it looks like huge missteps by the attorney general just not reading the cards right. And I think that's what's happened.
Now, what she's done by saying, Oh, look, I'll take whatever the FBI deals out -- she essentially is saying, Don't blame me if Hillary gets indicted. And I'm not but sure that deep down in the bowels of the White House, there would be some celebration if Hillary did get indicted because guess what that means? Let's bring in good old Uncle Joe and bring him in to save the Democratic Party.
BOLLING: Or does Bernie Sanders dust off the old campaign playbook and say, all of a sudden, it's overtime, I got another shot here?
HUCKABEE: Yes, suddenly, he cares about her e-mails. I get it.
(LAUGHTER)
HUCKABEE: But look, I do think that Loretta Lynch has put herself in a very tough spot. Let's just assume for a moment that Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch did nothing but socialize for a half an hour on that airplane. Maybe that's true.
But the perception of it stinks to high heaven. It smells worse than potato salad that sat out for a week past the 4th of July.
And I think the other thing we have to just acknowledge is that a huge, big mistake was when the FBI and the various staff members around them said, No photos. You can't take a picture.
I'm sorry, it's a public-owned airplane in a public space. And the authorities cannot say to people, You're not allowed to photograph a publicly owned, financed airplane in a public place unless there's some national security concern, and I cannot for the life of me imagine what that would be.
BOLLING: Let's talk a little politics here. So there's a chance that Bill Clinton was just thinking, Hey, you know, this is the way we do business in D.C. all the time. This is old school politics. Trump has run on, I'm different. I'm not one of them. I want to run the country differently. Maybe there's an opportunity, an opening, for Donald Trump to use this and exploit it.
HUCKABEE: Well, I think that there really is. It is the way -- I mean, politicians, despite all of the -- sometimes the rancor, there is sort of a camaraderie. And I'm talking about even between -- let's say when I was in office or when I was a candidate, with other candidates who were my opponents.
We'd have kind moments, and I've bumped into people at airports and events, and you'd have nice words. And I understand all of that. And for Bill Clinton, who's probably one of the most gregarious people that anyone has ever met, it is not uncommon that Bill Clinton would have a conversation or that it would last a while.
But what makes this different is that it is in the context of an active investigation about his wife, and so the appearance of it is just absolutely off. And that's why I say I think Hillary is going to rip him a new one this weekend, if, in fact, they get in the same room.
BOLLING: Mike, he can't get away with saying, Oh, I didn't know. He's a very, very smart man.
HUCKABEE: Right. Listen, this guy -- you got to remember, he's a Yale- educated attorney. He was attorney general of Arkansas. Then he was governor for 11 years. Then he was president of the United States. You know, he was a law professor.
I think for him to pretend like, Well, I had no idea that I wasn't supposed to do that -- that's ludicrous. I mean, that is absolutely an indefensible statement on his part. Even though he lost his law license or voluntarily gave it up after the Whitewater and all the other investigations involving Monica Lewinsky, it's not like he forgot that much of what being a lawyer is about. Heck, I don't even have a law license, and I know better than that.
BOLLING: All right, we're going to leave it right there. Huck, thank you so much.
Coming up, Loretta Lynch refuses to recuse herself from the Justice Department's investigation into Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server. What political implications will this have?
Plus, it's scandals like this that make voters not trust Hillary Clinton. You won't believe the percentage of voters who don't think she's honest or trustworthy. Well, you may. But stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORETTA LYNCH, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: A recusal would mean I wouldn't even be briefed on what the findings were or what the actions going forward would be. And while I don't have a role in those findings, in coming up with those findings or making those recommendations as to how to go forward, I'll be briefed on it, and I will be accepting their recommendations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: That was Attorney General Loretta Lynch earlier today explaining why she will not recuse herself from the Hillary Clinton e-mail server investigation. But given the fact that she displayed such horrible judgment by even talking to Bill Clinton, should she resign or be fired?
Joining us now from The Washington Times, Charles Hurt, Fox News contributor Jedediah Bila and former Clinton pollster and Fox News contributor Doug Schoen.
Charles, what do you think? Look, if she -- she says she's not going to recuse herself. Should she? And if she doesn't, would it be advisable for President Obama to say, Time to leave?
CHARLES HURT, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it's absolutely incredible. And you're talking about somebody who has a very good reputation prior to this as a prosecutor and as an attorney. This is a very serious person.
And how it is that she got pulled into this Clinton vortex, I -- I just find it absolutely unfathomable. But whether she does or does not recuse herself at this point is almost a sort of a moot point because, of course, Bill Clinton is not just the wife of the person being investigated.
He's a material witness, and he is an integral part of the investigation because so much of the investigation involved the e-mails between the secretary of state, the State Department, and the Clinton Foundation, of which he's the head. That's the part that I -- I still can't get my head around that.
BOLLING: Yes. And Doug, what I can't get my head around is she's the top law enforcement officer in the country. She should know better, right?
DOUG SCHOEN, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Well, she should know better. He should know better. But let's look at the ultimate impact on the secretary of state. We now have lost, as Democrats, any review by a friendly person, to wit the attorney general. She's made very clear she's stepping away from this investigation.
We know with, I think, substantial certainty that the FBI and career prosecutors are much more likely to recommend indictment than would be the political appointees or the attorney general herself.
BOLLING: Jedediah, in 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder recused himself on an investigation that secretly -- about the AP phone records. In 2008, Michael Mukasey did it. In 2003, John Ashcroft did it. In 1999, Janet Reno did it.
It's not an unprecedented thing to recuse yourself from a high-profile investigation, is it?
JEDEDIAH BILA, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: It's not. And she should do that. And let's be clear about this. Bill Clinton knows exactly what he's doing. He knows that he's Bill Clinton. And this is what he does. He thinks he's above the law. The Clintons always think there's a separate set of rules for them. He's done this repeatedly, this kind of nonsensical behavior, and he gets away with it.
So his assumption is, A, that the entire public is dumb and we're going to sit back here and say, Oh, two investigations under way, one into the Clinton Foundation and one into your wife's e-mails, they must have been talking about golf! I mean they think everybody's a dummy.
And then for the people who are smart, they think, Well, they'll just have to sit back and take it because this is what we do and this is how we get ahead, and we do it successfully every time.
So it's a bunch of nonsense. She absolutely should recuse herself. It looks ridiculous. The only good that can come of this, I think, is that it exposes the Clintons to people for who they really are, which is people who believe that the rules are one way for everybody else and there's a separate way for them and that they expect to get away from it in spite the truth.
Even if you guys know it, you little people out there, you follow the rules. We, the Clintons, don't have to. So congratulations, guys. for exposing yourselves for who you are yet again!
BOLLING: Exposing themselves but I think it was that reporter who exposed it, Charles, right? What about that guy? Good thing he was paying attention, saw one private jet come in, saw the other waiting and saw the meeting.
BILA: Yes. (INAUDIBLE)
HURT: Oh, yes. They -- this is not the story that they wanted out there. There's no doubt. But Jedediah is exactly right. You know, this does expose them. But the problem is, they've been exposing themselves for 25 years on the national public stage. And so it sort of -- it's kind of like Groundhog Day to have this, you know, going on again.
(LAUGHTER)
HURT: But the problem with Bill Clinton -- and I think that he's almost aided by telling a whopper that under any other circumstances, you simply wouldn't believe it. And the more outlandish the lie is, the better he is at pushing it.
And that's what he -- and he's -- and the idea that he would go into a private plane with Loretta Lynch, under -- knowing full well that there was no way something like this could be kept out of the -- eventually out of the public eye, it reveals just how reckless he is, as well as the disregard he has for what anybody thinks.
BOLLING: Doug, do we -- are we expected to believe that Bill Clinton really waited -- just wanted to have a discussion with Loretta Lynch about his brand-new grandchild?
SCHOEN: I don't think, frankly, that, knowing Bill Clinton, having worked with him, that he did anything but. That being said, it was very bad judgment. If he wanted to...
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: Doug, Doug, hold on...
HURT: If he wanted to send messages, he could have.
BOLLING: You're saying that this actually happened the way it's being portrayed...
SCHOEN: Yes.
BOLLING: ... that Bill Clinton waited for Loretta Lynch to talk to her about his grandchild.
SCHOEN: Yes, I think he did. And I think it was bad judgment. And I think...
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: Come on!
SCHOEN: Look, I've worked with him. None of you have. I know them. He operates that way. It was a big mistake. It could cost Hillary in the polls and at the courthouse. And I know that there were other ways he could have operated if he wanted to send a message. That's what I know. That's what I believe based on 25 years with the Clintons.
BOLLING: Very quickly, Jed, last thought.
BILA: Yes. Two investigations under way. I'm going to give Bill Clinton a little bit more credit. I'm going to say he's very intelligent. He's politically very savvy, and I think he had a lot more to say to her about some important stuff on the table rather than his grandkids and golf.
He probably could have figured out a way to get that message to her some way else. I think he really wanted to be on that plane for a reason.
BOLLING: I don't know. I don't have. Send her an Instagram, maybe...
(CROSSTALK)
BILA: Yes, take a photo!
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: Coming up, it shouldn't be a surprise why most Americans don't trust Hillary Clinton. According to the latest Fox News poll, only 30 percent think she's honest and trustworthy. That's next.
Plus, sources tell Fox news that FBI agents are furious over Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch's private meeting. We'll speak with a former FBI agent and the former Secret Service officer who worked in the Clinton White House.
That and more as this special edition of "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PATRICIA STARK, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: This is a Fox News alert. I'm Patricia Stark.
An update on a hostage situation in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Right now roughly 100 police commandos are storming a popular restaurant where as many as 35 people are being held hostage. At least one hostage has escaped. ISIS is claiming responsibility and they have posted pictures online claiming to show victims of the attack. Two policemen have been killed. Two dozen others at the scene were treated for injuries.
Earlier security forces moved in troops and armored vehicles into the area around that restaurant. The State Department saying all U.S. citizens assigned there are accounted for. Others were being told to shelter in place. Again reports from the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka say police are storming a restaurant where as many as 35 people are being held hostage, ISIS taking credit.
I'm Patricia Stark, and now back to "Hannity."
ERIC BOLLING, FOX NEWS HOST: Welcome back to this special edition of "Hannity: Clinton Corruption: The Lynch-Clinton Scandal." Brand new Fox polls released this week show how voters really feel about the presumptive Democratic nominee -- 66 percent say they do not think Clinton can be described as honest and trustworthy, and 58 percent of voters think that "corrupt" is a word that describes Hillary Clinton.
Here now with reaction are from the polling company, Kellyanne Conway, she also now works for the Trump campaign, and Democratic strategy Jessica Tarlov. All right, 30 percent, Kellyanne, say that she's honest and trustworthy. I'm not shocked it's that low. I'm shocked it's that high.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISOR AND POLLSTER: And she's really got nowhere to go on it. The numbers have actually gone down since she announced her candidacy a year ago, and then since she became the nominee within this last month. So this is even somebody who has had an opportunity to reconnect with the American electorate, and I think the more she bashes Donald Trump, the worse she's actually doing.
I would rather be him than her right now because if you look at the attributes testing, he kills it on strong leadership. And that's what Americans are taking into the polls this time. They're talking about terrorism, national security, tougher on the economy. They just want us to be more respected around the world.
The Clinton people are looking at the attributes testing, Eric, and they want this to be about, quote, "qualifications and experience and temperament." But the voters decide what's most important to them, and right now they're truly looking for a strong, tough leader.
BOLLING: All right, Jess, what about it? So the knock on Hillary Clinton has been honest and trustworthy for more than a year now, and these things keep happening to her. At some point where you say there's a ton of smoke, there's fire. She can't be honest and trustworthy, can she, with all these scandals?
JESSICA TARLOV, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER AND STRATEGIST: Well, I think that she can, and Politifact has said as much. I would like to draw attention to the fact that only 34 percent of Americans say that Donald Trump is honest and trustworthy. So that's four percent more than Hillary Clinton, but it's still not good. And while Kellyanne said she's rather be Donald Trump right now, I wouldn't be Donald Trump. He's lost nine points with men since May. He's lost 10 points with white Americans without a college degree, eight points for the Republicans. Right now only 74 percent of Republicans back him, down from 82 percent.
BOLLING: We're talking about honest and trustworthy.
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: I will talk about it.
BOLLING: Hey, Jess, 34 versus 30. The old baseball saying, a win is a win.
CONWAY: This is what Democrats always do, Eric. You ask them a question about Hillary Clinton, and they try to make the segue about Donald Trump. So let's talk about Donald Trump in the Fox News poll, Jessica. He is winning by double digits among men. He is winning by double digits among whites. He is winning Republicans. He is winning middle class voters and middle age voters, and he is winning dominantly the people who say national security and terrorism is their number one issue.
Barack Obama is going to go on this, you know, whistle stop tour with Hillary Clinton and try to superglue himself to her, and the majority of Americans according to Fox News polls say they disapprove of his handling of gun control, terrorism, you name it, he's down in those numbers.
TARLOV: Barack Obama is down in those numbers. Let's talk about Barack Obama's approval rating.
(CROSSTALK)
TARLOV: I take issue with the fact that you're saying this is just what Democrats do. I was asked about honesty and trustworthiness and I was directing it to the fact that Donald Trump is not trusted as well. It is a race to the bottom right now. You say he's leading in double digits with men. But he's losing ground. You're a pollster. You know the trend line is headed down.
CONWAY: Then why isn't she at 60 percent? If all this, as you all keep saying is true, why is this woman not at 60 percent, 70 percent among women?
BOLLING: Jess, let me -- honest and trustworthy. Let's stay on this topic.
CONWAY: And corrupt. And corrupt.
BOLLING: She's still under FBI investigation.
TARLOV: She is.
CONWAY: And who knows? On Tuesday, she may be indicted. We have no idea what's going to go on.
Let me ask you this, Jess. Would you trust the Clintons to manage your 401(k)?
TARLOV: Well, I would. I'm terrible with money, so they must be better than I am, and they have a lot of money.
BOLLING: So how bad could it be?
CONWAY: Jessica, you work harder.
BOLLING: If they only steal 30 or 40 or lose 30, 40 percent, that's better than usual.
TARLOV: No. Come on. I know there are honesty problems here. I know she lied about how the server was handled and she said it was she would be on one device, and we know that that isn't true. These things are out there and they're there for the public to absorb. I just take issue with people saying it's only her. Donald Trump has this problem as well. That's why I say it's unfortunately a race to the bottom here. And we will see, as Kellyanne said --
BOLLING: So Kellyanne, Jessica makes a very good point. Why are Donald Trump's untrustworthies where they all right now also? She's mired in scandals. He's not mired in scandals. Why -- what's with the trustworthy number on the Republican side?
CONWAY: It's a great question, Eric. It's for a very different reason. Hers really is embedded in even smart and honest Democrats like Jessica admitting that she lied about the server. Hers is more of a character question. Donald Trump's is more about some of the statements he's made. That's why I'd rather be him than her, because you can't overcome --
BOLLING: This is a great point, Jessica. Donald Trump makes statements and his numbers fall. Hillary Clinton actually has actions that have consequences to people. In fact --
TARLOV: Really?
BOLLING: Benghazi, we can talk about that as well. But the point is her actions, his commentary, one weighs more than the other, no?
TARLOV: It's not just his actions. Part of this is the narrative that she is building about his business practices, for instance, talking about his bankruptcies, and his record not only as a businessman but as a candidate. The man has stood up there on the national stage and said things that are blatantly false. If you saw an interview last week --
BOLLING: But nothing is illegal. He hasn't done anything illegal. There's a good indication she very well may have. I have to leave right there, guys.
CONWAY: It's because Hillary Clinton is a presidential candidate this time that the FOX News poll actually even ask the word "corrupt."
TARLOV: I don't know about that.
BOLLING: I need to go, guys, I need to go, a hard break coming up.
Coming up, sources tell Fox News FBI agents are furious over the private meeting between Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton. But is this just typical behavior for the Clintons? Up next, we'll speak with a former FBI agent and the former Secret Service officer who worked in the Clinton White House, that and more as this special edition of 'Hannity' continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLLING: Welcome back to this special edition of "Hannity: Clinton Corruption, The Lynch-Clinton Scandal." Sources tell Fox News that FBI agents are livid over Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch's private meeting. How much could this meeting compromise their investigation?
Joining us now is someone who saw firsthand how the Clintons operated in the White House. He's the author of the brand new book "Crisis of Character, A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses his Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate, former Secret Service officer Gary Byrne. Also joining us is former assistant director of the FBI in New York Bill Gavin. Bill, let's start with you. The FBI, they say they're livid because this investigation may have been corrupted. What do you hear? What do you know?
BILL GAVIN, FORMER FBI NEW YORK ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: They're absolutely livid and well they should be. You know, when the FBI has responsibility for the protection of the attorney general of the United States, when she's sitting on that plane, those guys didn't just get off that plane to stretch their legs. They got off the plane because they were asked to leave the plane, knowing full -- when she knew full well that Bill Clinton was coming.
That wasn't a casual meeting in an airport. It was a scheduled meeting. And as I understand it occurred on board the plane. They ought to be livid over something like that. Everybody says it got a bad optic. It's not just a bad optic. It's horrid judgment on her part, and either conniving or horrid judgment on Bill Clinton's part as well.
BOLLING: All right, Gary, the last part of the title of your book says, "and how they operate." How does Bill Clinton operate?
GARY BYRNE, "CRISIS OF CHARACTER" AUTHOR: So what I saw of that meeting reminded me of an incident when I worked at the White House. It's basically what I refer to, Eric, as soft intimidation. My experience is that President Clinton planned that meeting, and just, you know, to let her know that he's there. And, you know, in some cases I would say President Clinton may be more powerful now than he was he was president. He doesn't have to answer to anybody. He sits on a pile of cash and it's very familiar circumstances that, like I said, I saw when I worked in the West Wing where he one time softly intimidated an officer who was testifying against him in the Monica Lewinsky trial.
BOLLING: Bill, what should Loretta Lynch have done? Should she have told the former president "Don't board my plane"?
GAVIN: Absolutely. To board that plane, for him to be on there, not just talking about -- you can't tell me they're just talking about grandchildren and golf games. That is a half an hour meeting. More gets discussed than that, whether it's nonverbal or it's verbal. It's the wrong thing to do. And she's a smart woman. I take my hat off to her for stepping back at this point, but I'm not sure why that was done or whether she was directed to do it.
BOLLING: Let me say with you there, Bill. How does she undermine their investigation?
GAVIN: Well, basically, well, the Bureau, the FBI has all of the facts that they're gathering together. The director, Jim Comey, has put together a wonderful team of people who bring this whole thing together.
I think the problem is that everybody believes now the FBI is going to be in charge and do an indictment. FBI still does an investigation. The indictment process has to take place through the Department of Justice, and the deputy attorney general of the United States is probably one that will handle it. And so it's still in a political arena. It's a very difficult task for the deputy attorney general. But I can assure you, the director of the FBI will not bring those facts across Pennsylvania Avenue to determine whether or not they're going to have a grand jury unless he believes fully it would be a grand jury that may affect not only the server but it may also affect the Clinton Foundation.
BOLLING: This just muddies the whole water the way the process works, is, as you point out, the FBI director Comey goes over there and says, here is the information, Loretta Lynch has to make the decision to convene the grand jury. Now with all this, people will be questioning what did Bill Clinton say to under the influence that decision?
Gary, you tell Bill Clinton "You can't board my plane," what is his reaction?
BYRNE: I don't even think he would acknowledge. He would just keep coming on. I think he would just walk across the tarmac regardless of what he was told and walk on. He's Bill Clinton.
BOLLING: Expand on that a little. Let me ask you this.
BYRNE: Sure.
BOLLING: Bill Clinton does this, has this meeting. It blows wide open and we're talking about it. He goes back to Hillary Clinton. What does she say to him?
BYRNE: She probably says, how did the meeting go? And he probably said, well, I made my presence there and I think he gets the message. I don't know what was actually said, but I've seen this many years, for 25 years we've heard about this soft intimidation, and this is just another example.
BOLLING: I'm sorry, Bill, you know, am wondering if she did, as Gary points out, that she knew about it. I wonder if she did. If she knew about it, wouldn't she be smart as a presidential candidate nominee, Democratic nominee to say hey, husband, Bill, don't go there?
GAVIN: I kind of suspect that maybe he did a little bit of this on his own as he always does. But I would imagine that she didn't ask how that meeting went. When she found out what Loretta Lynch did today, somebody is going to be sleeping on the couch tonight, and I don't think it's going to be her.
BOLLING: I have to tell you, if I were here and she didn't know about that meeting, I would be out, front and center. With all these transparency issues she has, I'd be out front saying this happened, and I had nothing to do with it. But that is a tough call on her part.
We're going to have to leave it right there, guys. Thank you so much. We'll have more on this special edition of "Hannity: Clinton Corruption: The Lynch-Clinton Scandal," right back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLLING: Welcome back to this special edition of "Hannity: Clinton Corruption: The Lynch-Clinton Scandal." That's unfortunately all the time we have for this evening. As you celebrate the 4th of July this holiday weekend, remember, everything that makes America special, I talk about these values in my new book "Wake Up America: The Nine Virtues that Made Our Nation Great and Why We Need Them More than Ever." Pick up a copy today. It makes a great patriotic read for the 4th of July weekend, and signed copies are going fast, but still available at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. And don't forget to use the #ProudAmerican on all your social media. Thank you for being with us. Enjoy the 4th of July and have a great night.
END
Content and Programming Copyright 2016 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox