Don Jr.: Media runs with the narrative DNC tells them to

This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," November 5, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: Yes, great night. All right I'm Laura Ingraham this is “The Ingraham Angle” from Washington of course. We are jam-packed tonight. We have a lot of election news coming up. Donald Trump Jr. is going to react to that, also, the new Project Veritas video revealing yet another media cover up.

Who can his father trust in his own administration? Don Jr. will tell us a head. Also tonight the media thinks testimony released from Ambassador Sondland today provides a smoking gun. As if it's another day, another smoking gun. Intel Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes is here to explain what everyone is ignoring in the actual transcript.

And as I said, we are awaiting final election results in multiple states across the country. What did they tell us, if anything, about 2020? Our expert panel will address it all. But first ignoring obvious threats that's the focus of tonight's “Angle.”

We've been warning you for weeks that the impeachment craze Democrats are guilty of a dereliction of duty. By dragging the country through another bogus investigation of President Trump, they willfully ignored the most pressing problem facing our country.

Tonight, we're going to focus on two stories that should keep every American up at night. The first is just heart-wrenching. Yesterday's mass slaughter of Americans by Mexican drug traffickers they were all shot while driving in the border state of Sonora. Many were burned beyond recognition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine people died total. Six of them were children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guns down, execution-style by a Mexican drug cartel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mom threw herself on top of the 7-month-old as bullets tore through the vehicle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Although Mexico has stepped up substantially in our border enforcement fight, it's basically now functioning as a Narco state. It's one of the most violent places on earth, and it's right on our doorstep. But Congress just plods along, obsessed with the borders of other countries.

Like Syria, transfixed by the fantasy of removing Trump from office, all because of a call with the President of Ukraine? By the way a country more than 5600 miles away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He pulled an essential assistance to Ukraine and just when their new President needed U.S. support the most.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia is actively engaged in military conflict with Ukraine where Ukrainians are dying on a daily basis, as a result of that attack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What the President did vis-a-vis the President of Ukraine, just removed all doubt that we had to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Now, while they wasted weeks conducting secret depositions and leaking relentlessly to our media, our southern neighbor and border area continues to rage out of control. Deadly drugs from Fentanyl to highly potent THC are flooding our country and bringing death and destruction with them.

And Democrats answer to this is to impeach the one President who has worked tirelessly, using all of his executive authority that courts will allow, to address these border issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: They used fear, intimidation of violence to get their way. And they terrorized incidents communities on both sides of the border. There is only one moral course of action to put these ruthless criminal cartels out of business and out of business fast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: He is so far ahead of the curve, from day one when he announced he was running for President. And here is how the President reacted to yesterday's demonic attacks today. He said in a tweet, "This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage war on the drug cartels. If Mexico needs or request help in cleaning out these monsters United States stands ready, willing, and able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively."

The Mexican President Obrador was cool on that offer, but I was thinking, maybe Trump should arrange a follow-up call with the President of Mexico, threatening to reduce aid, just to get the Democrats' attention. We know everyone is listening.

Now, while the U.S. is breaking records in the stock market and unemployment numbers, Mexico is breaking records of its own for murders. It's on track to break the record 36,000 homicides committed in 2018.

The Democrats have also completely ignored the greatest threat facing America today: the rise of China. As "The Wall Street Journal" warned in this foreboding op-ed today, America's 21st century competition with China is likely to be more dangerous and more complex than its old cold war with the Soviet Union.

This is partly because of China's economic power. It makes it a much more formidable and resourceful opponent than the USSR and partly because the technological environment has changed so dramatically in the past generation.

China's technological arsenal can be just as damaging, as a Soviet missile, we have blackouts, computer viruses, hacking, hacking up transportation systems, the grid all aimed potentially at causing mass chaos and confusion. All of which Trump is taking very seriously and the Democrats response? Oh, don't worry about it, man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. China is not our problem is we invest and a member who we are.

BETO O'ROURKE, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A fool's errand to think you're going to be able to get China to change the fundamentals of their economic model by poking them in the eye with some tariffs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: (LAUGHS) oh, my, you can't run South Bend, but you're going to run the U.S. economy? Week, weak, weak. I still remember when the left claimed to care about things like human rights and political descendants. All right, anyone else recall their nationwide divest from South African movement in the 1980s? It was really effective. On my college campus, it was a point of constant progress.

China on human rights violations, a lot of people think it's like South Africa on steroids, the sheer power and force of China. Think about the mass incarceration of Muslims and brutal crackdown on base human rights and free speech. But most Democrats when it comes to China big money of course, they are shamefully mum.

They cannot credibly argue that they would have a more effective policy on China. Look at Buttigieg basically giving up. If so then the obvious question to them is well, then if you have the answers, like why in eight years in office didn't Obama do any of that stuff?

To be fair, though, the Democrats do have a legislative wish list of their own, we have to be fair, but the problem is the policies like government run health care, mass amnesty, banning fossil fuels, would destroy the booming Trump economy that is actually keeping us one step ahead of China now.

So there you have it. Whether its mass killings and drug trafficking, raging right across our border, are the biggest threat to America's freedom and prosperity that we have ever faced? The Democrats have but one answer. Well, it's kind of two parts a big impeachment, followed by more big government. Cartels and China are watching and that's “The Angle.”

Now, as I pointed out in my “Angle,” Trump wants to help Mexico fight the cartels, but his Mexican counterpart doesn't really want it. President Obrador today said "It's not in agreement with our convictions. The worst thing is war" this is the same Mexican President by the way, who adopted and "Hugs not bullets" policy toward drug cartels that's working out well.

And just last month, he defended handing over drug Kingpin's son to a cartel. Here to respond, Tom Homan, Former Acting ICE Director, Fox News Contributor and Ron Vitiello Former Acting ICE Director.

Tom to people in border states like Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California need to wake up to who is dealing with this in a common sense fashion, and who is doing pie-in-the-sky thinking?

TOM HOMAN, FORMER ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: Absolutely. The cartels are running Mexico. Nothing illegal happens on that border without the blessing and paying off of the cartels. President Trump is trying to take action. You see me testify the last three times in the last six months. Congress will not address the board issue.

The President stands on his own on this, and if the President of Mexican don't stand up, he is going to be in trouble. Mexico has failed to deal with the cartels. I have been saying this on your show for past year, until they address and dismember the cartels, tear them apart, border issues are going to continue.

INGRAHAM: Ron, yet today, we had Montgomery County, Maryland, they are kind of starting to back away a little bit from their sanctuary policies, and yet, Tucson had a ballot initiative to have sanctuary policies, in the city of Tucson, Arizona, a big election coming up next year, McSally versus Mark Kelly. Now everything is political in this town, but this is a moment of a choice. We see what is happening on the southern border, and we're going to have a choice next year. How do we see this playing out?

RON VITIELLO, FORMER ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: I urge the folks in Tucson to consider this ballot initiative. Having sanctuaries anywhere in United States that protect people who are in the country illegally and then go on to commit other crimes is a mistake.

INGRAHAM: We just got news by the way, breaking news, it failed in Tucson.

VITIELLO: That is good.

INGRAHAM: There is some hope. But we are seeing how it is playing out, right at the doorstep of the nation's capital.

VITIELLO: And people who live on the border, Tucson is effectively a border city it's not on the border but it is close enough, people who live along the border, they want a safe community and want their kids go to good schools. They want the government to protect them. In this tragedy that happened in Sonora today, with that family, our hearts go out to them. That's less than four hours by car from Douglas, Arizona, that's a dangerous place.

INGRAHAM: Tom, the effects of this is killings. We don't know. A lot of people are speculating, was there some connection? We don't know yet. But it's the brutality of the killing children, but we saw people hanging over bridges nine days ago.

HOWMAN: Here is what he is talking about. I think there is more to the story than we know. But here's what's going to happen, and I'm calling it. The violence in Mexico will continue to increase. The ACLU and everyone else we usually violence in Mexico to say Mexico is no longer a safe third country. That's going to - the Mexico program, or 65,000 are already waiting.

Mexicans are already starting to increase the claims for fear an asylum, and this is a stage. This is a game. This is what is happening. And the President's right, and thus we address the violence we are the whole border get back to crisis numbers because Mexico will be declared not a safe place to live--

INGRAHAM: Not a safe country a passage. So now it's considered a safe country of passage, which a lot of people think is debatable, but part of its are not as bad as Sonora. And that will offend the progress that has been made. That's an excellent point, that's why we like excellent panels like both of you. Andrea Mitchell was on MSNBC tonight, today, talking about how the President is going to use this tragedy. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA MITCHELL, MSNBC HOST: The President may well be planning to use this as he campaigns for the border wall, which is going to be the signature issue in play, as we approach a debate over a government shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Over the year, Andrea Mitchell has done some amazing reporting, and I actually like her personally, but this - I mean, this has nothing to do with the border wall, really, this has everything to do with what is happening south of the border, and a Narco state running much of Mexico - not all, but much of it.

HOWMAN: Look, I think the border wall is certainly going to have an effect on the cartels, slow down the cross-border illegal activity, but again, you've got to attack the cartels. You got to dismantle those organizations. This is leading to incredible chaos on our border, once again. We are going to see record numbers if we don't address this violence quick and fast, and the United States can do it, but Mexico has to let us get in there and show them how to do.

INGRAHAM: What are the options here Ron? I mean, you would have to obviously do a joint mission with the Mexican government. But you can hear over door, he is a leftist, but also pragmatic on some things. If he does that, you could see the opposition coming in, oh, you're letting America run our country again, so there is a push and pull in Mexican politics, but Trump is grappling with this.

The Democrats are basically just thrown up their hands and say we are not doing an asylum reform we're not doing anything else, and we're going to file a lot of lawsuits and get federal injunctions to stop the good stuff that Trump is doing.

VITIELLO: This is right, the relationship between these two Presidents is maximum important, because of trade because of culture because of our relationship, and security is number one. This President, despite what you saw in that report, has always been forceful trying to secure the border and give the resources to the men and women. And to Tom's point, if the gains this President has made get reversed, we're going to get right back in crisis mode.

INGRAHAM: And the overthrow of the border results in what across America, Tom? Once there was a crush of people across the border, and you start seeing spillover effects in communities from Buffalo, New York, to Colorado Springs to up in St. Paul, Minnesota, - it's not just the border areas, it's something people don't understand.

Go to any of the Walmarts right around here, people lined up, and a lot of rich people in Fairfax County, Virginia, that just voted in a bunch of Democrats, they don't want to do their own lawns, don't want to do their own nannying, so they hire a lot of these people to do--

HOWMAN: This is no longer a border issue. MS-13 is operating at 42 states of our nation. In 39 states are schools overcrowded, trauma centers being shut down, it's going to be devastating to this country. That's why we need to take action quickly. That's why our President, I think the greatest President in my generation--

INGRAHAM: Oh, without a doubt.

HOWMAN: --is going to take this on. He is going to duly - cartels but Mexico better step up and take action and allow us to help them.

INGRAHAM: It's an ongoing threat to the United States of America. It's not just in Sonora. This is spilling over to every community with Fentanyl, Opioids, and high potency THC. Drug legalization ain't helping I can tell you that. Both of you thank you so much for being on.

Moments ago, I told you about it and we just discussed this unspeakable evil that happened to an American family in Mexico. These drug cartels slaughtered three women and six children, including 8-month-old twins. The uncle of one of the victims is here with me tonight, and he has a message for President Trump.

Joining me now is David Cloes. He's the uncle to Donna Lankford. David, I don't have words, except obviously, sympathy, and my family's prayers to everything that you and your family are going through the sheer horror of this. The President said he wanted to wage war on the cartels in Mexico. What is your message to him?

DAVID CLOES, UNCLE OF AMERICAN KILLED IN MEXICO: You know I reached out to him yesterday; I didn't know how effective it would be. Because in my mind, President Trump is somebody that's not afraid to tackle difficult problems and this is a difficult one. The people that often talents the cartels, the end of the dead, the politicians that try to do that, and I can understand the fear, that is associated with challenging these folks, but it seems that President Trump is willing to do something. Because just doing nothing is not an option, I don't believe.

My niece needs justice. And also, her children, and the other victims, as well, they need justice. It doesn't need to be, you know, they live in Mexico, they accept that risk. I don't buy that. I believe they deserve justice. They are American citizens that live there, and they visit the United States constantly.

I'm appreciative that President Trump was willing to reach out to the President of Mexico to try and do something, to at least offer some type of assistance - if they need it, they can't handle this themselves, they need to reach out. They don't need to cower to thugs with weapons.

INGRAHAM: David, record killings in Mexico this year, it's on pace to break every record. I think it is already broken the record, 36,000 dead. So it's a war going on south of our border, and your family got caught up in that. And I should tell everyone, a 13-year-old, your family was a real hero in the midst of this horror, again, 13 years old, and what happened, according to reports, is after watching his mother died, he took the remaining six children to hide in the woods, and then he himself, at age 13, walked five hours to get help.

CLOES: That's correct.

INGRAHAM: Devon and that boy was your niece, Donna's son, correct?

CLOES: Correct.

INGRAHAM: What did you think?

CLOES: It's just amazing. These children are resilient, they are smart, they are intelligent, they are raised by parents that teach them really good values. So it doesn't surprise me, in the face of such horrific occurrence, that he was able to keep his wits about him and to do what needed to be done to save his family.

INGRAHAM: Thank you, David.

CLOES: Thank you, Laura.

INGRAHAM: I mean words escape me at times like this. People think thoughts and prayers are really trite, but they are not trite for us, in this extended family come all across the country. I know there are prayer warriors out there for you, your family.

CLOES: It's been amazing to see everybody that has been reaching outcome of the care and concern has really been awesome.

INGRAHAM: And for the children who continue to suffer tonight, grief and physical trauma, emotional trauma, they are victims, and they are going to need a lot of help and a lot of prayers. David, please stay in touch with us, thank you very much. We appreciate you joining us tonight.

CLOES: You bet.

INGRAHAM: And we have breaking news out of Kentucky, the AP reversing an earlier call that declared Democrat Andy Bashir the winner over Republican Matt Bevin, with Bevin making an announcement of his own. A live report is next. Plus, "ABC News" Anchor caught on a hot mike saying the network spiked a story to expose Jeffrey Epstein years ago. Donald Trump Jr., is here exclusively to respond to that bombshell revelation, and his father's next move. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT BEVIN, R-KY, GOVERNOR: Would it be a Bevin race if it wasn't a squeaker? Really and truly, this is a close, close race. We are not conceding this race, by any stretch. We know for a fact that there have been more than a few irregularities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: That announcement from Matt Bevin just an hour after the AP called the race for his opponent, and just minutes ago after he wrapped up his speech, the AP then reversed its call, now calling the race too close to call. Fox's Mike Tobin is live in Louisville, Kentucky, and Bevin's Headquarters, and he has the latest. Mike, this is wild, but it doesn't surprise me one bit.

MIKE TOBIN, CORRESPONDENT: No, and there also was a third-party candidate, a guy named Jim Hicks who ran as a libertarian, he took up about 2 percent of the vote. In the end, the split here was 0.3 percent you're talking about of 1.5 million votes that were cast in less than 5,000 votes made the difference.

So it to say that he's demanding a recount is a little bit oversimplified there is a process out here that day involves re-canvassing or recounting the votes and ultimately contesting the election if it's determined that there was a problem. One of the things that we heard Bevin speech here is if he determines that the people of Kentucky did indeed chooses opponent he's going to wish him the best moving forward. It should be noted that his opponent Democrat Andy Bashir has already given his victory speech. Laura.

INGRAHAM: Mike thanks so much. We'll stay on this tonight any other developments. And a stunning admission caught on a hot mike today Project Veritas released a video of ABC's Anchor Amy Robach saying that her network killed the story exposing Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex crimes years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY ROBACH, ANCHOR ABC NEWS: I've had to serve you with Virginia Roberts we would not put it on the air. First of all I was told who is Jeffrey no one knows who that is this is a stupid story. Then the palace found out that we had her whole allegations about Prince Andrew and threatened us a million different ways it was unbelievable what we had Clinton made everything.

I tried for three years to get on to no avail and now it's all coming out and it's like these new revelations and I'm freaking had all of it I'm so pissed right now so do I think he was killed a hundred percent yes and because you want to he made us whole living blackmailing people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Robach's mention of Clinton is interesting just last month reporter Ronan Ferro alleged Clinton associates help squash that reporting on Harvey Weinstein at NBC. Joining me now Donald Trump Jr., Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization and Author of the brand new book "Triggered" how the left thrives on hate and wants to silence us. It just came out. All right Donnie, networks like ABC well of course they saw fit to print every wild accusation against Kavanaugh.

DONALD TRUMP, JR., EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: It's ABC; you had NBC with Matt Lauer stuff no one knew. Do you think they would have quashed that story if it was Donald Trump instead of Bill Clinton, Laura? I'm wondering if their same journalistic standards that allowed them to peddle the B. S. dossier and the Mueller hoax as though it was gospel in fact for all three years. I wonder if those same journalistic standards were in place then for this one give me a break.

INGRAHAM: Well, the thing about this is it just keeps getting worse for the American media if you can't you think they can't go lower.

TRUMP, JR.: It's like hold by beer.

INGRAHAM: It is everyday there seems to be another low where there's no pretense of objectivity for most there are few reporters left but not many. There's very little pretense of even on a tempted objectivity not forget actual objectivity.

TRUMP, JR.: Correct well, I spent a lot of time in the book we don't but both focusing on sort of the mainstream media and the fact that they've just written off the notion of objectivity totally. I mean, we've known for decades that they are left leaning but now they've just made it a point to be the marketing wing the total defenders of the loony left and any of the insanity that they will push.

It was a big factor in writing the book because I got to see that what both on the campaign trail and frankly as the number to target over the Mueller hoax which again had a lot less credibility than any of these allegations and a lot less actual proof was a lot more shade involved and yet they were able to run with that as though it was gospel.

I mean it definitely happened when it didn't happen they just wanted it to have happened because that's their narrative and that's what the DNC told them to run with so they did it blindly.

INGRAHAM: Don, you said earlier today that there are very few people your dad can trust and as the whole impeachment drama was swirling around and more these deep state folks slither forward. Has he seen that circle of trust shrink and if so does that say anything about his ability to hire people who you know who are trustworthy?

TRUMP JR.: Well, you know, I don't think it has anything to do with that. I think the reality is you people within him, the swamp - the swamp is going to swamp right? He came in as an outsider he didn't have the luxury of a rolodex you assume that people who volunteer to work for you and in business they're going to try to do their best that's not necessarily the case in DC.

He does have good people around obviously Jarrett and Ivanka - you know Pompeo he's got a good cabinet he's got great people there but the reality is so many of these people were not into Trump winning the presidency they didn't.

INGRAHAM: It was worse they were actively seeking to blunt his policies and to undermine his presidency look someone Sondland, Ambassador Sondland said that Fiona hill of course this Ambassador to Ukraine holdover that she couldn't stand your father. So here she is the Ambassador to Ukraine--

TRUMP, JR.: Well, that was - I mean, there were articles -- I have tweeted about that for a year.

INGRAHAM: Sorry, NSC official. Sorry, I always get her mixed up with the other one. But --

TRUMP JR.: That was out there in the open, and I've tweeted about it. Hey, I've called out a lot of these officials that are there at the pleasure of the president that do nothing to actually represent what he wants out there. And the reality is they're trying to cover themselves for a time and five years after Trump so that they can go back into their D.C. swamp world, pretend that that never happened, and so they are really covering their butts and not dealing with this president properly, and they're not fighting for the people that they're supposed to be representing, the great citizens of this country, because, man, I know that my father is putting up the numbers for them. I know that he is waiting economically. I know he is doing things that are unprecedented, and he is doing it despite unprecedented incoming from the media, form the left, all of this nonsense.

This impeachment inquiry is B.S. It started on November 9th, 2016, the second he beat out the anointed one, Hillary Clinton, who was a joke candidate. But he won. "The Washington Post" ran their article, the case for impeachment, 19 minutes after he was in office, 19 minutes. These people didn't want to give him a chance, and I see this around the country, Laura. I see people, even Democrats, you know what, I'm a Democrat, but it would be sort of nice if they'd let him do his job. He renegotiated NAFTA. The USMCA is sitting on the desk of Nancy Pelosi --

INGRAHAM: Oh, no, they don't care. They're not interested in policy.

DONALD TRUMP JR.: -- for nine months, and she won't vote on it because she knows that it will pass and it would be a win for Trump, even though it's also a win for the American worker, and that's disgusting.

INGRAHAM: They don't want to give him any win. That's clear. So tonight, in this Kentucky governor's race, the A.P., I just said, is now saying the race is too close to call. It's maybe 4,000 votes separating the two candidates. But here is how your favorites over at CNN are reading the results.

DONALD TRUMP JR.: Oh, boy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE PAVLICH, NEWS EDITOR, TOWNHALL.COM: Bevin closely aligned himself with Donald Trump, and Donald Trump went down there and made it very clear that he was behind him.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I think you cannot lose sight of Donald Trump going in there at the end, if he was not able to do that here, even for an unpopular Republican, that is going to be a question mark that hangs around his head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Don, Bevin was the most unpopular governor in the country. He was once down 20 points, and now it's still too close to call, 49 percent versus 49 percent. He ran against a family that's legendary, the Bashear family, of course, in Kentucky. So what's your response -- look, it's predictable what they would say.

DONALD TRUMP JR.: It's the soundbites that we're so used to. Any opportunity to try to take a swipe. They don't talk about the rest of the Republican ticket sweeping. They don't talk about the first African- American attorney general who happens to be a Republican elected. They don't mention Trump helped propel those guys to those places.

And yes, I like Matt Bevin. He's been a friend of mine, he's a good guy, but he has picked a lot of battles. He's teed off on a lot of people in Kentucky, that's not always popular. We understand how that works. But they won't give Trump the credit for that. But this is that same mainstream media that will run with anything. This is the same mainstream media, Laura, that tells me that al-Baghdadi is an austere religious scholar.

INGRAHAM: Oh, God.

DONALD TRUMP JR.: He's not a rapist and a murderer and a guy that doused people in gasoline and let them on fire, because Trump killed him and he was on Trump's wish list, the number one thing my father wanted to get done in terms of terrorism. The leader of ISIS is now an austere religious scholar. So that tells you the warped, the level of sickness that is the leftwing media filter that the regular American people see and they're fed up with it.

So I'm not worried about that as a race. I would love to see another governor. I think those are important. Like I said, I think he has done a good job, but Matt Bevin has picked some fights. So this has nothing to do with Trump. Again, they swept the rest of the ticket, they did great in Mississippi, et cetera, et cetera, the other election today. The two really I don't think have that much to do with each other, but again, because you can utilize -- a platform to try to come up -- keep knocking Trump, guys. See how well it worked last time.

INGRAHAM: All right, Don, thanks so much. Congrats on the new book, just out today, everybody go out and get it.

And based on revised testimony from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, as I said, Democrats think they have the impeachment silver bullet. But did they read the whole thing? Congressman Devin Nunes, former Whitewater independent counsel Robert Ray on what you may not have heard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: House Democrats released two more transcripts today from the secret impeachment hearings. The big news was E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland's testimony, which he recently revised to claim aid was linked, in his view, to Ukrainian investigations. The media are sure that this will be the end, finally, of President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More damaging testimony surfacing in the impeachment inquiry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A crucial witness in the impeachment inquiry has just blown President Trump's cover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're thinking this sounds like a turning point, it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Oh, is it? Here is what Sondland actually said about quid pro quo. He said that "I said that resumption of US aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anticorruption statement. I did not know and still do not know when, why, or by whom the aid was suspended. However, I presumed the aid had become linked to the proposed anticorruption statement." In other words, he was offering something called an opinion to the Ukrainians about why military aid was held up.

Joining me now, Congressman Devin Nunes, Ranking Member in the House Intel Committee, and Robert Ray, former Whitewater independent counsel. Congressmen, I'll start with you. Are the Democrats comfortable impeaching a president on presumed secondhand facts?

REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIF.: Well, they continue to ride roughshod over reality to fit their cult that they are having down in the bottom basement of the capital. What you saw with Sondland, like we told you when we came out, there is just nothing there.

They also had a timeline problem. Sondland doesn't talk the supposed quid pro quo that they're talking about, this happened like six weeks after the phone call. So there is no reality here, people are lost, and I just don't see where this goes from here. But I guess they're going to continue and do this show trial.

INGRAHAM: I want to set the record straight tonight on what Sondland actually testified about his conversation with Trump on Ukraine. He said the following. He said "I asked him one open-ended question, what do you want from Ukraine? And he said, I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. I want Zelensky to do the right thing." And then what Sondland said is, "what does that mean? And he said, I want him to do what he ran on." Now, Robert, do you see any problem in that -- certainly not surprising that the Democrats would seize on it, is it?

ROBERT RAY, FORMER WHITEWATER INDEPENDENT COUNSEL: It's not surprising they would seize on it, and, no, I don't see a problem. And I've listened to the Democrats all day long, including Democrats that should be respected, like Leon Panetta, say that this meets a clear definition of bribery. I respectfully disagree. I don't think that is the case at all. And language like what is likely to occur or what is presumed to be involved here is not sufficient to prove what you would have to prove, under these circumstances, which would be an explicit quid pro quo.

So when I hear everybody jumping up and down to say that this is a clear case of bribery, and this is clearly impeachable, and the evidence is overwhelming, I think everybody, again, should take a step back and actually look at what he said. And also, Congressman Nunes is correct, go back to the call itself. If you look at the call, and you look at the context of the call, there is not enough to say --

INGRAHAM: Read the transcript.

RAY: Right, read the transcript. There's not enough to say that your conclusion is that there is clear and unmistakable evidence that criminal activity was afoot.

INGRAHAM: The idea that you are going to impeach a president -- forget the roaring economy and all of the other challenges we face with China -- a year out from a presidential election on some, Devin Nunes, opaque interpretation of what they think he meant, and a freewheeling conversation about the president, the parliament, the Europe is not paying enough money in aid. And Trump is like, look into some of the stuff -- it is ridiculous. It is a bastardization of what we know impeachment was.

NUNES: It's more than ridiculous.

INGRAHAM: No. It's scandalous.

NUNES: What have we learned? What have we learned so far, Laura? This is what we know for sure. Donald Trump hates aid. He thinks Ukraine is corrupt. He doesn't believe they are going to change.

INGRAHAM: So does the World Bank.

NUNES: That's what we know from Ambassador Sondland and others. We also know there is another important thing that we know. The bureaucracy there, they don't like Donald Trump. They are really mad that the E.U. ambassador is going to Ukraine. They're mad at the president and obviously people in the White House do not trust our ambassador in Ukraine. That's really what this is all about. It's about bureaucrats that were upset, and now they're trying to make up something to move towards impeachment, and the timelines don't even match up.

INGRAHAM: Robert Ray --

RAY: I think that's right.

INGRAHAM: Real quick, so I want to ask you about Mulvaney. They've trying to bring in Mulvaney. But real quick on this.

RAY: Look, I think that's right. And I think the president is entirely permitted to withhold aid temporarily, and see if it changes behavior. And the notion that you are going to turn that into impeachable offense, for crying out loud, go back to the Nixon impeachment. Was there any doubt about the fact, based upon recordings, that there was a slush fund used to pay off witnesses and alter testimony in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation? Do Democrats really think that this rises to that level?

INGRAHAM: Yes. They don't care.

RAY: It's absolutely ridiculous.

INGRAHAM: Robert, really quickly, this idea that they are going to haul Mick Mulvaney up or any member of the White House Counsel's Office, or any NSC official who doesn't want to go after -- it's ludicrous. And now they're going to add that to an impeachment article, an article of impeachment, obstruction? Really quick, Robert.

RAY: That is a process foul, and the American people are not going to be deceived or affected by the notion that in a separation of powers question you are going to turn that into an impeachable offense. That's also equally ridiculous.

INGRAHAM: Congressman Nunes, does Bolton show up to testify, yes or no?

NUNES: I wouldn't think so. I don't think as of a few hours ago they hadn't even subpoenaed him yet. So I'm sure he's not going to show unless there is a subpoena at some point.

INGRAHAM: Why would he dignify this farce of a proceeding? He shouldn't, he's a lot better than that.

Gentlemen, thank you so much tonight.

And we're still waiting on election results in some big races across the country. Will tonight's outcomes really mean anything for Trump in 2020? Harmeet Dhillon, Doug Schoen with some surprising intel, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: The Associated Press is saying the Kentucky governor's race is still too close to call at this hour, this after NBC, not the A.P., I want to be clear on that, already called it for the Democrat, Andy Beshear. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. At this hour, incumbent Republican Matt Bevin is refusing to concede with only about 4,700 votes separating the two.

Joining me now, Harmeet Dhillon, Trump 2020 Campaign Advisory Board member, and Doug Schoen, former Bill Clinton advisor, FOX News contributor. Doug, let's start with you.

DOUG SCHOEN, CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.

INGRAHAM: It's easy, and you can't really even blame the Democrats to try to extrapolate from Kentucky to next year. What else are they going to do? But what is your take away given how deeply unpopular Bevin was, until Trump came in, and this thing is a dead heat at 49-49?

SCHOEN: That's really the point, Laura. Look, he's the least popular incumbent in America, Matt Bevin. The race is a statistical tie, and when you add in the two percent or so that went to the libertarian, ultimately, there were about 52 percent that were voting Republican, about 48, 49 percent Democrat.

Look, this is a personal vote against Bevin, not a repudiation of Trump, and the Republicans, and as you say, the rally last night, undeniably motivated folks to come out for Bevin.

INGRAHAM: And Harmeet, you have to remember that Andy Beshear's dad, Steve, was a very popular governor, and I think he won in 2011 by about 20 points, and yet the next year, of course, Mitt Romney wins in Kentucky. So the idea that Donald Trump is not -- he's going to win huge in Kentucky next year, no doubt about it. But nevertheless, the celebration, including of the Virginia state houses, both the House and the Senate in the Commonwealth of Virginia flipping to Democrat tonight, that's a big blow to any thought of turning Virginia back to the red states.

HARMEET DHILLON, ATTORNEY: I think that's right, Laura. It's going to be a long climb back for Virginia. Virginia las had the situation of all three branches controlled by Democrats back in 1993, so it isn't like 100 years ago or something. But there's been a combination of factors there. I think that the Democrats, particularly in the modern era under Trump, have really polarized electorate to the point where they demagogued the president. It's very hard there in the suburban areas for the president to win right around on the capital.

Further afield, Republicans and supporters of the president have been told that they are bad people, they're racist, they're bigots, et cetera. I think that is actually driving people towards the president, because this type of polarization, ultimately, does not really work. I agree with Doug, you can't really take anything away from the Bevin situation other than Bevin was unpopular, and --

INGRAHAM: Every candidate won -- every Republican candidate swept in Kentucky.

DHILLON: Republicans swept, that's right.

INGRAHAM: And Doug, Tom Perez, the DNC chair, was out talking about this race. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM PEREZ, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR The fact that we are even talking about Kentucky and Mississippi on Election Day, 2019, is a signal of how much trouble these Republicans are in. The fact that Donald Trump had to go to Texas a couple weeks ago shows you, he is really underwater in so many places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Doug?

SCHOEN: Look, there is really a hidden strength of Donald Trump when you look at the electoral map, as I have done, when you look at "The New York Times" poll on the six swing states. It's very, very hard to take Tom Perez seriously. The Democrats are divided. Trump clearly motivates and mobilizes voters. And from my point of view, the Democrats are off on the wrong tangent on impeachment. They have issues that work against the Republicans and Trump, but by beating a drum on impeachment, particularly with swing voters in swing states, they are barking up the wrong tree, Laura, a big mistake.

DHILLON: Exactly right.

INGRAHAM: Harmeet and Doug, thank you so much. Great seeing you both tonight.

SCHOEN: Thank you very much, Laura.

DHILLON: Thanks, Laura.

INGRAHAM: And we'll stay on this as we got a lot more to get to, by the way. We might have another report coming out of Kentucky, 4,300 votes. Think about that. We had Matt Bevin, who had about a 32 percent approval rating back in July. Trump comes into town, and Trump gets this thing tied up at 49-49. That's who brought this race this close. If Trump hadn't come into town, I can tell you what would have happened. This race would probably have been a 10-point race for the Democrats. Again, I want to repeat this for everybody who might be freaking out with -- the Virginia news is terrible. I'm not going to say anything good about what happened in Virginia for conservatives. Not good at all. But in the state of Kentucky, we had a very unpopular in governor, God bless him, but very unpopular. He took on some big fights in the teachers' union, and Trump comes in, and he made this race as competitive as you can possibly make it. That is the power of Donald Trump.

So anyone thinking anything differently tonight isn't being honest with the way the electoral map works, or what happened down ballot. And that means every Republican, they won secretary of state, they won auditor, they won comptroller, we had an historic win with an African-American Republican candidate. This is all very good news for Republicans. But Democrats are going to celebrate. Of course, you have to expect that, they're going to celebrate on a night like this any time a Republican governor goes down. Virginia is a completely different story. We're going to have more on that tomorrow, because we are going to unpack what happened in Virginia. It's very similar, in many ways, as to what happened in the state of California. There is some similar factors at play.

When we come back, the Last Bite. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: I mentioned this moments ago. A future star did win in Kentucky tonight, and he was front and center at Trump's rally last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL CAMERON, R-KY, ATTORNEY GENERAL ELECT: I hope you can tell that Kentucky is Trump country. We are proud to stand with you in pro-life issues here, and here in the commonwealth, we are going to stand up for those who cannot speak up for themselves!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Daniel Cameron, the first Republican attorney general to win in 70 years, and the first African-American voted individually to statewide office in Kentucky history.

That is all the time we have tonight. Shannon Bream and the "Fox News @ Night" team take all the big news and the big returns from here.

Shannon, busy night. Take it away.

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