Conflict of interest for Robert Mueller?
John Solomon, columnist for The Hill, and Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz weigh in on 'Hannity.'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," May 14, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: What about pomposity, groupthink and all that stuff? Where did that go tonight?
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: We're against them, Sean! Strongly.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: I can't remember them all. You should test me in the morning. All right. Tucker, great show.
Welcome to 'Hannity.'
Listen, literally, we have more news than we can fit in one hour but we're going to try hard.
Another historic, huge, massive accomplishment, another key promise kept for President Trump. The U.S. has officially opened an embassy in Jerusalem and not surprisingly, Hamas is responding to the bold move with terrorism, violence, and protest. In other words, another typical Monday for Hamas.
Also tonight, major breakthroughs in President Trump's plan to denuclearize the entire Korean peninsula. The administration is now outlining a plan to disarm the North Korean dictator. Now, this comes as Kim Jong Un is making yet another major concession. He is now inviting the western media to watch the destruction of his nuclear test site. We'll tell you the details.
And a stunning report from "The Hill's" John Solomon. You won't believe this story tonight, on a new conflict of interest for the special counsel, Robert Mueller. And guess what? It involves a Russian billionaire who is now part of the Russia investigation.
Plus, even more evidence that the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is literally imploding before our eyes. And major new developments tonight about the FBI potentially planting a mole inside the Trump campaign, I told you this was a busy news night, you can't make this stuff up.
Now, this falls in line with everything else we have been exposing right here on this program as a part of a pattern. We'll analyze.
And also tonight, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Trey Gowdy, they are saying the DOJ is trying to discredit their investigations with anonymous sources and leaking. Sit tight, buckle up, we have a lot to cover in tonight's breaking news opening monologue.
(MUSIC)
HANNITY: The president has continued to pile up one massive win after another ahead of course of these all important midterm elections in 2018, this year. Trump now has an undeniable, amazing record of promises capped and accomplishments and by the way, every Republican can now run on the things that he is done and this could no longer be ignored.
Today in Israel, the president kept a major campaign promise, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Steve Mnuchin, other top administration officials unveiled the new embassy in Israel's true capital, it's called Jerusalem.
The president emphasized the significance of this historic moment in a video message to the audience. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, Jerusalem is the seat of Israel's government. It is the home of the Israeli legislature in the Israeli Supreme Court and Israel's prime minister and president. Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital.
Yet for many years, we failed to acknowledge the obvious, the plain reality that Israel's capital is Jerusalem.
On December 6th, 2017, at my direction, the United States finally and officially recognized Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel. Today, we followed through on this recognition and opened our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem. And we're opening at many, many years ahead of schedule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And the Israeli prime minister, a man who I have said for many years, has incredible moral clarity, Bibi Netanyahu, he also attended this monumental event, and President Trump, he talked about him keeping his words and his promises.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Last December, President Trump became the first world leader to recognize Jerusalem as our capital. And today, the United States of America is opening its embassy right here in Jerusalem.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Thank you, President Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises. Thank you, President Trump, and thank you, all, for making the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: There's a reason the prime minister and the Israelis are so thankful for President Trump's bold actions. You see, for decades, we've had one U.S. president after another promising over and over and over and over and over again that they were going to open an embassy in Jerusalem, but they never delivered. They repeatedly broke their promises.
What we continue to see over and over again is that with the president says he's going to do, he actually does. By the way, it's good politics, too. Keep your word.
What happened today in Jerusalem is history in the making. Even Senator Chuckie Schumer, he couldn't help but praise President Trump and he said this move is long overdue. And it was.
And, of course, not one single Democrat bothered to attend this event, God forbid they support the president even just a little bit. Remember, Joe Manchin tried to stand for a second.
While Israel is celebrating this historical development, Hamas predictably carrying out violent, bloodied protests that have led to the deaths now of over 50 Palestinians, over 1,000 injured. These Hamas inspired protesters have been setting things on fire, throwing firebombs and stones at Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military is also saying that three of the Palestinians were killed after trying to plant a bomb.
Though violence is horrific, its evil in our time, nobody wants to see it. But it's all too predictable. The media rarely remind you that the Hamas charter calls for the destruction of the state of Israel.
Keep in mind, as we have reported right here on this show, Hamas actually pays the families of terrorists that get killed, trying to inflict pain and suffering on Israel and Americans, too.
Israel has a right to defend itself, just like Israel has the right, or Jerusalem, to be their capital.
Israel is not the only place where the Trump administration is making serious progress. More developments as it relates to North Korea and Kim Jong Un and what is now the making yet of another concession ahead of his meeting and his summit with President Trump next month in Singapore. Yes, little rocket man is now inviting journalists from all over the world to watch as his country will dismantle their nuclear test site and facilities, even more evidence that President Trump's peace through strength policy is more than working.
You think about this. We've gone from North Korea firing missiles over Japan, threatening Guam, threatening the continental U.S., Hawaii, and the rest of the world, and now we've got little rocket man walking across the DMZ, meeting with South Korea's president, releasing three American hostages just last week, and it didn't involve any U.S. cash or cargo planes full of cash, and now, the West is invited, and the media is invited, to watch and witness the dismantling of Kim Jong Un's test site.
But don't worry, I'm sure the media is talking about Russia, Russia or Stormy, Stormy.
There's one key factor in all of this, and that is the president, President Trump. He forced North Korea's hand, his policy is continuing to work and tonight, we are also learning new details about some of the issues that will come up at this June meeting.
National security adviser John Bolton is saying many issues are on the table. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: On the denuclearization side itself, that means all aspects of the nuclear program. Clearly, the ballistic missile program, as with Iran, with the intention of being a delivery system for nuclear weapons, that's got to go. I think we need to look at their chemical and biological weapons programs as well. The president is going to raise other issues, the Japanese abductees, the South Korean citizens who were kidnapped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Talking about trust but verify, all right? Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been meeting with Kim Jong Un, he met him twice, he is also laying out some of the details about a possible plan for the North Korean and the Korean peninsula to literally denuclearize the whole area. It would be amazing if it happens. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: This will be Americans coming in, private sector Americans, not the U.S. taxpayer, private-sector Americans coming in to help build up the energy grid, enormous amounts of electricity in North Korea, to work with them to develop infrastructure, all the things of the North Korean people need, the capacity for American agriculture to support North Korea so they can eat meat and have healthy lives.
Those are the kind of things that if we get what it is the president has demanded, the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea that the American people will offer in spades.
Our eyes are wide open with respect to the risks, but it is -- it is our fervent hope that Chairman Kim wants to make a strategic change, strategic change in a direction for his country and his people and if he is prepared to do that, President Trump is prepared to ensure that this could be a successful transition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The keywords of Secretary of State Pompeo are complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization. President Trump isn't just going to take Kim Jong Un at his word in other words, like Bill Clinton did with his father Kim Jong-il.
If Kim Jong Un wants the crushing sanctions to be lifted and our military off his coast again, well, if he doesn't want that, then he's going to have to prove that he is completely destroyed his nuclear capabilities. This is what Ronald Reagan's policy of trust but verify means in action.
And we are also following another developing story tonight from "The Hill's" John Solomon, that he'll join us in a little bit. This is getting serious attention.
Look at "The Drudge" report today, because it is a massive, huge deal. Here's the headline: Mueller may have a conflict and it leads directly to a Russian oligarch. You can't make this up.
And according to John Solomon, in 2009, then FBI Director Robert Mueller was directly involved in a plan with a Russian billionaire to rescue -- by the way, I don't oppose this, I will be clear, I'll explain later -- to literally rescue an FBI agent and CIA agent, his name is Robert Levinson, he's been missing now for 11 years. He was captured in Iran.
In exchange for this, the billionaire was willing to spend 20 million of his own money as part of this operation and he was given a special visa to enter the United States. The difficult part comes out of the hypocrisy, because it turns out it's the same Russian billionaire, the special counsel is now investigating in the Russian probe but they kind of kept his name out of the indictment of Paul Manafort. Alan Dershowitz, Jonathan Turley are both telling John Solomon that this previous relationship with Robert Mueller is a massive conflict of interest as it relates to the Mueller probe.
We did reach out to the special counsel for a statement but they don't really like me over there. They didn't comment.
John Solomon will join us later with all of these details, a stunning development tonight. And yet another setback for Mueller and his corrupt investigation. Get this, remember, two Fridays ago, Judge T.S. Eliot III called out Mueller's probe as nothing more than a witch hunt to get to President Trump, to get to impeachment, to get to some charges brought against the president, while another judge is now picking apart Mueller's indictment of those Russian nationals.
And tonight, we have more incredible information that Mueller's investigation is imploding, and a Russian company that was indicted by the special counsel, remember, Mueller didn't think anyone would respond, is calling the charges baseless, and in court saying Mueller and his hacks haven't even shown that the company intentionally broke the law. And Law and Crime tonight, it's a website, reporting that the attorney for this Russian company, he wants to see Mueller's secret grand jury instructions, which he would have a right to see.
And "Daily Wire" is out with a report saying that the court transcripts -- get this -- it shows that Mueller indicted a Russian company that didn't exist at the time.
And according to the "Daily Wire", a lawyer for this company said, 'your honor, I think we are dealing with a situation of the government having indicted the proverbial ham sandwich. That company didn't exist as a legal entity during the period time alleged by the U.S. government. If at some later time, they showed to me that it does exist or it did exist, well, we would probably represent them. But for purposes of today, no, we don't represent them.'
Wow. Andy McCarthy has actually quoted from saying from "National Review Online", one thing you never want to do is indict in a case that you're not prepared to try and clearly, Mueller's team was not prepared. They were caught flat-footed in the entire investigation is literally falling apart in spectacular fashion and the mainstream media is not telling you any of this.
And, of course, the rest of the deep state is also being put on notice tonight as they continue to be exposed. You saw "The Wall Street Journal," I was off Friday, unfortunately, Kim Strassel is raising serious concerns and questions about the possibility the FBI planting a mole inside the Trump campaign? OK, what if it was Hillary?
It's a stunning new development, especially in light of the FBI then later helping Hillary when we know that it's incontrovertible, the evidence is overwhelming, that she committed felonies and crimes and obstructed justice and, by the way, this is something that needs to be fully investigated and that means the Department of Justice needs to get off their and send over those subpoenaed documents.
But it fits right into a pattern that's been playing out. We have seen severe FISA abuses. The FBI lying to multiple judges about the Clinton bought and paid for dossier with Russian sources, paid for by and worked on by a foreign national. They got warrants to spy on a member of the Trump campaign.
Then, of course, the rampant, ridiculous 350 percent uptick by the Obama administration in unmasking during the 2016 election year. Then we've got to the criminal leaking that took place, Michael Flynn is only one example. His name was unmasked and then leaked, raw intelligence to the news media.
And, of course, that ended up in the case where we are now. It is beyond disturbing and that's why this deep state, if we care about the rule of law, equal justice under the law, equal application of the law, and our Constitution, these people need to be held accountable. And some members of Congress are trying to do that.
Senator Chuck Grassley is now demanding answers about Comey's conflicting testimony over Michael Flynn's interview with FBI agents. Remember, Comey told Congress he didn't think that Michael Flynn lied, but that's what Mueller ended up charging Flynn with. And then remember, this information, that was something that Rod Rosenstein and others at the DOJ, they fought like hell to keep redacted in the name of national security when clearly it had nothing to do with national security. And like they have have been slow walking, redacting in the name of national security, just stonewalling, and the DOJ is deploying one tactic after another to try and prevent Congress from finding out the truth about how corrupt this Russia investigation has been from day one and the abuse of the FISA laws have been, and, of course, putting the fix in for Hillary Clinton.
The House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and Trey Gowdy, they are saying the DOJ is trying to discredit their investigation by using anonymous sources to attack a GOP staffer who helped expose surveillance abuses.
This is pathetic. If our government uses the powerful tools of intelligence and turns them on us, we don't have a country anymore. And it proves that the DOJ clearly is hiding something. Rod Rosenstein begged Paul Ryan not to turn over information about FISA abuses. Instead of turning over the documents, Congress has a constitutional role of oversight. They are just attacking the congressman.
Finally tonight, a revealing report from "The Washington Com-Post," Trump's successors are so undeniable at this point that even the liberal mainstream media is struggling to deny and spin them. And now, Democrats are really scared because there are 17-point generic midterm congressional ballot lead has now disappeared. Even fake news CNN has a poll within a margin of error and one point in a "Reuters" poll.
And there's a reason that President Trump is racking up win after win after win on the economy, on foreign policy. Just look at the major accomplishments in the last week or two.
You know, we secure the release of three American hostages, we didn't pay for it. We captured the top five most wanted ISIS leaders. We ended the horrific Iranian nuclear deal. We set a date for a summit with little rocket man and North Korea.
The African-American unemployment rate is at an all-time low in this country, 14 states have an all-time low. Hispanic on employment at an all- time low. Women in the workplace at an all-time low. And overall, unemployment at an all-time low since 2000.
And the CNN poll shows that we have optimism in this country at an 11-year high. The Atlanta Federal Reserve is forecasting second quarter economic growth at a whopping 4.1 percent. The midterms are going to be about President Trump's accomplishments, not this false, all this noise, all this narrative, that the Democrats and your corrupt media have been pushing.
Here with reaction, all these news tonight: contributor Sara Carter, investigative reporter, NRATV contributor Dan Bongino, civil rights and criminal defense attorney David Schoen.
All of you have done phenomenal work. I thank you all.
Sara, we'll start with you. You had mentioned on the program last Thursday, really? We have a spy from the FBI within the Trump campaign, separate and apart for March 7th, 2017, on this program, you and John Solomon breaking the story about FISA abuse.
SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it appears that there was an intelligence source, somebody connected to the Trump campaign that had worked with the CIA and the FBI. It also appears that the FBI had approached this source that was connected to the Trump campaign and ask for information on the Trump campaign.
I think this is really important because one of the things that was brought up today, just recently, was the fact that Paul Ryan and others had been screaming mad about the fact that they kept this from Congress. They kept this information from oversight.
And this is the reason why Chairman Nunes was so adamant on retrieving the information on this intelligence source. But one of the things, Sean, this story is considered highly classified. So, if this person was offering information to the FBI on previous cases, had worked with the FBI closely, it would be very dangerous to release that name without the authority of the national security apparatus.
HANNITY: Look at the efforts, David Schoen, let's talk about that story, just from the legal point of view, which is your area of expertise. But I guess more importantly, all of the legal issues that I'm raising -- FISA abuse, unmasking, surveillance, no minimization, all of this and then, of course, covering up and rigging the investigation into Hillary, it would seem that there should be a lot of people in America afraid tonight in terms of their legal jeopardy.
DAVID SCHOEN, CIVIL RIGHTS AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely, and having no confidence in the special counsel so-called investigation. Look, Sara Carter is on top of the story. If it turns out there was a confidential source placed in an electoral campaign during the course of the election, it will be bigger than Watergate.
But you're right, these are all tied together.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: FISA abuses already bigger than Watergate. They lied not to one FISA judge, four, so they can get a warrant -- and Rod Rosenstein signed off on one of those, you know, subsequent renewal applications. They never verified, they never corroborated it, which is not only the law, it's FBI protocol, and then they never told these judges where this information came from.
Hillary Clinton, phony Russian sources, by a foreign agent. Sorry, I'm mad.
SCHOEN: And the common leak that you have tried together as a matter of omission. They have not been straight with the FISA court, haven't been straight clearly now in the Paul Manafort case. This is going to have to come out. If there's a confidential source, there's no reason any longer if you want to go to trial with Mr. Manafort, and you're not permitted to keep that confidential any longer.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: And, by the way, the Russian bot cases dead. They're never going to give these -- they never thought that Russia -- these people would ever respond. Mueller will have to drop it in my opinion.
David, do you agree with that?
SCHOEN: Well, they've exercised their speedy trial rights. So, it's either put up or shut up at this point. And we're hearing remarkable things that their own company possibly was indicted.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: You can't make this up.
Let me go to my friend Dan Bongino on the political side. I just talk about the president's accomplishments, including Israel, North Korea, Iran. It's having Democrats -- and this is a bad position for Democrats to be in. That for them to get their little power back that they crave so desperately to impeach the president, that means the economy has to fail, but the economy is thriving. That means foreign policy would have to fail.
What a horrible position to be in for them.
DAN BONGINO, NRATV CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. Well, Sean, the Democrats have never had an agenda to run on. What is your agenda? Give us your money, give us your health care, give us your kids, and a bunch of broken public schools.
Sean, all they have is the Mueller case right now. The Mueller case is collapsing. The case has been deeply conflicted from the start. Two of his prosecutors represented people in the Clinton orbit. One of them was involved in the email scandal.
HANNITY: Jeannie Rhee.
(CROSSTALK)
BONGINO: Jeannie Rhee and Aaron Zebley. And also, Sean, one of the lawyers representing a source from Mueller -- you're never going to believe this -- in the case, one of the lawyers representing a Mueller source was Obama's White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler.
HANNITY: Unbelievable.
You can't make it up. Last word, Sara. We go to break. Sara?
CARTER: Yes, I agree. And right now, Grassley, you know, with the Senate Judiciary Committee is requesting all the documentation on Flynn. There was going to be a lot of developments from that and they're asking for the actual records of the conversation between Flynn and Russian Ambassador Kislyak. It will be -- it will be interesting to see.
HANNITY: You guys have been amazing. John Solomon's breaking report and breaking news, it's explosive, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Joining us now with reaction to our breaking news and our monologue, columnist from "The Hill" that actually broke the story is John Solomon. Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz is with us in studio.
John, I got to begin with you.
Mueller may have a conflict that leads directly to Russia. I might surprise some of my audience here. As FBI director, the efforts that they were using to actually help save a former FBI and a CIA guy, and we haven't seen this guy in 11 years, I am not concerned about that one bit. I don't care. I think any effort to save an American, Robert Mueller and the FBI, I'm all for it. I want to be very clear.
The issue becomes the hypocrisy of this, because this is the same Russian oligarch that they are using in the Manafort case, and they never pointed it out. So, that's a problem for me. Not the little laws that were cited, there might be a violation of law but I'm kind of glad they tried hard to save this guy. That's my natural gut.
JOHN SOLOMON, THE HILL: Yes, sure. I think the real question is the whole Russia collusion case. Did someone ask a favor of Russia, right? Did Donald Trump collude and tried to get a favor.
Well, six or seven years before collusion was a twinkle in the public's imagination, the FBI asked the favor of the same oligarch, the oligarch that's now a client and a witness against potentially Paul Manafort and there's no disclosure. We in public don't know. It doesn't appear that the courts know it. And Congress doesn't know.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Did the FBI and Mueller ever tell Congress that they had asked this oligarch?
SOLOMON: Great question. I talked to the Senate and House Intelligence --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: To fund this, by the way? They got the Russian oligarch to pay $25 million. Actually part of me thinks it's genius. But then they'll use the same guy against Manafort and don't mention that you know the guy.
SOLOMON: Yes, I think that's right. I talked to Senate Intelligence, House Intelligence Committee chairman from that time, Bill Nelson of Florida, Mike Rogers in Michigan, they both said that they were never briefed and they were surprised to learn that such an operation occurred without Congress being informed.
HANNITY: All right. I know people are talking about the legality of this news, the specific law, the Anti-Deficiency Act, which prohibits theta government from accepting voluntary services. You know what? That to me is total B.S. This is like the superfluous, idiotic bureaucracy.
I want that Americans safe. I want us fighting to save that American. So, I'm not faulting Mueller for that, I'm applauding him actually, which surprises some people. It's the hypocrisy.
And they didn't mention that it was the same oligarch in the Manafort case. They purposely kept his name out.
REP. MATT GAETZ, R—FLA.: Well, Sean, your show and the great reporting John has done has demonstrated that this is but one conflict of interest. The Mueller probe is an orgy of conflicts of interests, and any one of taken independently can potentially be brushed aside. But viewed in their totality, it shows how corrupt and biased for this investigation is.
Also an important point on this oligarch, Deripaska, Senator Tom Cotton asked a question in February as to whether or not Deripaska was involved in the drafting of the dossier with Christopher Steele.
HANNITY: Was he?
GAETZ: And Christopher Wray would not answer that question in open setting.
HANNITY: Better pull a tape.
GAETZ: So, very, very important that this very oligarch could have had a role in telling lies about Donald Trump and that we still don't know that as the American people.
HANNITY: All right. You do point out, not only the hypocrisy, the double standard, what clearly seems to be, John, something they are trying to hide in this a case. What other issues that surround this that you discovered? Because you cite dozens of people here, or at least a dozen, 14 people in your article as sources that we've never known this before.
SOLOMON: Yes. Listen, the people that first approached me were Robert Mueller's old comrades at the FBI who thought it was odd that they had asked this favor of Deripaska and then he's missing from this case even though there's a lot of evidence connecting it to him.
I want to go back to something the congressman has said. When you wake tomorrow morning I think you're going to know the answer to when Deripaska did with the FBI in relationship to the dossier. Stay tuned tomorrow morning. You're going to learn something very important about Deripaska and the--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Did Deripaska have something to do with the dossier, Mr. Solomon? Give us a preview, sir, stop with the teasing, that's my job.
SOLOMON: We didn't have anything to do with the dossier. It may be what he said about its allegations that will be the news.
HANNITY: Do you know anything about this?
GAETZ: Only that Senator Cotton that seems to be on the trail and that we didn't get any answers in open hearings. That certainly raises a lot of questions.
HANNITY: By the way the people John have been asking where you've been on the show, you have a lot going on. You weren't feeling well and welcome back, we're glad to have you back.
SOLOMON: Thanks. It's good to be on.
HANNITY: Congressman, good to see you.
GAETZ: Yes, and I know we are praying for a speedy recovery of our fantastic first lady as well, so may millions of Americans joining us.
HANNITY: Amen. Absolutely. She has been amazing. And the media has been vicious to her. I'm sick of it. Good to see you in studio.
All right. When we come back, the secretary of state amazing interview that Mike Pompeo he gives us a glimpse in what it's like to meet little rocket man, Kim Jong Un. We'll check in with Sebastian Gorka and Geraldo Rivera and so much more. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. As we were just discussing, first lady Melania Trump undergoing a procedure at Walter Reed hospital earlier today to treat a kidney condition.
Joining us live from Walter Reed with more news is Fox News correspondent Kristin Fisher. Kristin, what is the latest on the first lady?
KRISTIN FISHER, CORRESPONDENT, FOX NEWS: Hey, Sean. Well, the White House says that everything went well. She is recovering and she's in good spirits. But keep in mind she is expected to stay at the hospital at Walter Reed for the rest of the week. So, anytime you are in the hospital for a week, that a pretty serious thing.
Now the vice president says that this was a procedure that was planned a long time ago. But the public and the press only found out about it after it was over. And they found out about it through a statement that the White House put out.
It reads in part, quote "This morning, first lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful and there were no complications."
Now we don't know exactly what the condition is but embolization is typically used to treat tumor. So in this case, it would appaear base on that statement that this was a benign tumor. What happens is they take a catheter, they put it in an artery and then they inject the particles into the blood vessels surrounding the tumor which is essentially cuts off the blood supply and kills it.
So that's what happened here. And by all accounts it was a success. As for the president, Sean, he came and visited his wife a few hours ago here at Walter Reed. And the reason he didn't come here in the morning when the procedure was happening, we're told, is because he didn't want to tip off the press.
And of course, anywhere the president goes, the press will follow. So clearly the White House wanted to keep this a secret. The first lady, of course, is a very private person. And you know, it really is remarkable that on a day when President Trump is tweeting about leaks this is one thing that did not get out before it was supposed to. And of course, everyone here is wishing the first lady a speedy and full recovery tonight. Sean?
HANNITY: All right, Kristin, thank you. And I would argue it's none of their business ahead of time. And our thoughts and prayers with the first lady.
Last year President Trump took heat from the left wing mainstream destroyed Trump media for referring to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as little rocket man. Remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And by the way, rocket man should have been handled a long time ago.
(CROWD CHEERING)
TRUMP: He should have been handled a long time ago by Clinton. I won't mention the Republicans, right? By Obama. Why did this, you know, this is a different, this is a different time. This should have been handled eight years ago, and four years ago.
And honestly, 15 years ago. And 20 years ago. And 25 years ago. This shouldn't be handled now. But I'm going to handle it because we have to handle it.
(CROWD CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Remember at the time while people in the media criticized the president's tough rhetoric but it has clearly worked, and now the summit is set for next month.
During an interview on Face the Nation our new Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was asked to describe what truck him about the North Korean dictator. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: What struck me about him? He is very knowledgeable in the sense that he knows the files. He is very capable of engaging in complex set of discussions. When I ask him a question about something that is a little off, he answers it. There are no cards.
It is Chairman Kim in this case interacting with me directly. Having a robust discussion about what the outlines of a successful negotiation between our two countries might ultimately be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Here with the reaction, former deputy assistant to the president Fox News national security strategist, Sebastian Gorka, and author of the best seller is a friend, we don't always agree. But he is my brother. Geraldo Rivera. Good to see you. Both of you.
Let me start with you, Geraldo on this. Because I've always been a fan. Pompeo is a genius. I have been a fan of his for a long time and I'm glad he is our secretary of state. And what he says to me is impressive.
But think about this. Trump calls him little rocket man, he shows military force, he puts sanctions in place. The rockets stop being fired. The world is now safer. Three hostages are released. He crosses the DMZ. And we are talking about denuclearizing -- or denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. You know what? Good story.
GERALDO RIVERA, CORRESPONDENT AT LARGE, FOX NEWS: I'll say. If you consider how much we've traveled since the Olympics. Just since the Olympics, Sean. If I was a diplomat I'd say I was cautiously optimistic. But I'm not a diplomat. And I'm not very diplomatic. So let me say I am ecstatic by these developments.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: No kidding. No kidding. We know you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.
RIVERA: No, that's it. I feel that we've moved so far. And Pompeo is a very nuts and bolts kind of guy. It's not pie in the sky. It's not just wishful thinking on the part of President Trump.
HANNITY: No, not at all.
RIVERA: These are real meaningful steps. The release of the hostages. The announcement that in two weeks he will be blowing up the tunnels to his testing facilities. The fact that he is agreeing to dismantle.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: In front of this mess with the media, Geraldo.
RIVERA: Component parts to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I mean, it is spectacular, Sean. If this indeed what is going to happen, this is the biggest move toward peace since the founding of the United Nations.
HANNITY: And that literally the alliance that has been created by the president, Israel, the Jordanians, the Egyptians, the Saudis, the Emirates against the Iranian hegemony. No cargo planes of cash, Dr. Gorka. A huge difference.
SEBASTIAN GORKA, NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST, FOX NEWS: It's amazing what difference one election can make, Sean. It truly is. These are the kind of results you'd be proud of at the end of a two-term presidency.
I was in touch with Mike Pompeo today. The spirits are very, very high. We have to be cautious. Remember, this is a dictatorship. This is a regime that has kept its people prisoner. But at the end of the day, you put these things on a white board in just 15 months. All of these things have been achieved. It would have been remarkable to have a summit on Korean peace in eight years' time. Not next week or the week after.
So stunning. You know, from the 70th birthday of the modern Israeli state today to the opening of the embassy, the hit just keep on coming.
HANNITY: Geraldo, I will say this. Between that and pulling out of the Iranian deal and the great news on the economy, everything in between. I mean, all the noise I argue is not going to mean a thing when it comes to 2018 election.
I believe this election will be about the economy doing so much better. A world being a safer place. A president keeping his promises and a desire to roll back tax cuts and impeach this president will be on the ballot in every congressional district.
RIVERA: You know it's interesting that you say that. I agree. And do you know who else agrees? The New York Times week in review had an article I thought was very, very telling.
HANNITY: I missed it
RIVERA: They said that liberals are so smug, they know it all. They are so sure that they have God on their side and that Trump is the devil incarnate that their attitude is going to lead them down the prim rose path.
Trump, President Trump is doing a spectacular job with the economy as you mentioned. African-American unemployment, Hispanic unemployment and female unemployment, all indicators of optimism and everything pointed up.
If he can now deliver this a true denuclearized Korean peninsula--
HANNITY: Wow, unbelievable.
RIVRA: -- the clock, the adamant of the atomic clock that ticks toward midnight will have to be set back five or ten minutes. It is really a profound step in the right direction, Sean.
HANNITY: We give Dr. Gorka the last word.
GORKA: Sean, Geraldo, the president makes promises. He keeps promises. And this is what making America great again looks like. And we are going to have seven more years of it and then eight years of President Pence.
HANNITY: What about President Geraldo? I thought he was running.
RIVERA: What about President Hannity, I hear he is next in line.
HANNITY: Everyone writes these stories about me, nobody knows me. All right. Well, you two know me. Thank you, both. We appreciate it.
When we come back, he is a lunatic and he is anti-Semitic and racist, nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan now targeting President Trump again. We have the latest and much more of his unhinged rant.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Screwy Louis, nation of Islam leader Farrakhan is now trashing President Trump on another one of his ridiculous ramp. He tweeted out a video earlier today with a caption, quote, "Mr. Trump, America is losing. You are getting the country into deep trouble." Listen to Louis Farrakhan.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN, LEADER, NATION OF ISLAM: Mr. Trump, you have to be careful. Because I did say on a sister nation station that if we voted for Trump, he is going to take America to hell on a rocket ship.
And America, he thinks is gaining by the bullying, by the threats. No, Mr. Trump. America is losing. And if America triggers the third World War that the bible calls "Armageddon," the America we know, we shall never, ever know it again. We really need to stop and check, man. You are getting the country into deep trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Called peace and prosperity. Deep trouble. All right. Farrakhan remarks join a long list of the absurd comments he's made. Let's go down memory lane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FARRAKHAN: Here the Jews don't like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that is a good name. Hitler was a very great man.
There were many Israelis and Zionist Jews in key roles in the 9/11 attacks.
Because you see white people deserve to die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
FARRAKHAN: And they know, so they think it's us coming to do it.
White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God's grace, has pulled the cover off of that Satanic Jew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right. Now for some reason you see some Democrats are been connected to Mr. Farrakhan over the years but they want to keep it a secret. For example, this doesn't surprise, who could forget this? Just recently released, the picture of Barack Obama with Farrakhan. This was in 2005 prior to him becoming president.
According to the man that took the picture, the Congressional Black Caucus made sure it never saw the light of day during the 2008 election.
Joining us now nationally syndicated radio talk show host, he is Larry Elder, CRTV.com host and Fox News contributor, our friend Deneen Borelli is with us.
Now when he hung it out with airs and darn and when he's an ACORN Alinsky disciple, Frank Marshall Davis, Reverend Wright, I asked that question a lot in '07 and '08. I suspected if he hung out with the other radicals in Chicago (Inaudible) right among them and right among them, that there probably was some connection. Amazing how they hid it.
DENEEN BORELLI, HOST, CRTV.COM: No, it is amazing. And it took a lot of effort for them to do so. And it worked. But I got to tell you, Sean, his comments and what we are hearing from other politicians, I call it the black liberal establishment. The media outlets, the politicians, pastors and the community activists. They are so desperate right now because they are afraid black Americans are going to connect the dots to the failed liberal policies.
You have Maxine Waters telling Kanye West who supports freedom of speech and independent thought that he needs to tone it down, he need to stay in his place and he needs to shut up. So they are clearly desperate right now. And I got to tell you, black men, 22 percent are now supporting President Trump. His numbers are going up among blacks.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: We wish that Kanye West met with Candace Owens we had on the show. I actually quoted your book to her.
BORELLI: Yes.
HANNITY: Because the page to your book, here you are, a black conservative, and this happens so many people, and every vicious, vile, hateful thing has been said about you over the years. We have been friends a long time.
BORELLI: Yes.
HANNITY: And it's so outrageous to me. And I hope Candace can learn because sadly she is going to be attacked. What do you tell somebody that is young, conservative, outspoken?
BORELLI: Well, that's what the left wants to do. They want to intimidate you. And my message to all Americans of independent thought but especially black conservatives because we need that support to know that people are there to support us, to not give up, to hold the line and not be afraid to get that criticism because the left has all the bases covered. If you are white, you are racist. If you are black, you are a sellout. So matter what, they want you to lose.
HANNITY: Larry, I've known you for all these years. You have taken so much heat also. And it seems to be one area where there is free rein and no consequences to attack. And we see it happening again.
LARRY ELDER, SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW HOST: We do. But getting back to Farrakhan, Sean, what's striking about him is during the campaign he actually said very positive things about Trump. He said give him a chance. He criticized Obama's performance in Chicago.
So this is a guy who has done a 180 on his attitude towards Trump. The other thing that blows my mind, Sean, is Jews have been so supportive of blacks over the every years. Jews helped to found the NAACP. A Jewish wealthy man helped to build 5,000 schools with Booker T. Washington. Israel airlifted thousands of Ethiopian Jews out Africa in the 80s and in the 90s. Of these non-blacks civil rights--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: You are telling me stuff I don't know. That's why I love having you on the show. I didn't know a lot of that.
ELDER: Of the non-whites who went to register blacks to vote in the '60s, 75 percent of them were Jews. Jews help to work very closely with Martin Luther King. And when you look at polls about negative attitude toward blacks--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: And why the hatred? Why the anti-Semitism then?
ELDER: Jews are the least likely to have negative views toward blacks. Beats the hell out of me. I have no idea. And given how charismatic Farrakhan is and how persuasive he is and how he's been able to get black men off the streets and out of prison--
HANNITY: Yes.
ELDER: -- use that skill to motivate people. Use that skill to tell men to own up to their responsibility to their women. Stop peddling this nonsense, Mr. Farrakhan.
HANNITY: I got to thank you, both.
ELDER: I know you are watching, I know you are watching the show.
HANNITY: Thanks.
ELDER: Grow up. Grow up!
HANNITY: All right. Powerful statement from both of you. Good to see you, Deneen. Welcome back. We haven't had you in a while.
When come back, former White House -- White House Sarah Sanders. Wait until you see what she does next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, she recently sat down with the Daily Caller for a special Mother's Day interview. During the interview, Sanders was asked if it's harder to deal with her three young kids or CNN's antidrug activists. You know, fake news correspondent so-called Jim Acosta. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's harder dealing with your children when they are having a bad or onerous day or dealing with Jim Acosta?
SARAH HUCKABEE-SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Probably it depends on the day. Both of them can whine pretty regularly. They both like to ask the same questions and sometimes their tone needs to be adjusted a little bit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: I would say the bigger baby is Acosta. Anyway, that's all the time we have this evening. We are always going to be fair and balanced. We are never going to beat the destroy-Trump media.
Thank you for being with us. You can always set your DVR. Never miss an episode @SeanHannity on Twitter.
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