Michelle Obama criticized for comparing Trump era to 'living with divorced dad'

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Michelle Obama criticized for comparing Trump era to 'living with divorced dad'

Reaction from Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera and Independent Women's Voice president Tammy Bruce on 'Hannity.'

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," April 16, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity". Buckle up. Busy night tonight.

The radical socialist field, 2020 Democrats is a dumpster fire filled with hypocritical far left candidates who are willing to do and say anything for power. Coming up tonight, we will have full coverage of this, well, frankly, now, really disturbing field of politicians including one unhinged candidate, maybe you can guess who it is, who is ready to lock up American gun owners if they do not turn their weapons over to the federal government.

But first, let's turn our attention to a very important "Hannity Watch" as we investigate tonight the investigators. Now, tonight, the tide is turning dramatically. After Thursday of this week, the gig is up for the hate Trump media mob, the Democratic allies, who for over two and a half years have been pushing their tin foil hat conspiracy c theories and outright lies about collusion. Now, they don't know it yet, but it's done, it is over, it is finished. No collusion, no obstruction.

Yes, there's going to be a few that cling to a few sentences, offer more lies, more fake news, more fake legal analysis. But in the end, they are forever exposed for the liars and partisan hacks that they are. They have put this country in danger, our constitutional republic in danger.

Now, on Thursday, the Mueller report will be released by the Attorney General Barr, and with only minor, legally mandated reactions. And it will be what is the final nail in the coffin to the credibility of America's biggest Russia collusion conspiracy theory. It's over. They don't know it yet.

Now, that includes so-called reporters at "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times." They actually won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for perpetrating a hoax. Now, that prize frankly should be revoked. I think it could be rewarded to the real journalists, the real investigative reporters that we have every night on the show and my radio show, the people who have been right the entire time. All along exposing, layer by layer, every single issue involving what is the biggest abuse of power obstruction scandal in history.

The only difference is, they have evidence that has been reported over the course of two years on this show. And unlike so many in the media mob, we are not blinded by hate. We follow the truth, the evidence, due process.

Now, sadly, the same cannot be said about the media mob. Now, they reported their anti-Trump garbage, lies, propaganda, over and over again with their anonymous sources. And, of course, they're just doing the Democrats' bidding. They are tied at the hip, manufactured crisis.

And on Thursday, they will do a predictably one last time with all the phony lying outrage they'll be able to manufacture. They want to bludgeon President Trump, which has been their goal all along, by any and all means necessary, and they have only one day left.

And, by the way, just breaking moments ago, Sara Carter's reporting that three of those Democrats, Congressman Elijah Cummings, Maxine Waters, and the cowardly Adam Schiff actually signed a secret pact behind closed doors, vowing to target President Trump and subpoena all of his financial and banking records -- oh, by the way, which means more evidence. They've even moved on from collusion.

This letter obtained by Sara Carter from Congressman Jim Jordan, it is now raising serious concern over this secret agreement to take down a president. And according to a congressional source, quote: This is not how committees normally operate. The Democrats aren't interested in legislating, only attacking the president.

Sara Carter will join us in a moment and give us that full report.

But that's what the president is up against and has been up against from day one. Now, if the president cured cancer tonight and gave every American $5 million and adopted their sick agenda, they would still hate him.

Here's my prediction: When the Mueller report is released on Thursday, the same people that have lied all along, this is going to find something, anything in the report to bludgeon the president. By the way, it's not going to work again. Many on the left are already speculating that the 30- plus hours of testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn is going to be the linchpin providing the damning evidence of wrongdoing.

OK, let's do something the media mob won't do. Let's take an honest look at truth and facts. We know for a fact the special counsel found no Russia collusion between Trump or anyone in his campaign. As a matter of fact, we have the quote from the Mueller report right here.

This is from the Mueller report: The investigations did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.

No collusion.

We also know for a fact that three previous investigations also cleared the president. And when it comes to the claims that the president obstructed justice, we also know for a fact that Mueller did not charge the president with obstruction. And we know that Barr, Rod Rosenstein, the DOJ's nonpartisan Office of Legal Counsel and, yes, and conjunction with talking to the Mueller team, cleared the president from any charges.

It's a fact that President Trump did not fire Mueller. They're going to say, well, he wanted to fire him, but he didn't. They're going to say, well, he wanted to fire Rod Rosenstein and Jeff Sessions. OK, he didn't.

He didn't impede any investigation anywhere. He didn't interfere with General Flynn's case, except wishing that he wouldn't get in trouble and he got in trouble. And as Comey said, the president is right to fire him for any reason or no reason at all.

Now, did the president talk about these things? Yes. Did he talk about them a lot? Yes. The witch hunt, the Democrats on Mueller's team, firing Sessions, Rosenstein, hoping that General Flynn, a 33 year military hero wouldn't get hurt -- kind of like all the deep stat guys.

They talked an awful lot about things, too, like wearing a wire to spy on the president. They talked about trying to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove a duly elected president. Well, they didn't do it, but they talked about it a lot.

So, if a president expresses frustration, just like those FBI DOJ guys, about them being investigated are not getting their political by over a serious crime that he didn't commit, it's not obstruction. Also, there is no intent, very important as it relates to the law.

Calling out the Trump-hating Democrats who Mueller appointed to probe this whole thing, that is not obstruction. Frankly, that was the right thing to do. And last but not least, firing Comey, not obstruction.

And, by the way, here's the good news. President Trump summed it up perfectly when he tweeted out, Mueller, the A.G., and the A.G. based on Mueller findings on great intelligence have already ruled no collusion, no obstruction. These crimes were committed by crooked Hillary, the DNC, dirty cops, and others. Investigate the investigators -- which we have been doing.

Now, the tables have finally turned. This is their last rubber bullet.  And it will hit and it will fall to the ground, and it's all over.

Now, "The Wall Street Journal's" Bill McGurn, smart guy, calling for a grand jury -- he is right -- to investigate factors that are in the deep state and abuse power. Quote: If the Federal Bureau of Investigation is to recover its lost reputation -- by the way, I don't agree with that. Not rank-and-file, upper echelon -- the first item on Attorney General Bill Barr's agenda must be to make good on something that set off a frenzy when he proposed it last week: an honest accounting of the FBI spying.

Yes, they spied on Trump. They did. Many times. Many ways.

Anyway, the attorney general has already vowed to establish a team, thankfully, to investigate our federal government spying on the Trump campaign. Great article today by Andrew McCarthy -- he'll join us in a few minutes -- detailing some of this potentially illicit surveillance, writing, quote: Less than a year ago, we learned the Obama administration had used a confidential informant to spy, to approach at least three Trump campaign officials in the months leading up to the 2016 election, straining to find proof that the campaign was complicit in the Kremlin's hacking of Democratic emails.

Now, of course, Andy McCarthy is referring to Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, and Sam Clovis, who were all approached by an informant with the name of Stefan Halper. That's only the tip of the iceberg. Trump's campaign associate Carter Page was also electronically surveilled. By the way, can somebody teach Comey what that means? After Comey and others signed off on that FISA application, the bulk of coming from the coming from the unverified, unverifiable, uncorroborated dirty Russian dossier paid for by Hillary Clinton.

And let's not forget about the nearly 350 percent increase in unmasking requests by top Obama officials in the election year of 2016. What did Obama know? When did he know it?

By the way, Strzok and Page say all the decisions were made by Loretta Lynch. What did she know? When she did know it?

Also, I think Susan Rice has questions to answer. Brennan, Clapper, even creepy Uncle Joe, what did they all know, when did they all know it? Now, soon, we'll begin to have the answers to these important questions.

In a letter to the director of national intelligence, Congressman Jim Jordan, Congressman Mark Meadows, they have now requested that 53, we only got seven, 53 closed door testimony transcripts be made public. I'm sure Jerry Nadler will join them because he didn't want the release of the Starr report.

Already, we have received the testimony of Bruce Ohr, Lisa Page, Peter Strzok, James Baker, other FBI and DOJ officials who were involved in the witch hunt, and it was, against Donald Trump, the free passage given, of course, they literally gave a get-out-of-jail-free card because they like Hillary.

They thought, the guy that interviewed her, Peter Strzok, she should won 100 million to zero. Yet she committed real crimes. We have a massive amount of classified material that was found on that unsecured private server that was managed by Platt River Networks. It was in a bathroom closet.

She committed a real crime, and thus had a real intent to obstruct justice by destroying the evidence of that crime. Hence, the 33,000 deleted, acid washed emails.

Now, the media on Thursday, they are going to pretend they care about obstruction of justice. Meanwhile, all of them will ignore the biggest slam-dunk obstruction of justice case in history. That's right, Hillary's case.

And just like Democrats, remember, they believed all the Kavanaugh accusers. "I believe." They believe. But their silence is deafening when it comes to lieutenant governor of Virginia, oh, he's been accused of rape and violent sexual assault. So, where are all the "I believers"? You know, obstruction matters, but only if it's Trump, not Hillary Clinton.

Charges of rape, serious sexual assault only matters if you're appointed by Trump but not the Democratic lieutenant governor of Virginia. Look at your screen, a clear violation of the Espionage Act, 18 USC 793. There is the law.

Why was Hillary cleared? Because the investigation was rigged. Why did Comey and Strzok start writing an exoneration in May? They didn't interview here until July.

Why did they take out gross negligence, the legal standard, and replace it with extreme carelessness? Why did Peter Strzok allow two other people in the interview room when he was interviewing Clinton on July 2nd, 2016?  Comey exonerated her on July 5th. They had written that first in May.

Why did Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch really talk about on that secret meeting on the tarmac in Phoenix just before Hillary was cleared? Did Lynch, the FBI, did they work in concert together to clear the Clintons?  Did they rig that investigation when it's obvious she committed multiple felonies because she was the one that should win 100 million to zero and Trump supporters were nothing but smelly Walmart voters?

From Hillary Clinton's rigged investigation, spying on the Trump campaign, to committing a fraud and FISA abuse, to unmasking American citizens and abusing the powerful tools of intelligence, to everything in between, we will now finally get the answers.

I know that media won't go there because then they'd have to admit they are wrong. They won't apologize, they won't retract. They won't say, jeez, this ensemble cast got it right. Don't hold your breath.

We're going to have a lot more on this throughout the show. But, first, we also must report tonight on our "Hannity Watch" on the radical socialists, 2020 Democrats. It's been a very revealing way for some of the far left sycophants trying to become president.

We start with the current mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Yes. That guy, Mayor Pete. Peter Buttigieg is his name, who said that the Electoral College is just one big Republican manipulation of the system.

OK. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we realize that this would be a fairer place if everyone's vote counted the same and if the way we picked our president was to tally up the votes and give it to the person who got the most votes, then now is a moment to make that change.

Most Americans don't want this. Most Americans don't want the conservative agenda that we are now seeing, the extreme agenda that we are seeing in Washington. In fact, it is precisely for that reason that they have to interfere with democracy with things like voter suppression or clinging on an Electoral College that overrules the will of the American people. It is precisely because the American people by and large don't want what they are selling that they are relying on manipulations of our political structure in order to keep their agenda in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Let me educate Mayor Pete, Mayor Buttigieg, for a moment. If he wants the good people of his home state of Indiana to have a voice in the presidential election -- I like the people from Indiana -- he should probably rethink what is his unconstitutional stance on the Electoral College because without our current system, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and California, they would decide every national contest.

His state of Indiana, for that matter, New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, all those red states down South, they would be totally ignored. It wouldn't matter. Is that with the good mayor wants?

Now, sadly, Mayor Pete is not the only Democrat trampling on the U.S. Constitution. California Congressman Eric Swalwell, well, he's actually running on an anti-Second Amendment agenda. Look at this.

Now, first, he suggested the federal government could easily disarm Americans because it has nukes, OK? But on Sunday, he took it down a notch and said that he just supports jailing Americans who don't comply with his plan to seize guns that he classifies as dangerous.

Here comes the government. Get ready. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Criminal prosecution for keeping assault weapons, what's the punishment for people who don't hand in their guns? Do they go to jail?

REP. ERIC SWALWELL, D-CALIF., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, Jake, they would.  The reason that I have proposed this is because these weapons are so devastating. I've seen this as a prosecutor in the cases that are prosecuted. We see these in the school shootings from Sandy Hook to Parkland, and I was just at Parkland earlier this week during a town hall there.

But it's not just the violence they have caused. It's the fear, the immeasurable fear that our children live in because they are still in our streets. I want to get rid of that fear. I want to do what Australia did and New Zealand just recently did. I think this issue just needs some bold leadership to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: I want to get rid of the fear of you not understanding the Constitution or wanting to stack the courts that Bernie Sanders last night on this network actually suggesting, oh, yes, a woman could have an abortion up until the last minute, like during birth, or as a Virginia governor said, first, we'll deliver the baby, make sure the baby is comfortable, then mom gets to decide. The baby gets resuscitative help if needed.

Here now, Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy, The Wall Street Journal's Kimberley Strassel, FOX News contributor Sara Carter. All three more deserving than The Washington Post, The New York Times for their hoax Pulitzer. We call them the hoax Pulitzer.

Andy, let me start with you. You have a two-page article out today that was fascinating. You talk about the spying, but on top of the spying, we have the FISA abuse. On top of the FISA abuse, we also had the rigged investigation into Hillary, because she did commit real crimes.

ANDY MCCARTHY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Sean, I think, you know, as Attorney General Barr put it last week, the question of spying should not be a question anymore. There is no question -- there should be no dispute that surveillance happened, whatever you want to call it. The issue is, was it properly predicated?

And I think what we are seeing now, there seems to have been an insufficient predicate, and all I can say is from my own perspective, if I had authorized an investigation of the president, if I had used the government's counterintelligence powers in order to investigate the campaign of the opposition party and people were calling me out about whether I had a good reason for it, I wouldn't be able to wait to tell you what it was.

So, I think it's very telling that, you know, rather than invite an inquiry into what caused this investigation to take place in the first place, what they are doing is attacking the people who simply want answers to simple questions, how did this get originated? What was the reason for it?

HANNITY: Great questions.

Sara, let me go to your breaking news tonight. I now have a copy of the letter to which you refer, and that is Elijah Cummings got a letter from Congressman Jim Jordan, as he, Maxine Waters, and cowardly Schiff, Adam Schiff, apparently were sending out secret memorandums of understanding about how to get Trump at the next level. So, even though Thursday ends collusion, ends obstruction, in all reality and truth, and begins everything we've talked about for two years, now, they want to go to the next conspiracy theory.

Why apologize for the old one?

SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it's really incredible, Sean. I mean, Congressman Jordan, who is the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, actually discover this within recent days, that Adam Schiff, as well, Maxine Waters, and Elijah Cummings -- Elijah Cummings, who's the chairman of the committee, basically withheld those from the ranking member, and that's against the committee rules.

So, they basically sign these memorandums of understanding in secrecy. So it's kind of like a pact between all of them to go after and target President Trump. One of the things they wanted was Mazars USA LLP, which was Trump's former accounting firm while he was in the private sector, and they want all the documentation, all financial records going back to 2009.

I mean, this is really incredible. And they are going to have a huge fight on their hands, because once again, the investigation, Robert Mueller's investigation, has been wrapped up. They found no conspiracy, no collusion with Russia.

We have seen it on the other side. And as far as obstruction, there were no obstruction charges whatsoever. So, now, they are looking for something else. They're digging deeper, but they have a huge fight on their hands.

I know Congressman Jordan, Congressman Meadows and others are very angry about this, and I don't think they are going to get any of that documentation anytime soon.

HANNITY: Kimberley, after Thursday, this is like -- this is all they got.  We read the quote from the Mueller report that Barr released. No collusion, no conspiracy to collude with Russia.

But -- and we'll watch the predictable freak-out by that same people that have been wrong for over two and a half years lying to the American people.  But on the other side of this story, we do have a rigged investigation into Hillary Clinton, where real crimes were committed, real felonies underlying the intent to obstruct justice by deleting and acid washing hard drives, then we got 53 that we know of closed-door interviews that will come out.

Then, we have, let's see, criminal referrals by Nunes. Then, we got the Horowitz report, the Huber report, then we'll eventually get the FISA applications, the bulk of which was based on the Hillary bought and paid for Russian lies, then we'll get 302s, and Gang of Eight information, this really is just starting, except this time there is a real evidence, not hype.

KIMBERLEY STRASSEL, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Right, yes. Well, listen, this is all they got. But I still think everyone should be very honest and brace themselves for what is going to happen on Thursday when the Mueller report comes out. We know the top-line conclusions, and it's understood there is no evidence of collusion.

But don't forget that the information that Bob Mueller was given by the FBI included a lot of dirt that hasn't been out yet. Remember, we know that Bruce Ohr, he was having other conversations with Christopher Steele, with Fusion GPS. He was passing this along to the FBI, and these are probably things that Mueller looked at as well.

Democrats are going to comb through this report and they're going to throw all that out there. And it's not going to matter that Mueller found there was no evidence. I just think everybody needs to be aware that that is coming because that's how they're going to respond. And --

HANNITY: They are going to rant and rave.

But, Andy, quickly, on the legal side, there's no underlying crime, as Barr said in his letter, then you can't have intent to obstruct, we all know that when Trump said I hate Mueller, we should fire him, we should fire Rosenstein, he didn't do any of those things, did he? He didn't obstruct.

MCCARTHY: No, he didn't, Sean. But I think Kim is right. We're going to get, you know, 400 pages of almost collusion, almost obstruction.

HANNITY: Exactly, almost.

MCCARTHY: It will be like the indictments we saw. You flip to the last page and there is nothing.

HANNITY: And then it all dies, all of it. They just don't know that their lies are dead already.

All right. Thank you all. Great work on all your parts.

When we come back, Speaker Pelosi continues throwing shade at Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. We're going to tell you the latest dig that she made today.

Also, Lawrence Jones hit the streets of New York. What did they think of Congressman Omar's 9/11 remarks, and a lot more, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. The radical left wing of the Democratic Party led by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in a battle with Speaker Pelosi for control over the party. This weekend, Pelosi downplaying the power struggle.

I don't know if I would like as if I was @AOC on Twitter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: She likes to minimize the conflict within her caucus between the moderates and the progressives.

You have these wings, AOC and her group on one side --

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: That's like five people.

REPORTER: No, it's the progressive group. It's more than five.

PELOSI: Oh, the progressive -- I'm a progressive. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Now, Pelosi's alleged criticism of Ocasio-Cortez didn't stop there. Yesterday, the speaker took another veiled swipe at her again. Oh, open warfare. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: We won this election. It wasn't a district like mine or Alexandria's, however, she's a wonderful member of Congress, I think all of our colleagues will attest. But those are districts that are solidly Democratic, this glass of water would win with a D next to its name in those districts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: I have to ask, Madam Speaker, now, if Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is just one of five upstarts, who's a shoo-in to win her district, why did you put her on the all-powerful House Financial Services and House Oversight Committees?

But, well, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez isn't the only freshman liberal lawmaker causing Speaker Pelosi headaches. Congresswoman Omar has frequently been the subject of massive controversy surrounding her various and virulent anti-Semitic remarks, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi being forced to defend her, saying Democrats have, quote, no taint of anti-Semitism in their party. Yes, they do.

Now, recently, Omar also faced a wave of criticism minimizing the 9/11 attacks, calling it, well, some people who did some things.

Our Lawrence Jones hit the streets of New York today, our own investigative reporter, to find out what people thought of those comments, people who lived through it. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think downplaying the situation is horrible because it affected all of America at the time.

LAWRENCE JONES, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: How does that make you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, having been at the 9/11 Museum yesterday, it's definitely not a matter of ever saying, you know what, some people did something, downplaying it.

JONES: She said some people did something, not referring to the mass terrorists and not referring it as a terrorist attack. How does that make you feel as a New Yorker?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has freedom of speech. I am more appalled by Donald Trump's reactions to her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's pretty I think she's pretty sensitive toto the issue that everybody wants to lock every person who --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has with the Muslim faith no matter whether it's radical or not into one big bin. And that's really problematic for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY- HOST: Here with more. Editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, Fox News investigative reporter of "The Hannity Show" and Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones, former White House press secretary, also Fox News contributor, Ari Fleischer. The sentiment Lawrence seems to be clear. And you know Ari and I remember, everybody remembers there were people diving out of that window because they couldn't take the heat anymore, lost 3000 Americans. I lost friends that day in New York. We lost - I lost friends that day in Washington and I'll never forget people like Todd Beamer. Let's roll, never. How could you ever forget somebody that brave that saved lives

LAWRENCE JONES, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Sean, I think this is a pretty simple thing most Americans realize that it was radical Islamic terrorists that brought this nation to its knees that day. And the fact that she could not identify that is troubling. I mean you know I get a lot of people want to be very sensitive on this issue and not call it for what it is. But people that share the religion sometimes or people that do bad things have the right to call and the duty to call out the bad actors and say look this is not us. They don't speak for us. And so, the fact that she can't do that and call the terrorists by their name as well as acknowledge this traumatic event that happened in our country is concerning. And I think everybody in her party should call it out.

HANNITY: You know Ari I played a clip last night. We know her anti-Semitic statements. We know - she was saying, the way people put emphasis on al- Qaeda. And not America, not England. I am like are you really going to make that comparison as if they don't deserve the rightful distinction of evil radicalism.

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You know Sean I try to pick my words with care. I try not to use tough pejorative terms against people, but she is a radical. What she is espouse both in terms of her anti-Semitic points of view and the dismissive way she approached what happened on September 11th is the thinking of a radical. A radical who is now an elected member of Congress, a radical who can get the fellow Democrats in Congress not to condemn her actual words because of the power of the progressive block in Congress. The more than five people that Nancy Pelosi is wisely worried about. This is a creeping radicalism inside the Democratic Party and it's only growing worse.

HANNITY: Do you think. I think up to this point Nancy Pelosi has been fearful of Congresswoman to lead, but no more. And Ocasio-Cortez, is she trying to pull back some of the power and who wins this power struggles. She doesn't have a big margin being speaker does she.

FLEISCHER: You know I think Nancy Pelosi showed that she started to get fed up. Very interesting. Nancy Pelosi knows what she's doing, and she would not have thrown shade and those two statements about AOC if she didn't think she needed to. She's sending a signal to the other Democrats in the caucus that you need to step up, you need to fight her too

HANNITY: Lawrence.

JONES: That's all PR, Sean. Because at the end of the day they still got powerful committees. They still have a lot of influence within the caucus. I would say these people are the Freedom Caucus for the right. And so yes, she may say one thing in front of the camera. But at the end of the day they're pushing legislation.

HANNITY: Listen, they got all the 2020 candidates buying this ridiculous Green New Deal you know seems about a 100.

JONES: Exactly, right

HANNITY: And the House and the presidential candidates for 2020. Guys, good to see you both. Thank you. Remember First Lady, Michelle Obama for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country said it a couple of times. She's actually being criticized by some on the left for what she said about President Trump. We'll explain. Tammy Bruce, Geraldo, they're next on a busy breaking news night. We're glad you are with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. Remember former First Lady, Michelle Obama for the first time in my adult life, I'm proud of my country said it a couple of times, now raising eyebrows after she compared President Trump to a quote divorced dad in America to a broken family told Stephen Colbert at a Sunday book event. "We come from a broken family. We're a teenager. We're a little unsettled and having good parents. It's tough sometimes you spend the weekend with the divorced dad. It feels like it's fun but then you get sick. That's what America is going through. We're kind of living with a divorced dad."

I know some great divorced dads that love their kids. Whatever happened to when they go low, we go high and get this even some of the destroyed Trump media, they're pushing back at these ridiculous comments. Frankly, there's broad sweeping generalization. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She got some chuckles but that was a sexist comment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so. And I think divorced dads ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Divorced dads everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or a good dad are probably upset about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's surprising to me that Michelle Obama would make this mistake. Well do you think it was a mistake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think it was a mistake? OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Do I think it was a mistake. One of my best friends John Gomez. He married the love of his life who happened to be divorced and had a girl. He was the best stepdad ever. Joining us now Fox News Contributor, Tammy Bruce, Fox News Correspondent Geraldo Rivera. Geraldo, I'm going to start with you.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Because I've been divorced.

HANNITY: Well, kind of you know. But you know something because I know you. Every single one of your ex-wives loves you. And your children love you. I've been around them many, many times and they are great kids. That's so demeaning and insulting that generalization of hers.  RIVERA: It is demeaning and insulting, and you should win the People's Pulitzer Prize, your team and the people who won it from The New York Times and The Washington Post should give it back. Having said that, as a person who has experienced divorce as you suggest, she's equating, she's reduced to - us to a sexist stereotype with a bad parent who gives candy and lets the kids watch too much TV, because we have a guilty conscience about the breakup of the marriage. I think it's a rare misstep though, Sean in fairness. Erica, my wife and my sister ...

HANNITY: No passes here on that.

RIVERA: First lady Michelle.

HANNITY: How do you make a pass something the first time in my adult life, I'm proud of America.  RIVERA: Well, that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about divorced dads.

HANNITY: No, I'm talking about.

RIVERA: And here in Cleveland, here in Cleveland she bent over backwards to be gracious about the President. That's why this surprised me because this is so - it's a no-brainer. You know 30 percent of custodial parents following divorce are the men you know men of divorce, so she's reducing us to this stereotype. You know we're drinking beer. We see the kids every other Sunday and they're running around. Go ahead kid, eat all the cotton candy you want. And she's equating that scenario with the American people and their view of President Trump. That's what this is about. This is about a false feel good sentiment in the country because of the President's irresponsibility.

HANNITY: I know a lot of - I know Geraldo's kids. They love and worship their father who is a great dad. And you know only because it's been so widely publicized, I wouldn't have brought it up otherwise, Geraldo you know that. But and you talk about it often. But how insulting just like it was insulting, World War II beating fascism Nazism, Imperial Japan. Only now you're proud of your country.

TAMMY BRUCE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I'll tell you it's a pleasure to be on with both of you guys here. And I was - I was in the audience, this was at her book tour. The audience was actually a little taken aback. There were some chuckles as was noted on that clip from that other network. But this is very strange, and I don't know if it's necessarily out of step. I think Michelle Obama has been known for being very honest. And she doesn't tend to edit herself. I think that when she does it's a deliberate effort to do so. This may have reflected more of her point of view.

But the problem here is it's not just insulting to men and for every woman and man out in that audience who didn't quite know why she was insulting them. But it relies also on the other side of the coin which is the gender stereotype of women that all women are supposed to be either great mothers or only women can raise children or only women can be good parents.

Now, the best scenario is two parents who love those kids and we know that love is love and it's about you know the nature of who can love a child. And that is also of course a part of the problem of her remarks is the gender stereotyping that the left is normally going out against. She really destroys in that regard. And this is one of my points about the left and liberals. If you scratch the surface a little bit. If you scratch the surface a little bit you get these real opinions that are quite the opposite of what they've been arguing for.

HANNITY: Real quick, I'll ask you. Why do they get a pass Geraldo? Because if a conservative said this, forget it  RIVERA: Because she's made 50 speeches in the last 40 days and this is the first time you've heard something that was a misstep. I mean she said elegant lady.

HANNITY: You are so forgiving.

RIVERA: She had a rough time.

HANNITY: You have such a soft heart.

RIVERA: I think that she will be fondly remembered by most. I love Melania onward and upward. You know I think that she has to be judged by her track record.

HANNITY: Last word Tammy.

BRUCE: Well, look I think that this, she's not a sloppy woman. She said what she meant, and it was insulting, and I think it revealed a side of her that a lot of people don't like. But I think we need to keep that in mind, it's weird how Democrats keep doing that and keep surprising us with these kinds of opinions, isn't it?

HANNITY: All right. Good to see you both. We appreciate your time. When we come back, we do have updates on two scandals one involving Lori Loughlin, Jussie Smollett and Trace Gallagher has a full report. Also, Candace Owens will be here confronted by a group of protesters, some with their faces covered in a really scary scenario at a college campus yesterday. She'll give us all the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. Breaking new developments tonight in both the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax and college admission scandals. Fox News Correspondent Trace Gallagher. He's live in our West Coast Newsroom tonight with the very latest. I guess Lori Loughlin is now claiming Trace, we were manipulated. We thought we were breaking rules, not laws.

TRACE GALLAGHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. She said, she was scammed in this and before we get to that show and we have breaking news coming out of Chicago, two weeks before dropping the charges against Jussie Smollett, The Chicago Tribune reports that State's Attorney Kim Foxx sent text messages to her top Deputy Joseph Magats calling Smollett, a washed up celeb, but also said that compared to R&B star R. Kelly, Smollett had been overcharged quoting here pedophile with four victims, 10 counts washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16 meaning counts.

In the messages, Foxx acknowledges having recused herself, but is clearly still involved quoting just because we can charge something doesn't mean we should. Magats response "agreed." We can get a hard look at how we charged the cases and get it to something that covers what needs to be covered without being excessive and ultimately pointless. And on the day the charges were dropped, Foxx texted that she had just spoken with Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, "laugh out loud." He's at the police recruit event needed to know how to answer questions from press told him essentially deferred prosecution paying 10k restitution to the city and completed community service.

He was told, we were just dropping the charges. He seems satisfied with the explanation except Eddie Johnson was furious with the decision as was then Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Smollett is now being sued by the city.

Meantime, now to Lori Loughlin, a source close to the actress is telling Entertainment Tonight that those who orchestrated the cheating scandal misled Loughlin about the severity of her involvement and that she and her husband were under the impression, they were breaking rules, not laws. The source goes on to say, "they realize how serious the charges are, but feel that once the judge hears their story, he will see they had no bad intentions."  The legal experts say, it's difficult to imagine any judge thinking of $500,000 bribe is based on good intentions. Sean.

HANNITY: Trace Gallagher in our West Coast Newsroom tonight. Turning Point USA Communications Director Candace Owens was confronted by protesters, some wearing masks, how well courageous of them while she was walking on U Penn campus yesterday. She was on her way to give a speech. Here's what happened.

Candace Owens joins us now with more. Candace when I first met you, we had a very direct conversation. I don't know if you remember it. And I remember warning you that a lot of people will hate you for being a conservative. And an African-American. And what I heard and saw there was, F Candace Owens, F the police and T for protesters. First of all, I'm sorry you had to go through that

CANDACE OWENS, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TURNING POINT USA: You know, I appreciate the apology, but I knew what I was getting into when I got into this. I didn't realize how ugly it could get. I can't believe this is the tolerant left. But I think it's really important to hold up a mirror to leftist and to expose them for exactly who and what they are.

HANNITY: You know you actually said something a couple of things that you said. Black Americans have been misled by the Democratic Party. Under the eight years of Obama, minorities in America were disproportionately negatively impacted by his policies, eight years. Trump becomes President, we have record low unemployment African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, women in the workplace, youth unemployment. We're breaking every record imaginable. The people that are benefiting the most are the same people that were hurt the most under Obama's policies. Will this begin to resonate because I think you agree with me on that. Tell me, if you don't

OWENS: I agree with you, 100 percent and here's what I'll also tell you, it already is resonating. That is why they are upping their attacks on me because they think that I am a part of the reason why it is resonating in the black community. I have said this, I said this on your show back when I was first on it. There will be a black exit, a Blexit from the Democrat Party. In 2020, the black vote is fully on the table and they are petrified because they rely on the black vote. We are talking about moving at five points and the Democrat Party is toast. These antics that you're seeing is really their fear. The updated KKK as I like to call them and TFA covering their faces harassing me trying to get me deplatformed.

HANNITY: Let me ask you this, I see you step into these situations. You knew what you were getting into. You feel the fear obviously of it and do it anyway. Why is this - it seems like this is a conviction inside of you that you feel passionately, why?

OWENS: I do. I spent a year and a half running from these guys. I've been through so many kitchens at so many events goings through the basement, going through back doors and really hiding and being fearful and I've changed my mind, it's a new policy. I will forever and I encourage all black Americans who have the audacity to think for themselves, walk through the front door. If Ruby Bridges could do it at six years old in the 1960s. I sure can do it in 2019 in a free country of America being blessed by a great presidency.

HANNITY: I really admire you as a person, who you are and the courage you show, and we wish you continued success. It's amazing to watch. Congratulations. Thank you. We come back. You won't believe one Democrat using the Notre Dame Cathedral fire to take a swipe at Donald Trump of course. Villain of the Day. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right, our Villain of the Day, Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen who has proved once again that Democrats will politicize even the worst tragedies to take cheap shots at Donald Trump. The dog bites, the bee stings, that's his fault. Take a look

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE COHEN, R-TENN.: What he has done to the Constitution and the rule of laws is as bad as that fire did to Notre Dame. He's torching the entire structure of government and the people's respect for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: So dumb. But it's there. All right. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have left. We will never be the rage hate Trump media mob ever. Let not your heart be troubled. The news continues.
 
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