This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," July 26, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
BRET BAIER, ANCHOR: Let's bring in our panel right now as we wait for that moment: Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume; Charles Hurt, political columnist for The Washington Times; Kirsten Powers, USA Today columnist, and Steve Hayes, senior writer for The Weekly Standard.
Kirsten, we're getting ready to get that moment. I don't think they're going to do the big whiz bang celebration until the very end. Possibly when Vermont, Bernie Sanders, takes to the floor and gives the delegates. This process, this moment for the Democratic Party?
KIRSTEN POWERS, USA TODAY: Yes. Well, I mean, it's obviously an extremely historic moment for the Democratic Party and for the entire country to have the first woman who is going to be the nominee for a major political party. I certainly can say I worked in the Clinton administration. Hillary Clinton was there at the time. Never in a million years would I have thought -- in my lifetime I didn't even think there would be a woman nominee. And here we are 20 years later, and it's Hillary Clinton.
BAIER: Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE DELEGATE: -- Senator Bernie Sanders, who inspired us all, and 15 for the 45th president of the United States and the first one who will be called Madame president, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE MAYOR: South Dakota you have cost 15 votes for Secretary Clinton and 10 votes for Senator Sanders.
BAIER: Now by our calculation, that should put her over the top. But we're not seeing the big celebration as of now. She has clinched the nomination which, of course, she was expected to do. Each state is going to give its delegates. Brit, the pomp and circumstance of this moment, we saw it last week in Cleveland. But it is what conventions have to do.
They have to nominate a candidate.
BRIT HUME, FOX NEWS: That's what the job is for, which is why in some respects I've had a little bit sympathy for poor Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was, after all, trying to see that the candidate who had a real chance of winning, the better chance of winning, certainly, actually got the nomination. If you're going to pose as neutral, you can't tip the scales. And when it came out, of course, it was a real stink bomb on this convention.
And as we look ahead, one wonders what else may be released from WikiLeaks going forward. I would say, just based on what we know about the Electoral College and the general level of the polling throughout this primary season, that she stands a very good chance of becoming president. But you saw the extraordinary effect that this WikiLeaks document drop, this e-mail drop had on this convention hall. It may not be over yet. It will be interesting to see what happens when Bernie Sanders casts the votes on behalf of the state of Vermont. There could be booing. I don't expect it.
It seems to me that he took the wind out of those sails last night, but we'll see.
BAIER: Maybe the first lady did as well. Kirsten, I guess you talked to Donald Trump today?
POWERS: I did, yes.
BAIER: About this hack and the Russia --
POWERS: Right.
BAIER: Every Democrat I talk to now, they go right to Russia.
POWERS: Yes, right.
BAIER: Now, if it is proven that it is Russia and Russia is interfering in an American election, that is a huge story.
POWERS: Yes. What I asked him was another accusation that's being made by people is that somehow he had some sort of conversation with Russia or his campaign had some sort of communication with them, and he just dismissed that as a conspiracy theory. He said it was ridiculous and basically said, you know, joked "I wish I had that kind of power. But if I was saying this kind of stuff I would be called a conspiracy theorist."
BAIER: Charlie?
CHARLES HURT, THE WASHINGTON TIMES: We also heard Julian Assange say today that there will be more to come in the coming months.
BAIER: And he also said that Russia was not directly behind it or not coordinating with the Trump campaign or something.
HURT: Yes, but he wouldn't say one way or another because he said to dismiss anybody would be to deflect attention to other people. But he said that people would have egg on their face when it comes out.
But either way, you know, I think you're exactly right. It is an astonishing development to think that a document dump like this could have the impact that it's had on this coronation back here. And, you know, I think it's hard to overstate how galling it must be for Hillary Clinton to be here after eight years ago, coming this close to getting the nomination, and then to have to fight tooth and nail through day one, day two, and have the kind of protests that she has endured. Nancy Pelosi got booed this morning at a California delegation this morning. Bernie Sanders can't get even through a speech endorsing Hillary Clinton without getting booed. It's got to be -- it's very, very tough for Hillary Clinton, I think.
BAIER: The moment has come, at least alphabetically, that Vermont is up next after Utah. Let's listen in to the floor.
RAWLINGS-BLAKE: You have cast eight votes for Secretary Clinton and 29 votes for Senator Sanders.
Vermont, how do you cast your 26 votes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE DELEGATE: Vermont passes.
BAIER: OK, so there you have it. Vermont is passing. I think they're probably going to go to the very end of all the states and territories, and then Bernie Sanders is expected to kind of wrap up this and say by acclimation, can all the delegates go towards Hillary Clinton. Steve, your thoughts?
STEVE HAYES, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Just to pick up on what Charlie was saying, I think there have been two major events in this race over the past couple of weeks that have really almost changed the dynamic of the race. The first, of course, was the press conference by Jim Comey, FBI director, where he laid out, basically shredded Hillary Clinton's arguments on the e-mail scandal, the first e-mail scandal.
The second, of course, has been this WikiLeaks drop. And Brit is absolutely right. There is more coming. Julian Assange has promised twice now that there will be more coming. He specified in an interview I believe with an Australian network that it would touch on the Clinton foundation and the things that the Clinton administration were doing with respect to her private server.
I think that we can expect more. There was a Democratic strategist that was interviewed today in one paper -- I can't remember which one -- who said he looked immediately for his name in what's already been put out because he corresponded quite a bit with DNC staffers, didn't find his name, and thought that means there's a lot more that hasn't been released.
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