Media fawn over Kim Jong Un's sister at Olympics

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Media fawn over Kim Jong Un's sister at Olympics

News outlets are under fire for glowing coverage of Kim Yo Jong's presence at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea; Dr. Sebastian Gorka and Amb. John Bolton react on 'Hannity.'

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," February 11, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: This is a Fox News alert. Major breaking news and huge developments tonight, according to two stunning reports. American spies paid $100,000 to a shadowy Russian last year in exchange for stolen NSA documents and for so-called compromising material on President Trump.

So, in other words, were American deep state spies potentially paying Russians for Trump dirt? Now, we're going to break down all the new details tonight.

And the media distorts why the Democrats memo was not released late last week. Now, liberals set the trap for the Trump administration by including sources and methods. Only problem for them, well, the president didn't fall for this.

Plus, senators raising questions about former national security advisor Susan Rice over an email she sent to herself on Trump's inauguration day.

Also new tonight, the liberal mainstream media fawning over the sister of the murdering dictator Kim Jong-un at the Olympics while criticizing Vice President Mike Pence. We're going to show that you video and explain to the brain dead media why they shouldn't be praising a rogue regime that tortures and kills people in prison camps. Oh, and starves their own children.

Also, remember the plane load 1.7 billion in cash and other currencies that the Obama administration gave to Iran? Well, "The Washington Times" tonight reporting that some of that money can be traced back to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. We'll cover that and much more in tonight's breaking news opening monologue.

Before we get into all the news we have tonight, on this show, we're never going to forget that Hillary Clinton you we now know rigged the primary against Bernie Sanders. We're not going to forget that her exoneration was written before the investigation was even near complete on the private email server. We're not going to forget that a phony dossier, bought and paid for by Hillary Clinton with Russian lies was used to get a FISA court warrant against Carter Page even though the FBI never verified the information. On this show, we're going to stay on this story until we get justice.

On to tonight's developments. Now, we have two shocking reports, both from the 'New York Times ' and 'The Intercept '. They are raising serious questions this hour about just how far the deep state will go to damage President Trump.

According to these reports, American spies last year met with unnamed Russian who was thought to have ties to Russian intelligence. The American officials were interested in recovering powerful cyber tools that had been hacked, but this Russian person quickly claimed to have, quote: compromising material on President Trump.

'The New York Times ' does report that the American intelligence officials say they were only interested in retrieving the NSA cyber weapons but the Russian was eagerly pushing anti-Trump information, which included 15 second video of an American businessman in a room talking to two women. And according to 'The Times ', there was no way to verify who was in that video and the American spies thought it wasn't credible.

'The Times ' reports that the American officials eventually agreed to pay shadowy Russian $100,000. But instead turning over NSA hacking tools, he gave them, quote, unverified and possibly fabricated information involving Mr. Trump and others, including bank records, emails and purported Russian intelligence data. Now, the 100 grand was supposed to be the first installment of $1 million that they were going to pay out which was down from $10 million that the Russian originally was asking for.

'The Times' also notes since the phony anti-Trump dossier authored by Christopher Steele came out last year there have within at least four Russia Russians with espionage connections and they have tied to sell damaging information to political operatives, spies and investigators.

And also according to 'The Times ', remember Cody Shearer, a long-time Clinton ally who would write a second fake news dossier? Quote: He has been crisscrossing Eastern Europe for more than six months to secure the purported compromising material from a different Russian.

There is a lot of different information to take in here. Let me try and connect these dots for you. U.S. intelligence officials paying $100,000 to a Russian with purported ties to Moscow, ends up giving them unverified, possibly fabricated anti-Trump information. Where that information is and who has that information, we don't know. The CIA tonight is strongly denying the information being reported by 'The New York Times' and 'The Intercept.'

And the NSA reportedly declined to provide a comment to 'The Intercept '. And on top of all of this, we are also learning that at least four other Russians have been shopping around compromising information. By the way, I thought they liked Trump. And long-time Clinton friend Cody Shearer is literally going all over Europe trying to dig up damaging dirt about President Trump from a Russian.

Here is what it all means tonight. Russia is doing everything they can do to spread lies about President Trump and Democrats are more than happy to accept it because they will do anything to damage the president. And I thought this was the horrible thing to do. I thought we spent a year investigating collusion with the Russians. But we have discovered real collusion. And these new reports are offering up even more evidence that we hadn't seen before.

Now, we already know that Hillary Clinton and the DNC, they paid over, what, $12 million to Fusion GPS? They hired the former British spy Christopher Steele. He created that dossier filled with Russian government lies and propaganda, salacious material.

Clinton did that with one intention -- she wanted to impact the general election. Didn't matter if it was truthful or not. And those two memos we are uncovering here, the FBI and the DOJ, then they use the salacious, unverified dossier of Christopher Steele to get a warrant to spy on the Trump campaign and their associate Carter Page. And according to the memos, the dossier made up the bulk, remember, the Grassley and Graham memo made up the bulk of the FISA application.

Then the FBI, James Comey, they never bothered to verify it, and then they used it and they go before a FISA court in an effort to spy on Carter Page and the Trump campaign, they never said Hillary Clinton bought and paid for it and it's not verified as they should have.

And as we told you about on Friday, 'Politico ' is reporting that former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, he may have been picked up by FBI surveillance while Carter Page was being spied on. And a State Department official actually admitted in op-ed that he was sharing anti- Trump opposition research from friends of the Clintons with the dossier creator Christopher Steele.

This is all an unprecedented abuse of power. The Constitution is being shredded before your eyes. Civil liberties are being severely violated. Remember the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure?

Yes, in spite of what the media is telling you and downplaying, it is bigger than Watergate. As we have been reporting, a lot more information is coming out every day.

Take a look at the side of your screen, think this is a small scandal? So far, 14 officials at the DOJ and the FBI have either been fired, reassigned, demoted or quit. They want to get out of there. And there are a lot of others who are involved in what is being exposed, but simply being moved around the bureaucracy, that's not going to be good enough. That's not going to solve the problems.

All of these officials, they all need to be investigated and those that are guilty, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law so this never happens again.

New tonight, Senator Grassley and Senator Graham of the Senate Judiciary Committee are now demanding answers from President Obama's former national security advisor Susan Rice. They discovered a partially unclassified email that she actually sent to herself on President Trump's inauguration day.

And Rice, through this email, appears to document a January 5th, 2017 Oval Office meeting between President Obama, former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In her email, Rice notes that President Obama apparently told Comey and others to handle things, quote, by the book. Really? And, Grassley and Graham are struck by the context and the timing of this email and they have now sent out a series of questions for Rice to answer by February 22nd.

While Republican memos are providing damning fax and evidence about deep state government corruption, well, the Democrats, they are desperately trying to cover up the truth. They never wanted you to see this information. And they are trying to change the narrative. They put out their own counter memo and on Friday, President Trump sent the Democrats' memo back to the House Intelligence Committee with a letter explaining why, because it contained classified sources and methods that could jeopardize national security.

And, of course, the media predictably ignored all of these facts and they're attacking President Trump for being anti-transparency. But, of course, we know they're lying. And the Democrats were clearly setting a trap for the president. They wanted him to release classified material about sources and methods.

The White House didn't fall into the trap. And the president wants to release the memo. Democrats, they have to make the necessary edits. Not the president.

And remember, the Republican memo did not contain classified information. It did the not reveal sources and methods. So why can't the Democrats play by the same rules? Because the facts aren't on their side.

And for rigid, left wingers in this country and members of the media that are complicit, you know, that are claiming this is, you know, all a plan to block the Democratic memo -- not at all. I say release that memo. They clearly didn't read the White House letter or listen to the House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes.

Nunes is saying like we are saying that he wants the memo released. I want it released. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIF., CHAIRMAN, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We actually want the Democratic memo out. We think it's ridiculous on the face of it. We think it's very political about how they attack myself. They attack Chairman Gowdy.

They turn Carter Page into some super-secret Russian spy. They talk about how Christopher Steele is a really, really good source when we know that he lied to the FBI.

So, we want this out. We don't know why they are not in this weekend redacting it, so that we can get it back to the White House so the president can declassify it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right. There you have it, for Republicans, this whole issue has been about truth and transparency, and for Democrats, the left wing media, it's all about playing politics. We're going to have more than in a moment.

First, the Winter Olympics in South Korea began late last week but not without some controversy. After Friday's opening ceremony, well, members of the echo chamber swung into full gear to heap praise on a woman named Kim Yo-jong who just happens to be the director of propaganda for the rogue dictatorship in North Korea, and the sister of one of the most brutal, oppressive dictators in modern history, Kim Jong-un.

That didn't stop the mainstream media from fawning all over Kim Yo-jong for showing up at the opening ceremonies, shaking hands with the South Korean president and calmly watching the opening procession.

CNN, fake news, the whole network ran this headline, quote: Kim Jong Un's sister stealing the show at the Winter Olympics.

And 'Reuters ' led with the caption, quote: North Korea heads for diplomacy gold medal at Olympics.

And not to be outdone, 'The New York Times ' writes: Kim Jong-un's sister turns on the charm, taking Pence's spotlight. And 'The New York Times ' also tweets: Without a word, only flashing smiles, Kim Jong Un's sister outflanked Vice President Mike Pence and diplomacy.

'The Washington Post ' not to be outdone called Kim Yo-jong, the Ivanka Trump of North Korea.

Of course, this glowing coverage continued on TV. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN: Athletes from the North and South Korea marching on the same team waving reunification flags. More history just a few seats away. Kim Jong-un's sister right there behind the vice president. She's on hand for the Olympics as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ABC NEWS: In historic moment, South Korean President Moon Jae-in shook the hand of Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, CNN: The sister of Kim Jong-un shook hands warmly with the South Korean president in the VIP box at the Olympic opening ceremonies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, BLOOMBERG: But North Korea is stealing much of the limelight as Kim Jong-un's sister landed at Incheon Airport earlier today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, CNN: Three days of the world's media running after the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and still we know very little about the woman who has stolen the headlines at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Right. If that's not bad enough, the media also goes after Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to shake her hand in the VIP box. We'll have more on that with Joe Concha later in the show.

But take a step back and remember, the woman that the media is applauding is the director of propaganda for a government that has, let's see, murdered around 400,000 political prisoners in what some are calling concentration camps, and these camps have been in existence since 1982?

And as we speak, between 80,000 and 120,000 people are still imprisoned in those camps, including men, women, and even children? And according to a 2014 United Nations report, well over 200,000 people from around the world have simply disappeared. Never to be seen again inside of North Korea. And don't forget, there are three Americans currently being held hostage in that rogue state.

The Kim Jong Un regime has also been responsible for the recent death of American Otto Warmbier who is imprisoned and sentenced to hard labor for allegedly stealing a poster. But last but not least, millions of people are currently starving inside of North Korea. Roughly 30 percent of their population starving, all while this little despot, Kim Jong Un, lives a life of luxury, his sister enjoys a prime seat at the opening games of this year's Winter Olympics.

Despite all of this, the mainstream media continues to praise Kim Yo-jong. It's pretty disgraceful, but we shouldn't be surprised. It was the same mainstream media that praised, of course, President Clinton for saying his nuclear agreement with North Korea. 'That's a good deal for American people. They'll never get nukes.' That didn't work out.

And if you don't learn from the past, you are doomed to repeat it and that's why the media is a sad and despicable record.

And finally tonight, speaking of bad plans, remember the plane loads of 1.7 billion in dollars in cash and other currencies the Obama administration stupidly gave the Iranian mullahs chanting death to America and Tehran? Well, now, we are finding out that the rogue regime is using a lot of that money, 'The Washington Times ' reporting that the U.S. government has now been able to trace some of the money given to Iran and determine that Tehran is using it to fund the terrorist group Hezbollah. Big shocker.

Here with reaction, former deputy assistant to the president, Fox News national security strategist, Sebastian Gorka, and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Fox News contributor, John Bolton.

Dr. Gorka, I look at this and I say, OK, it's the same -- it's the same theme. There is a compulsion on the left to want to suck up to the world's worst dictators. Why? Why do they think that works?

SEBASTIAN GORKA, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST: Look, it's nothing new. This is what 'The New York Times ' was doing with Walter Durante in the 1920s and '30s who were singing the praises of the Soviet Union, that Stalin was killing millions of people. I mean, this is a regime -- I mean, you pointed out, this is the person who runs propaganda for a Stalinist regime that's starving its own people.

Would CNN have celebrated Goebbels? Would they have celebrated the propaganda machine of Hitler's Third Reich? It's outrageous -- the lack of self-awareness of the left-wing media is incredible.

You have one of the most honorable men in the world, Vice President Mike Pence, sitting there, doing what is right, morally, and they want to focus on a key member of an evil, evil dictatorship? It's beyond the pale, Sean.

HANNITY: You know, you look at these quotes. I mean, CNN, Ambassador, you know, going out there. Kim Jong-un's sister stealing the show at the Winter Olympics. And 'The New York Times ', without a word and only flashing smiles, Kim Jong-un's sister outflanks Vice President Mike Pence and diplomacy.

Where is this desire to just worship the propaganda minister of North Korea with their horrific human rights record? I thought the left cared about human rights.

JOHN BOLTON, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Only when it suits them. And, you know, it's more than the bias. It's their incompetence. It's their lack of knowledge, their unwillingness to look, their lack of appreciation for the fact that the North Korean propaganda machine has done this all before.

They have unified Korean teams march in three previous Olympics. They've had invitations and two intra-Korean summits years ago in 2000 and 2007. All of this propaganda of which the current Olympic charade is a part did absolutely nothing to slow down the North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

And that's what the current charade is doing. The media are stenographers for the North Koreans and their lack of historical knowledge or appreciation shows they've got the attention span of fruit flies.

HANNITY: I still for the life of me have a hard time understanding why people think people that driving people that threaten to destroy you, you know, death to America, death to Israel, burn the Israeli flag, burn the American flag. Oh, who thinks it's a good idea to send in cargo planes full of cash and currency and that somehow the mullahs will like us in Iran or the dictators in North Korea will somehow change their ways, Dr. Gorka?

GORKA: Sean, this there is a very simple answer to all of this. Why do they do this? Because these people don't love America. Why did these people excuse everything Obama did for eight years has he went on an apology tour as he tried to --

HANNITY: I don't think that's it. I think they actually think if you kiss their ring and bow before them, that they will like you. History has proven that doesn't work.

GORKA: But why could you do that with a regime that is evil? There is a very important point here that we need to appreciate.

The left wing media always helps our enemies. They don't support Israel. Our best friend nut Middle East. They support Iran, think about that.

They don't support our great longtime allies. They support those who are anti-American, whether it's North Korea, whether it's Iran or whether it's China.

This is -- you know, if you don't like America, then the media will love you. It's that simple.

HANNITY: Ambassador Bolton, because Donald Trump has taken a hard line. Little rocket man. I have a bigger button on my desk and ours actually works, which is I think is hilarious but also sends a strong message.

Do you think it had any impact on Kim Jong-un and his desire to be in these Olympics, potential talks with South Korea? There is peace through strength. Did it have any impact here?

BOLTON: I think it's had an enormous impact because I think for the first time certainly in eight years but really for the first time significantly in 25 years of our efforts to stop North Korea from getting deliverable nuclear weapons, I think they believe that when Donald Trump says all options are on the table, he really means it and for North Korea, this is a very critical period. It is for us, too, because the North is as CIA Director Mike Pompeo said, within a handful of months of having this deliverable nuclear weapons capability.

So, I think what the North was trying to do was throw up a propaganda screen. Have people oooh and aah over the sister, look at the joint women's hockey team for the Koreans, and forget the uranium centrifuges still spinning and rocket sciences still working in hopes they can get across the finish line before we can do anything about it.

HANNITY: Dr. Gorka, I think 'The Washington Post ' said one of my favorites. The Ivanka Trump of North Korea, did they inadvertently suggest that they -- that Ivanka Trump is good for the country and a bit of a star? It wasn't on purpose, I'm sure.

GORKA: No, I mean, the great irony is that if this really were an analogy with Ivanka Trump, they would have attacked this woman just as they have attacked everybody in the president's family since he became the president. So, no, they --

HANNITY: They are nicer to the propaganda minister than the president's daughter. That's probably a good point.

GORKA: Yes, think about it.

HANNITY: All right.

GORKA: The left wing media in the last week have supported the dictatorship in North Korea. Given the free propaganda, this is a regime that has labor camp, Sean.

HANNITY: All right. Well said. Thank you both.

Sad but true news gets harder every day.

When we come back, Ed Henry has a live report on the scary situation involving President Trump's daughter-in-law. White powder was sent to her home earlier today. And much more as we continue, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

HANNITY: All right. In what might be the most absurd anti-Trump coverage in recent memory, the mainstream media fawning over the North Korean minister of propaganda, Kim Jong Un's sister, all while trashing Vice President Mike Pence, following the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ABC: VP Mike Pence was in the stands of the Olympics where he seemed to be making silent protest by remaining seated when North and South Korean athletes entered the stadium under the Korean unification flag.

SUNNY HOSTIN, ABC: I thought that Mike Pence said that it was inappropriate to make political statements at sporting events.

GOLDBERG: You are in Korea, you need to stand up. You need to stand up and show respect.

JOY REID, MSNBC: Not standing during the ceremony was very odd.

JOE SCARBOROUGH, MSNBC: It was a clumsy moment. If we had people working in the State Department, I'm sure they could have given Mike Pence more effective instructions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, CNN: Again, this is certainly a propaganda win, nonetheless, for North Korea to have these images showing two top level officials sitting with South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, and the vice president just a short distance away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right. Here with reaction, the author of the brand new book, 'The Faith of Donald J. Trump ', a spiritual biography, David Brody. Also with us tonight, 'The Hill's ' Joe Concha.

Joe, they want to believe, they want to love, they want to suck up -- the evidence is overwhelming. This is a brutal, murdering dictatorship that was recently threatening the United States, the continental United States with nukes, threatening and firing missiles over Japan, threatening Guam, and instability everywhere. Why this desire to suck up and kiss the ring of these dictators?

JOE CONCHA, THE HILL: Don't forget, Sean, also, North Korea has a population of 25 million. U.N. report last year shows that 18 million people there don't have enough food. And remember Otto Warmbier, a U.S. citizen who was tortured within an inch of his life and died last June.

Do you remember how they used to torture him? And this is according to Fred Warmbier, they actually removed his teeth and I doubt local was administered and then placed them back in his mouth in different parts where they shouldn't be.

And now, we're seeing as you mentioned in your last segment story after story, headline after headline, Kim Jong Un's sister turns on the charm, takes Pence spotlight. I'm sure if this was Joe Biden and the previous administration, that wouldn't happen. And running joke on social media this weekend and it was very effective was if this were 1936, the headlines would be Eva Braun steals spotlight at Munich Olympics. It's essentially saying the same thing.

HANNITY: This is interesting, David, because you wrote a spiritual biography of Donald Trump. I'm sure those that maybe don't like Donald Trump's tweets or he's had a controversial life, they may not understand it, but one thing is certain -- he is not going to make a deal with two bit dictators that are threatening to destroy America, be it the mullahs in Iran or try to bribe them or bribe the North Korean dictators. That's a certain understanding, fundamental understanding of good versus evil, isn't it?

DAVID BRODY, 'THE FAITH OF DONALD J. TRUMP ' AUTHOR: Absolutely, Sean. I will also say that look, ultimately what this is about is that his base knows that he is not going to cut that deal and also independents and Democrats that are a part of that base know he is not going to cut that deal. And so, that is a big deal in Donald Trump land.

You are right, I wrote that book 'The Faith of Donald Trump ' out today, by the way, Sean. I will just tell you that there is a whole different side the media doesn't get with him and I think it's important. You will see a lot of law and order. North Korea is a good example of that, but there's a compassionate side to him as well, and we've got stories in the book to tell about it.

HANNITY: But the left, they like to say that they have this -- a more spiritual sort of superiority and a monopoly and compassion for the poor, the disadvantage, et cetera, et cetera. As Joe pointed out how many millions of North Koreans are starving as he throws all the money into the nuclear program so he can destroy the rest of the world or at least threaten to destroy.

BRODY: What's also interesting here, Sean when they are talking about Ivanka, Ivanka of North Korea and Ivanka of America? The idea they would put elegance in all of this. In other words, the idea there is an elegant sister in North Korea, I mean really is a slap in the face. Beyond that, CNN has really gone off the rails here. They have had a problem.

HANNITY: Just figuring that out, David?

BRODY: This just in, can we put a Kyron at the bottom of the screen?

HANNITY: Fox News alert.

BRODY: Fox News alert CNN off the rails, catch it here. Look, even at the national prayer breakfast the other day they were talking about Russians, triple the amount at the national prayer breakfast like they were going to take over and infiltrate the national prayer breakfast. It was shameful.

HANNITY: That is the thing Joe, this makes you different than your media critic colleagues out there, they claim to have a monopoly of compassion, but it looks like conservatives seem to understand that you can't bribe dictators and sucking up to those that are abusing human rights on a daily basis are not worth being friends with and that the only answer or antidote is strength.

JOE CONCHA, THE HILL NEWSPAPER: Old proverb in terms of media Sean, is the enemy of my enemy is my friend. This case this weekend it wasn't only Trump supporters that weren't just rolling their eyes at this and actually angry. I saw plenty of push back from independents, Democrats, because they saw an American press that was glamorizing a woman who is the Director of propaganda and agitation the soviets called it 'aggiprops. ' It is the most oppressive regime on earth, we talk about this. The New York Times CEO, Mark Thompson was on CNBC today defending the coverage, he said quote, no reared could think for a second that the "Times" doesn't understand about human rights and abuses. Ok. Then you got to start working on headlines, two thirds of Americans get their news from social media, twitter and Facebook. Probably do what you and I do sometimes? You scroll through, stop at a headline and you see I can't believe it Kim Jong-un's sister outflanks Pence on the diplomacy front. You read a little and you move on, you don't actually read the story. They talk about those present regimes and hours and the motors, but you know what you better work on your headlines and make it more accurate because people aren't reading the stories. They are looking at headlines very dangerous. Context is not added in those situations.

HANNITY: All right. Thank you both. Good luck with your book, David, we appreciate you being with us. We know you had a lot of interviews with the President to get that book together. When we come back the latest on deep state gate. The media giving President Obama free pass on all those government surveillance abuse. We won't do that on this show. Monica Crowley, Pam Bondi, Tom Fitton all coming up straight ahead with the latest developments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Monica Crowley she has a powerful new op-ed out on the hill entitled federal abuses on Obama's watch represent a growing blight on his legacy. Now Monica writes quote, in all the discussions about the political weaponization of the department of justice and the FBI alleged corruption at the highest echelons of those agencies and serial abuse of the secret FISA process surrounding the 2016 election. One name has been conspicuously absent. President Barack Obama. Here now with reaction senior fellow at the London center for policy research Monica Crowley, Judicial Watch's President Tom Fitton and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Monica, let's start with this because, yeah, it's all true, isn't it, that she rigged the primary. Pam can answer this later. But I have never heard of an exoneration months before interviewing the main people in an investigation. That allows her to continue. She pays for Russian government, Russian propaganda, that gets used for FISA warrant. They don't tell the FISA judge. That she bought and paid for it and it's not verified. That is all in order to disrupt the 2016 election. How does this get to Obama? I think the Susan Rice memo, the Grassley-Graham memo might be giving us some insight.

MONICA CROWLEY, AMERICAN COLUMNIST AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, you know, Sean, we have been talking about the two sort of surfaced things going on here and the purpose of the weaponization of the DOJ and the FBI and the Obama administration. One was to protect Hillary Clinton from prosecution and make sure she was, in fact, the candidate, because she was joined at the hip to Obama. Remember, the Benghazi attack, remember the knowing and repeated communications over her server and by her private email account. So they had to protect her in order to protect President Obama. If she were guilty of committing felonies, then so was he. So they had to insulate her. And the other part of it, of course, they hated Donald Trump so they wanted to derail him. But nobody is asking the bigger question as to why. And that is what I tried to get across in this column today at the hill, Sean, which is that Barack Obama essentially fulfilled the long held leftist ambition of changing the nation on the left ward trajectory. What Obama himself called the fundamental transformation of the nation?

HANNITY: For many years.

CROWLEY: Right. There was no way that he and his team and the Clinton squad also was going to allow those 8 Obama years of leftist achievements be reversed by none other than Donald Trump.

HANNITY: Pam, zero doubt the evidence and the email server, I have listed them enough times in this program.

PAM BONDI, R, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF FLORIDA: Yes.

HANNITY: Multiple felonies were committed. But then you have the FBI Director and this Trump hating higher up individual Peter Strzok and mistress and Andrew McCabe talking about insurance policies. So the fix is in.

BONDI: Right.

HANNITY: You are prosecutor. Have you ever began exoneration letter months before you interview the key people in the investigation? It never made sense. And it all leads in her staying in the race, paying for the Russia lies and go to the FISA court and withhold information. Isn't that lying by omission to a court?

BONDI: Sean, it's more than lying by omission. When they go for a FISA warrant, they have to swear under oath that the facts they are presenting the Judge are true. And I can't believe that the Judge hasn't pulled them back already in to court to undo what's happened. It's ridiculous. And a FISA warrant. That is one of the most important things we do as prosecutors, because you are invading someone's privacy. You are wiretapping their phones. You are listening to everything they do. That is why that information has to be pure and clean.

HANNITY: The Grassley-Graham memo says that the dossier was the bulk of information evidence and so they hand this over. Now, three months later, you got James Comey.

BONDI: Right.

HANNITY: Saying to Trump it's not verified and salacious. But it's only a footnote as we understand it to the FISA court. It may have political origins. They knew Hillary bought it. They know she paid for it. They knew it was even probably not verified but they didn't tell the Judge.
What should happen now?

BONDI: Well, the Judge needs to bring them back before him. They should all be held in contempt at very minimum for bringing false information to a Judge. That is more than lying by omission. They did not give the Judge all the facts. I believe it was very falsified what they did. It needs to go back before the Judge and needs to be wiped out. Everything you always hear fruit of the poisonous tree principle. Everything that came out of that warrant was fruit of the poisonous tree.

HANNITY: Would that mean General Flynn's guilty plea out the window.

BONDI: Everything. I really cannot believe it hasn't been brought back before the Judge now that you revealed and Fox and everyone has revealed all of the facts.

HANNITY: The memo is there. Tom Fitton. Did I see the president tweeting you this weekend. Congratulations, more importantly you are digging deep to get -- will we ever get a look at how bad this FISA memo was? Are the arguments made before the court? Is that something maybe in redacted form we could look at to purposefully did not tell this judge that they knew at the time?

TOM FITTON, JUDICIAL WATCH PRESIDENT: We sued for them, he is doing memos. Democrats will have their memo eventually come out. Why is it relying on summary document? Get the underlying information. Nunes has asked for it we sued in court for it. I told the White House that they should take this approach of extreme transparency on Russia gate. It does nothing to protect the President from the activity against him and protects people like Barack Obama and Justice Department and FBI that was misused to target President Trump. You know, Barack Obama -- the dossier is central to the Russian collusion theory. It's collapsing and if it was central to the Russian collusion theory. We have reports today quickly Sean, Barack Obama was given the dossier. He was given the dossier. What did he know and why wasn't he been questioned about it.

HANNITY: That is a good point. The Grassley-Graham letter to Rice today, Monica Crowley, they want to know what was talked about on January 5th and what Susan Rice note to self-just hours before they leave the White House.
Doesn't that seem a little odd that letter that she is ending out?

CROWLEY: Yes. Look, the idea, Sean, that any of these people in the executive branch under President Obama, the branch he oversaw that any of these people, Comey, Lynch, McCabe, the list goes on, Strzok, Page, Ohr that any of these people freelanced any of this without at least the tacit approval of the president or his White House really strange credulity here.

HANNITY: All right. Let me ask you Pam, you read this letter. Susan Rice's email she sent to herself in the waning hours of the Obama administration. How do you interpret it my interpretation is CYA.

BONDI: Of course that is what it is. To say that the president of the United States Barack Obama didn't know what was going on is ludicrous.
That is why Monica's brilliant op-ed made so much sense. Fundamental transformation of a nation. That is what President Obama, then candidate Obama, wanted to do in our country. Now it CYA by all of them. He wanted Hillary elected so he could not only protect his liberal agenda, but also to protect himself from everything that the country would find out that he had done.

HANNITY: Going to cover up all of this. This that is a good shot but I don't think it's going to happen. All right. Good to see you all. We appreciate your hard work. When we come back, Ed Henry back with update how D.C. is reacting to all the news tonight. All that and more straight ahead on Hannity.

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HANNITY: Joining us with more on all of today's big stories Fox News chief national correspondent Ed Henry. As I watch everything that is going on, this is your territory and you've got to be fair, balanced and objective and I don't, which is really, really good. I'm watching everything as it relates to we now are learning a lot about 2016 that we never saw before.

ED HENRY, SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No downtown doubt about it.

HANNITY: The release of the memos.

HENRY: Yes.

HANNITY: But I think the evidence is pretty incontrovertible that something wrong happen when you exonerate before you investigate. I think any American would say that probably doesn't happen to often to them. Now that we know there is two Russia stories that the media never talked about, one about Hillary Clinton paying for the Russian dossier and the other one involves the uranium one and the fact that she signed off on the CFIUS deal. Where is your media colleagues on these stories?

HENRY: People are AWOL right now, Sean, and I think what's remarkable is that Devin Nunes got so beaten up by the mainstream media for putting out a memo that in the end did not compromise sources and methods as many people in the media predicted, because they were listening to John Brenan and all of these national security experts mostly from the Obama administration tied to the old Clinton administration or Clinton campaign saying this was going to reveal sources and methods. It did nothing like that. What it did was name names, yes, but made a fundamental point that, in fact, the FISA court Judges since there were multiple FISA applications it was not disclosed to them that in fact the Clinton campaign and DNC had paid for that dossier, which was a key part of getting the surveillance and spying of Trump advisor Carter Page.

The very bottom line is, yes, Democrats are entitled to get their memo out as well. And the President says the only reason he is blocking it right now is that there is classified information that he wants pulled back. So the Democrats go back to the drawing board. And reshape their version of the memo.

We're told by lawmakers who have seen the Democratic memo it does not dispute that fundamental point we were just talking about. That the FISA court judges were not told that the DNC and the Clinton campaign paid for the dossier. Even the Democratic memo does not dispute that.

HANNITY: Ed, the thing is, if you look at the time line, remember, this first there was earlier attempt that was denied as it relates to FISA warrant that was July. When you go to the October FISA application, you are right, it was unverified. A footnote that says may be political in nature does not mean it came from the Clinton campaign and the DNC.

HENRY: Correct.

HANNITY: That was withheld. It was known and it wasn't withheld. Here is the irony to me. James Comey, this is in October. He is arguing that this should go before the FISA. He knows it's going before the FISA court.
It's the bulk of information according to the Grassley-Graham memo.

HENRY: Yes.

HANNITY: But then in January when he goes to see Trump at Trump tower is he still President-Elect before the swearing. He is telling Trump it's unverified and salacious. Couple months earlier saying something different.

HENRY: Two very important points here Sean. For the reporting aspect which is you are right, number one. James Comey is telling the president-elect at Trump Tower in January 2017 this dossier is unverified. Even though if you rewind the tape as you say, back in October 2016, the FISA court Judge, it's not made clear that it's unverified. Instead, they suggested that the FBI had verified at least parts of this. And the other important point about the dossier is that it's not clear that President-Elect Trump was told. In fact we believe he was not told that the dossier was paid for by the DNC and Clinton camp even though James Comey clearly knew that.

HANNITY: Trying to wrap my arms around this. If it's not verified, and it's used as the bulk of information, I would think that if Donald Trump, if he had paid for this dossier, and it was full of Russian propaganda and it was used on a FISA court to get a warrant on anybody in the Clinton campaign, that the same media that silenced here or missing in action as you say they would be apoplectic about this.

HENRY: They would be if the shoe was going to be on the other foot. I think here's the real test. When and if we finally see this Democratic memo, if some more redactions are made, maybe there is more points that the Democrats can make in there. Maybe they will be able to challenge some of the facts you just laid out. We simply do not know, because we have not seen the Democratic memo. But, again, to this point, they have not challenged that fundamental point that the FISA court seems to have been misled. Again, as a reporter, if the Democratic memo had something we don't know today, we have to be fair and balanced and say ok, here's another piece of information. Maybe the FISA court judges were told something beyond the dossier to give them the confidence that was verified, at this moment we don't have that.

HANNITY: Thank you Ed for that update. When we come back big huge anniversary for conspiracy theorist, MSNBC Chris Matthews. Kind of a good way. It is our video of the day and Hannity hotline, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Big anniversary for conspiracy theory hosts. MSNBC host Chris Matthews, it was ten years ago tonight. I was proven absolutely right. Journalism in America is dead. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HARDBALL HOST: It is part of this case, of the election, the feeling that most people feel when they hear Barack Obama speak. Seriously. It is a dramatic event. He speaks in a way that has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with the feeling that we have with our country. That is an objective assessment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: You he got it right. Calm down. All right, ten years ago. All right, time flies. All right time for the Hannity hotline. Hit me with your best shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am just wondering, do you work at being a (BEEP)? Or does it just comes naturally for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a retired military guy, I spent 23 years in the military. I appreciate everything you are doing. Keep peeling the onion back. I think that things will finally get better if we finally have equal justice under the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: By the way, I think it comes naturally to me, whatever it is that I am doing. Good or bad, either way, we love it when you sound off. It doesn't matter. If you feel you like the show or hate the show, or unproven to the show, give us a call, 8772258587. Unfortunately, that is all the time that we have left this evening. We are really out of time.
We will always be fair and balance and never be the destroy Trump media and let not your heart be troubled. Laura is next. Laura take it away.

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