Nevada attempts to avoid repeat of Iowa caucus chaos

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Nevada attempts to avoid repeat of Iowa caucus chaos

DNC Chair Tom Perez says he's doing all he can to ensure the Silver State's contest runs smoothly; Mark Meredith reports.

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," February 18, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: I'd be at a medical supply company. Or a pharma (ph) or perhaps a pharmacy.

EMILY COMPAGNO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: A pharmacy.

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Pharmacy would be good.

COMPAGNO: After hours?

GUTFELD: After hours.

WATTERS: You're going to snake farm.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Oh, my God.

GUTFELD: All right. Never miss an episode of THE FIVE. "SPECIAL REPORT", up next.

Hello, Bret.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: (INAUDIBLE) pharmacy, definitely.

Thanks, Greg.

President Trump goes on a clemency blitz, issuing commutations and pardons to some high profile figures.

Mike Bloomberg qualifies for his first Democratic presidential debate amid news he's paying government lawyers to advance his climate change agenda.

We'll look at both stories.

One of America's most famous institutions, the Boy Scouts, files for bankruptcy. This is SPECIAL REPORT.

Good evening. Welcome to Washington, I'm Bret Baier. President Trump is in a giving mood tonight. He's dishing out one of the most precious assets of his position. Clemency, to several well-known political and financial figures convicted of federal crimes.

They include a notorious Democratic governor, a former championship sports team owner, and a former New York City police commissioner. All of this happens against the backdrop of judicial intrigue and raised eyebrows, involving the president, his tweets and comments, and his attorney general.

Chief White House correspondent John Roberts, starts us off tonight from the North Lawn. Good evening, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening to you. President Trump grease the skids for a controversial clemency grant today, sending out football legends to get the ball rolling with a fairly innocuous pardon. And then dropping the big one, Rod Blagojevich.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: The released from prison of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was a long time coming. His supporters have been advocating for a pardon since President Trump took office.

In the end, the president stopped short of a full pardon, instead, commuting Blagojevich's sentence.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He has served eight years in jail, there's a long time to go. Many people disagree with his sentence.

He's a Democrat, he's not a Republican.

ROBERTS: Blagojevich was tried twice and convicted once on charges mostly stemming from his attempts to sell the Senate seat once occupied by President Obama.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS: I've got this thing and it's

-- golden.

ROBERTS: President Trump is said to have been on defense about the commutation his latest last night, but in the end, decided to go ahead with it.

TRUMP: I don't know him very well. I've met him a couple of times. He was on for a short while on The Apprentice years ago. He seemed like a very nice person.

ROBERTS: In a flurry of clemency grants today, the president also pardoned former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, financier Michael Milken, and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo.

DeBartolo's pardon brought football legends, Jim Brown and Jerry Rice to the White House.

JERRY RICE, FORMER PLAYER, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: I take my hat off to Donald Trump for what he did. And, and you know, like I said, it's all about just being here for Eddie today.

ROBERTS: On his way to the West Coast this afternoon, President Trump also responded on camera for the first time to Attorney General Bill Barr's very public rebuke of his tweets about the Roger Stone case.

WILLIAM BARR, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: Make it impossible for me to do my job.

ROBERTS: The president today acknowledged, well, Barr has a point.

TRUMP: I do make his job harder. I do agree with that. I think that's true.

He's a very straight shooter. Just so you understand. I chose not to be involved. I'm allowed to be totally involved. I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.

ROBERTS: The judge in the Stone case, today, found no reason to delay his scheduled sentencing on Thursday, despite a petition from Stone's attorney for a new trial. And the association representing 1,100 federal judges calling an emergency meeting to discuss what it sees as interference by the president and political appointees at the DOJ in the administration of justice.

Perhaps, with that in mind, when asked about the possibility of pardons for Stone, Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, the president today demurred.

TRUMP: I'm not even thinking about that. There is a process that people are going through. I think Roger Stone's been treated unfairly. I think General Flynn has been treated very unfairly. I think a lot of people have been treated very unfairly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: President Trump today appeared unfazed by Attorney General Barr's public rebuke of his tweeting, hailing him as a man of great integrity, standing behind him 100 percent.

The president also said today, he knows who anonymous is that when asked, he wouldn't give a name. Bret.

BAIER: John Roberts live in the North Lawn. John, thanks.

It is a safe bet that former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is brushing up on his debating skills tonight. The billionaire who has not appeared on any ballot yet or participated in any debate this primary season has qualified for tomorrow's Democratic presidential debate ahead of Saturday's Nevada caucuses.

Correspondent Peter Doocy, reports tonight from Las Vegas. That development is renewing complaints about how Bloomberg is gaining traction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER: The candidate with the biggest crowds is calling out the candidate with the biggest bank account.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, we say to Mayor Bloomberg, we are a democracy, not an oligarchy, you're not going to buy this election.

AMERICAN CROWD: Bernie! Bernie!

DOOCY: 17,000 people in Washington State roared as Bernie Sanders attacked Michael Bloomberg, which he can do in person tomorrow night, because the billionaire, Bloomberg qualified for his first debate with a new NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist poll that shows Sanders leading and Bloomberg ahead of Joe Biden.

And in Super Tuesday's Virginia, a Monmouth poll finds Bloomberg and Sanders tied for first, both ahead of Joe Biden, who is fading as Bloomberg advertises himself and not Biden as Barack Obama's former right-hand man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Together, they work to combat gun violence, and again, to improve education for every child.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm counting on you.

DOOCY: Biden is looking for help, keeping up with the ads like that, telling donors in Denver last night, "By the way, Mayor Bloomberg says the health care bill was a disaster, it's a lousy bill. But he has $60 billion to explain that."

Bloomberg's focus today is on a new 0.1 percent tax on all financial transactions to try to find other parts of his platform. But Sanders is trying to keep attention on Bloomberg's time at City Hall.

SANDERS: You have a record in New York City that included racist policies like stop and frisk.

DOOCY: Bloomberg has pledged to bankroll whoever the Democratic nominee is, but Bernie wouldn't cash that check.

BROOKE BALDWIN, HOST, CNN: Would the Sanders campaign, take Bloomberg's money?

JEFF WEAVER, SENIOR CAMPAIGN ADVISER FOR BERNIE SANDERS: When the -- look, Bernie Sanders has more individual contributions than anybody else --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Was that and now? I just want to make sure I hear you on record.

Was that --

WEAVER: That is -- that is -- that is a no.

DOOCY: President Trump offered this today, "The crooked DNC is working overtime to take the Democratic nomination away from Bernie again. Watch what happens to the super delegates in round two, a rigged convention."

And for once, it sounds like Sanders agrees with the president, kind of.

SANDERS: The Democratic establishment is getting nervous. You know what?

They should be getting nervous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY: As Sanders rallied here in Las Vegas just a few minutes ago, a new NBC News Wall Street Journal poll came out, it puts him up double digits over all the rest of the Democrats and the president and Bloomberg are arguing about Bernie online.

First, the president accused Bloomberg of a pay-off cash for campaign endorsements, and Bloomberg shot back asking the president, why do you want to run against Bernie so badly? To which the president clarified and this is a quote, "Mini Mike, No. I would rather run against you." Bret?

BAIER: Peter Doocy live in Las Vegas. Peter, thanks.

Another prominent doctor at the forefront of fighting the coronavirus outbreak in China has died. Fatalities on the mainland are now approaching 2,000.

Correspondent Jonathan Serrie has the latest tonight from the CDC in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN SERRIE, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CORRESPONDENT: Coronavirus fears have prompted Russia to temporarily ban entry to all Chinese nationals beginning Thursday. China, which today, announced the death of Wuhan hospital director Liu Zhiming continues to bear 99 percent of COVID-19 cases worldwide.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH

ORGANIZATION:

When you see the number of cases in the rest of the world, we have 804 cases in three days. But that doesn't mean that it will not increase. And for us, this is a window of opportunity that we shouldn't squander.

SERRIE: The World Health Organization plans to ship personal protective equipment to 127 countries in the coming weeks. By the end of this week, 69 countries in Africa and the Americas will have the ability to do their own testing for COVID-19.

GHEBREYESUS: Many of these countries have been sending samples to other countries for testing. Waiting several days for results.

SERRIE: More than 500 people have tested positive coronavirus aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is approaching the end of its 14-day quarantine at a Japanese port.

Tomorrow, health officials plan to begin the disembarkation process for passengers who test negative. But an American passenger released from another cruise ship, the Westerdam which docked in Cambodia, developed symptoms and tested positive for the virus after traveling to Malaysia.

Showing how difficult it is for screeners to detect every infected person entering a country including the U.S.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS

DISEASES: The CDC is doing some sentinel surveillance by in five cities taking a look at people who present with flu-like symptoms, but are negative for the flu. To see if they might, in fact, be positive for the coronavirus.

SERRIE: As more than 300 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship in Japan begin 14-day quarantines in the U.S., dozens of earlier travelers finished their quarantines today and are being released from two military bases.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERRIE: Although most COVID-19 cases are mild, Chinese health authorities'

estimate two percent are fatal. Making this virus 20 times more lethal than influenza. Bret.

BAIER: Jonathan, thank you.

The financial fallout from the virus is hitting Wall Street. The Dow was down for a third day in a row, losing 166. The S&P 500 dropped 10, the NASDAQ was up two for another record close.

Let's get a look at the economic effect of this epidemic. Susan Li of the Fox Business Network joins us from New York. Good evening, Susan.

SUSAN LI, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Bret. To Apple's warning signals that global business is under threat from the coronavirus, America's largest company, stock market heavyweights, and one of the world's most widely held stocks took down a global stock markets along with it today.

Apple says, a coronavirus has closed down factories and kept consumers away in China, and that's why it will not make as many sales as expected. Apple may be more exposed to China than most with China putting together more than half of all iPhones, and representing a fifth of Apple sales. But the White House warns coronavirus will have an effect at some point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER NAVARRO, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL TRADE COUNCIL: We don't see Apple as the -- as the norm, which you would begin to expect from China is portions of the supply chain across different sectors might experience bottlenecks that could lead to some slowdowns or perhaps inflationary pressures.

LI: More than 175 companies have so far warned that coronavirus will hurt its sales and profit in the first few months of this year. Industries from technology, entertainment, food, travel, and clothing. The likes of Nike, McDonald's, Disney, Ford, and Delta, are just some of the names joining Apple and tempering down expectations setting a negative impact from the coronavirus. But the outbreak could also cause a shift in the global economy.

WILBUR ROSS, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF COMMERCE: You had SARS, they have the African swine virus there. Now, you have this. That's another risk factor that people need to take into account. So, I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LI: Most expected just a temporary impact from the coronavirus. But the U.S. government projecting a roughly $4 to $8 billion hit to the U.S.

economy, at least, in the first three months of this year. And as at SARS and other health epidemics, a steep and quick recovery is expected to follow. Bret.

BAIER: Susan, thank you.

Justice Department officials say they are making an effort to coordinate its various investigations regarding Ukraine. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, tells House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler in a letter that news reports and members of Congress have significantly distorted the public's understanding of the situation.

The letter also really reiterates the department's position that Attorney General William Barr has not discussed matters relating to Ukraine with presidential attorney Rudy Giuliani.

There are questions tonight about whether a meeting between a Democrat U.S.

senator and Iran's foreign minister may have broken the law or misrepresented American foreign policy.

State Department correspondent Rich Edson is here with details. Good evening, Rich.

RICH EDSON, FOX NEWS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bret. And President Trump is among those asking whether Senator Chris Murphy violated a rarely used 19 central federal law by meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Germany.

The Logan Act prohibits unauthorized Americans from conducting diplomacy on behalf of the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I saw that there's a Senator Murphy met with the Iranians. Is that a fact? I just saw that other way over. Is there anything that I should know?

Because that sounds like to me a violation of the Logan Act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EDSON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added that he hopes U.S. senators meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister reinforced America's foreign policy and not their own.

In a post on Medium, Senator Murphy wrote, "I cannot conduct diplomacy on behalf of the whole of the U.S. government, and I don't pretend to be in a position to do so. But if Trump isn't going to talk to Iran, then someone should. A lack of dialogue leaves nations guessing about their enemy's intentions, and guessing wrong can lead to a catastrophic mistakes."

Murphy says he urged Zarif to control Iranian proxies, released American hostages held in Iran and end the blockade in Yemen of humanitarian aid by Iran-backed rebels.

Murphy notes that other members of Congress have met with Zarif. And aide to the senator, says he notified the U.S. Embassy in Germany he was pursuing a meeting with Zarif there.

In September, Murphy traveled to Ukraine where he says he told Ukraine's president to resist efforts by Rudy Giuliani to interfere in American politics. President Trump is also accused former Secretary of State John Kerry of violating the Logan Act for meeting with Iranian officials after he left office.

In 2015, months before the U.S. agreed to the Iran nuclear deal, 47 Republican senators send a letter to Iran's leaders pointing out that any international agreement without Senate approval could be undone by a subsequent administration.

The Obama White House accused those Republicans of undermining the administration's foreign policy. Bret.

BAIER: Rich, thank you.

The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on a Russian state- controlled oil company for helping Venezuela skirt an embargo on selling its oil. Senior administration officials say anyone in the world doing business with the company's trading unit could also be sanctioned.

Up next, is this end for the Boy Scouts of America? We'll take a look.

First, here is what some of our Fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. Fox 40 in Jackson, Mississippi, where authorities are warning hundreds of residents not to return home after devastating flooding Monday until they get the all-clear.

As the high water receives officials expect to find damage roads and problems with water and sewage pipes. More heavy rain is expected throughout the south.

Fox Five in New York as jury deliberation begin in the sexual assault trial of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The panel of five women and seven men is weighing accusations Weinstein raped and a woman in a Manhattan Hotel in 2013 and forcibly attacked another woman in 2006. He maintains any sexual conduct was consensual.

And this is a live look at Boston from our affiliate WFXT. The big story there tonight, Massachusetts Democratic state Representative David Nangle is facing charges of misusing campaign funds. The FBI says Nangle was arrested this morning in his home in Lowell.

Prosecutors alleged Nangel was an extensive gambler, who use campaign funds to cover Golf Club dues, rental cars to get to and from casinos, and flowers for his girlfriend.

That's tonight's live look "OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY" from SPECIAL REPORT. We'll be right back.

ANNOUNCER: This program is sponsored by the all-new Lincoln Aviator.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Tonight, one of this country's most venerable institutions is seeking bankruptcy protection. It's a significant milestone and what has been a spectacular fall from grace for the Boy Scouts of America.

Correspondent Laura Ingle shows us tonight from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUAN CARLOS RIVERA, FORMER BOY SCOUT: It's something that never leaves you.

It's a -- it's really like a post-traumatic stress.

LAURA INGLE, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CORRESPONDENT: Adult victims of alleged sexual abuse when they were Boy Scouts reliving their past and reacting to the news. After decades of accusations, lawsuits, and settlements, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection today.

RIVERA: This is not an isolated incident. This is something that's nationwide and it needs to stop.

INGLE: The chapter 11 petition lays out a plan to create a victim's compensation trust while also allowing funding to continue its program. The national chair of the organization Jim Turley released an open letter to all current and former scouts which reads in part, "On behalf of myself and the entire scouting community: I am sorry. I am devastated that there were times in the past when we failed the very children we were supposed to protect."

Incoming chairman of the BSA National Communications Committee, Scott Armstrong spoke with us by phone today with this message for parents of current scouts.

SCOTT ARMSTRONG, INCOMING CHAIRMAN, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: The Boy Scouts of America now sets the gold standard and it has for several decades in youth protection. I think we're the safest organization for a child to participate in.

INGLE: The bankruptcy filing would halt hundreds of current lawsuits giving the BSA time to restructure to handle legal costs and payouts to victims.

And also give former Boy Scouts who claim they were victimized time to come forward and pursue claims.

Attorney Nick DiCarlo of the group, Abused in Scouting, says he hopes the bankruptcy filing will encourage others to come forward.

NICK DICARLO, ATTORNEY, ABUSED IN SCOUTING: Now is the time to raise your voice and hold the Boy Scouts of America accountable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

INGLE: It's important to note local councils are not filing for bankruptcy.

They are legally separate and distinct organizations. Bret.

BAIER: Laura, thank you.

Up next, will Nevada experienced the same caucus chaos we saw in Iowa?

We'll take a look. First, "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight. An Israeli court says the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin March 17th.

Netanyahu is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He is accused of accepting lavish gifts from billionaire friends and exchanging regulatory favors for more positive media coverage. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Afghanistan's president has won a second term. Ashraf Ghani's victory was announced more than four months after polls closed. The Election Commission, says Ghani captured 50.6 percent of the votes in the September balloting.

His closest opponent refused to recognize the results, declaring himself the winner. The Taliban also rejected Ghani's win, raising questions over U.S. peace plan that calls for reduction in violence, followed by a more permanent agreement expected to be signed later this month.

Ireland's Coast Guard is warning the public to stay away from a large cargo ship, which washed up on the coast of County Cork after a large storm. The Irish Post reports, the 253-foot vessel had been drifting for more than a year. The Irish Coast Guard, says the 10 member crew abandoned the ship in September of 2018.

Just some of the other stories "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: We are still two weeks away from Super Tuesday when 14 states hold primary elections. Texas is one of those and voting there is already underway tonight. Analyst, say half the people who participate in that states primary will take advantage of early voting. 228 Democratic delegates up for grabs in Texas.

As we told you earlier, the Nevada caucuses will be held Saturday. We'll have full coverage here on Fox. And there are growing concerns tonight that the kind of chaos felt during the Iowa caucuses might reemerge this weekend.

This evening, correspondent Mark Meredith looks at what's being done to try to prevent that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MEREDITH, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CORRESPONDENT: Nevada's caucus is already underway. Early voting began Saturday and the head of the Democratic Party says he's doing all he can to ensure the silver state's contest run smoothly.

TOM PEREZ, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Our goal is to have a caucus that is as low tech as humanly possible while preserving efficiency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, six.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six, seven.

MEREDITH: Two weeks ago, Democrats faced a disaster in Iowa, the first 2020 contest, when a smartphone app used by the party to report results failed.

Nevada's Democratic Party insists it's doing things differently, it's ditching the app used in Iowa. Instead, precinct chairs are getting iPads purchased by the party to calculate the results through a new Google web form.

Organizers will also be able to record results on paper as a backup, just in case.

REP. DINA TITUS (D-NV): We know that all of the eyes our on us, and we've got to pull this off, and I'm confident that we will.

MEREDITH: But in election security expert told the Associated Press, the changes may do more harm than good. Eddie Perez with open-source election technology says, Very much like Iowa, this sounds like a tremendous amount of information coming relatively late in the game for fallible human beings in a complex environment."

Early voters Fox spoke with, say, so far, their experiences have been mixed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been here for 15 minutes and I'm leaving now, I did not get a chance to vote. But if this is how the DNC is going to run it again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things went smoothly and quickly and it was kind of a pleasant process.

MEREDITH: Nevada Democrats, say they're working with the National Party ahead of Saturday's election. And Nevada's governor says he's betting his state will have better luck than Iowa did.

GOV. STEVE SISOLAK (D), NEVADA: Our volunteers are working so hard. I mean, hour after hour, after hour, and their attitudes are good, spirits are high. So, I'm thrilled with it. It could (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MEREDITH: Nevada Democrats are offering training seminars for caucus volunteers to ensure Election Day goes well. The party says it's also working with Google to ensure the data collected on Saturday remain secure.

Bret.

BAIER: All right, Mark, thanks. We'll see.

A state appeals court has ruled North Carolina's newest voter identification law seems flawed by what it calls discriminatory intent and should've been blocked months ago. The ruling does not change the current process for early in-person voting, which is already underway for the March 3rd primary. That's because a federal judge already granted a request by the state NAACP and local chapters to block the I.D. requirement from being imposed at least through the primary.

Mike Bloomberg's Democratic presidential candidates are accusing of the billionaire of trying to buy the election. Tonight, there is new evidence Bloomberg may also be trying to purchase influence over your government concerning one of his major campaign issues. Correspondent Doug McKelway tells us what that is and how he's doing it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAURA HEALEY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL:  Fossil fuel companies that deceived investors and consumers about the dangers of climate change should be, must be held accountable.

DOUG MCKELWAY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT:  At a 2016 news conference, several Democratic state attorneys general joined forces to sue fossil fuel companies, the group a precursor to what one critic would later refer to as Mike Bloomberg's mercenaries. The billionaire has spent millions, not just on advertising to become presidential, but also on a philanthropy called the State Energy and Environmental Impact Center at New York University Law School. With $5.6 million from Bloomberg, the center hires climate activist lawyers as research fellows, then sends them to any one of 10 Democratic state A.G.'s, where they specialize in climate change litigation.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, (D) FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR:  I cut New York City's carbon footprint by 13 percent and helped create a grassroots movement to close more than 300 dirty polluting coal fired power plants across this country.

MCKELWAY:  Given Bloomberg's new prominence, some say it deserves more scrutiny.

PATRICK MORRISEY, (R) WEST VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL:  I think it's a highly problematic relationship for a private citizen who is running for president and is placing all these people to really advance his own personal agenda. I think people would find that outrageous.

MCKELWAY:  In a statement to FoxNews.com, Bloomberg Philanthropies said it's, quote, "proud to support the NYU School of Law, which is dedicated to helping state attorneys general fight regulatory rollbacks and other actions that undermine clean energy initiatives."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKELWAY:  But in a 2018 email obtained by FOX News, Attorney General Brian Frosh of Maryland openly asks a colleague for another Bloomberg fellow for saving the planet from the predations of Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke, two former Trump cabinet secretaries. Bret?

BAIER:  Doug, thanks.

President Trump goes on a clemency spree, threatens to sue everyone all over the place, just some of the things he said today. We'll get reaction from the panel when we get back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  We have commuted the sentence of Rod Blagojevich. He served eight years in jail. That's a long time. And I watched his wife on television. I don't know him very well. He will be able to go back home with his family after serving eight years in jail. That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence, in my opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  President Trump with some commutations, also some pardons. As you heard, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, financier Michael Milken, as well as the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, Eddie DeBartolo. A couple of football players commenting on that today.

Meantime, if you look at just the numbers from previous presidents, at this time in their presidency, you see pardons, commutations, 25 and 10. It was Bill Clinton who had the most at his point in his presidency, 53 and three.

Just some context.

Let's bring in our panel, Ben Domenech, publisher of "The Federalist.", Susan Ferrechio, Chief Congressional Correspondent for the "Washington Examiner," and Jonathan Swan, national political reporter for "Axios."

Jonathan, sometimes presidents do this at the end of their term. It seems that President Trump has chosen to split this up. Do you see a method or a political message in any of these?

JONATHAN SWAN, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, "AXIOS":  Somewhat. It's a mixture of people who he knows from a previous life, but to the extent there's a political message in there, I think it's with Blagojevich. And the message that he sent with that is the prosecutor who prosecuted Blagojevich, Patrick Fitzgerald, very close friends with James Comey, and Trump wanted to draw that line between that case and his case.

Blagojevich's wife explicitly drew that line as a way of appealing to Trump on television, saying that the same guys who were trying to go after him went after my husband. And that resonated. That case resonated with Trump.

And so the extent to which there's an argument that's bigger than personal affection or him thinking that something is unfair, it's that.

BAIER:  Speaking of that, Patti Blagojevich was on Martha's show. This has been talked about for some time. Here she is making a direct appeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICIA BLAGOJEVICH, WIFE:  When he mentioned my husband last May, it did give us a tremendous hope. And when President Obama had the opportunity to right this wrong that has been done to my family, he actually wimped out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  Ben?

BEN DOMENECH, "THE FEDERALIST":  Rod Blagojevich, whatever you think about the length of his term -- 

BAIER:  Which was 14 years. He served eight of it.

DOMENECH:  Yes. Whatever you think about the situation, this is not just one case. It is a lifetime of political corruption, clearly defined over the course of years, and with wiretaps that Blagojevich himself never disputed the veracity of in the course of their investigation. This is a guy who didn't just try to sell a Senate seat, which was the most famous aspect of this, but this is someone who tried to rip off a children's hospital, tried to rip off racetrack owners, repeated acts of the worst kind of corruption. And I understand that the president likes to send a message, as Jonathan was saying, with this kind of step. It's something that I think he's fond of doing. But in this case Blagojevich deserved what he got very clearly.

BAIER:  Is he laying the groundwork for what could be a pardon for Roger Stone? Here is the president today on the tarmac.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  I think it was a very, very rough thing that happened to Roger Stone. You look at a Roger Stone for a tweet and some other things, you take a look at what's happening to these people, somebody has to stick up for the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  Susan?

SUSAN FERRECHIO, "WASHINGTON EXAMINER":  It was so reminiscent of the Blagojevich case and what is happening now. There was the predawn raid before the governor was arrested in front of his children. Comey and Fitzgerald were the key players. The sentencing was 14 years, one of the longest in any political corruption case. And then you had, of course, the personal appeal from his wife Patti. Don't forget, Blagojevich was also, he was on "The Apprentice," Trump's show. You do see the connection there, and it makes you think, when he gets the opportunity he's going to pardon some of the people that he thinks, who were connected to him that were treated unfairly by team Mueller and by this prosecution that has wrapped Stone up.

And I think that if it does happen, it will probably happen right before he leaves office.

BAIER:  And there is a real question whether he is going to, one, get a different trial, affect his sentencing because of this one juror. Here is William Barr and the president talking about this back and forth over that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL:  To have public statements and tweets made about the department, about people in the department, make it impossible for me to do my job.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  I do make his job harder, I do agree with that, I think that's true. He's a very straight shooter. We have a great attorney general, and he's working very hard. Just so you understand, I chose not to be involved. I'm allowed to be totally involved. I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  Jonathan?

SWAN:  So Bill Barr has made very clear that he's at the edge on this. He could not have made it more clear. It was interesting when President Trump said he's a straight shooter. Bill Barr has also been making this case privately to Trump before he did this public interview with ABC. On a number of occasions he's said please stop with the public commentary on live DOJ criminal cases. People familiar with the situation said that the president's tweet this morning, again about the Stone case, did not help that situation with Bill Barr.

BAIER:  Ben?

DOMENECH:  I think that, as much as I would disagree with the president's decision on Blagojevich, I can understand his outrage on the situation regarding Roger Stone who clearly, I think, was given a sentencing recommendation here that was well beyond what should have been done given the context and facts of the case.

BAIER:  I want to wrap up something we talked about yesterday, and that is this battle back and forth about whose economy this is, and President Obama saying in a tweet that, essentially, it was his signing of the stimulus package that saved the country. Here is President Obama, and then Peter Navarro responding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT:  When you hear how great the economy is doing right now, let's just remember when this recovery started.

You hear about this economic miracle that's been going on. When the job numbers come out, monthly job numbers, suddenly Republicans are saying it's a miracle.

PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISER:  It was a horrible economy during the Obama years. We had the new normal. We were sending our jobs offshore, and Barack Obama himself said you need a magic wand to bring half a million manufacturing jobs back. And guess what? President Trump was the magic wand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  And you look at the latest FOX News poll back at the end of January, most responsible for the current economy, Trump and Republicans 42 percent, Obama, Democrats nine percent, big business, seven percent. Susan, this battle will continue on the campaign trail, probably starting tomorrow night.

FERRECHIO:  This is actually a really good tactic for Democrats because they are actually stuck right now with a great economy. How do you run against a president in an economy like this? You take credit for it. And that's exactly what they've been doing. They are all kind of on message over the past couple of days, including the president, the former president, saying this was my doing. And you hear them, I've been listening to them talk now for several days saying President Obama is really the one who is responsible for this.

Now, that is kind of interesting, because, of course, the economy did start recovering immediately when the president took office because it was really at a low point. But the question is, did it recover more slowly because of his policies? And so Republicans now would need to make the case that their recovery is healthier and faster than it would've been under a Democratic president.

BAIER:  We'll talk more about this in a second. Next up, Mike Bloomberg qualifies for tomorrow night's Democratic presidential debate, and that could be a doozy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (D-VT) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:  Today we say to Mayor Bloomberg, you're not going to buy this election.

(APPLAUSE)

SANDERS:  You are certainly not going to win when you have a record in New York City that included racist policies like stop and frisk.

We are going to win this election, not because we are buying the airwaves, as Mr. Bloomberg is. We are going to win this election because we are putting together the strongest grassroots movement that this country has ever seen.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  It seems that Bernie Sanders and that whole section of the Democratic Party, or as I call it, the Democrat Party, which is really the correct name, it seems they are being taken advantage of like they were four years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  The battle in the Democrat Party is continuing. The debate tomorrow night should be interesting, six candidates on stage, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren. 

The new polls, NPR/PBS/Marist, has Bernie Sanders up big, up nine points since their last poll in December. Then another new poll, NBC/"Wall Street Journal" national poll, Bernie Sanders up big. If you look also in that poll, the president's approval at its highest rating, 47 percent in this poll. And with independents, his approval is at 50 percent.

Back with our panel. Susan, these numbers for the Trump campaign which seems to like to face Bernie Sanders, looked pretty good the Trump campaign.

FERRECHIO:  They look terrific. And again, it's going to challenge Democrats to find a message to win voters away from Trump. If you look at the polls, one of the uniting factors is that the Democratic voters are looking for a candidate who can beat the president. That is one of their biggest factors, electability. The Virginia poll that came out today, something like 82 percent said it was the most important thing, or tied with the most important thing of any candidate. So they are looking for somebody who can run up against Trump in these great numbers, this great economy with a kind of message that can defeat him, and that is the real challenge for Democrats.

BAIER:  And it seems like the debate stage tomorrow will be Bloomberg's make-or-break moment to introduce himself in ability to go up against another candidate.

SWAN:  Yes. And we've been hearing from some of the rival camps, they are very excited that he's on the debate stage. They've been quite frustrated that he can hide behind all these millions of dollars of paid advertising.

This is their chance to rough him up. There is plenty of opposition research, as you've seen.

BAIER:  Doesn't Bernie Sanders, isn't he the beneficiary? Because he's leading in all these polls, and if Bloomberg wasn't on the stage, he would be the target.

SWAN:  No question, Bernie Sanders, it's his to lose. This is his race to lose. And you were talking about how the Trump people are thinking about this. They are looking at it in a very simple way, which is midterms in 2018, they did very poorly with suburban women, moderates. The candidates that Democrats put up that won were moderates in suburbs who appeal to soft Republicans. Does anyone think that Bernie Sanders is going to be the best candidate to appeal to them? No one in the Trump campaign does. Maybe he is, we could be missing something here, but that is their view. Their view is he is a terrific person to run against with that group in mind.

BAIER:  To that point, there are multiple campaigns now using, or trying to link Bernie Sanders with their Democratic opponent, and one of them is Martha McSally in Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Kelly says he would support Bernie Sanders, $60 trillion in new spending. Kelly and Sanders, too liberal for Arizona.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER:  It seems, Ben, that that's going to be just a template for a lot of these races, not only Senate races, but House races.

DOMENECH:  It absolutely will, and I certainly think that Republicans on Capitol Hill are eager for a situation where they are able to use a potential nomination on Sanders' part against a lot of their opponents.

I personally am a little more skeptical of that. Bernie Sanders is someone who has been in a sustained way one of the most popular politicians in the country because he has that aura of authenticity. And I think he has to be just chomping at the bit to be able to go up against basically a representation of everything he hates about the Democratic coalition on the stage, on the debate stage, in Michael Bloomberg.

And Bloomberg, frankly, is really untested as a national person. We are looking at these poll numbers, we're seeing this, but we don't have a demonstrated history of success of him being able to actually get people to come to the polls and have it be anything more than just name I.D. after he has dumped a metric ton of cash on this race.

BAIER:  I don't remember the last debate for New York mayor. I don't remember a debate, well, it just doesn't stand out for me. And he is a billionaire, as Bernie says. But the president tweeted "Mini," he is now "Mini Mike," "Mini is illegally buying the Democrat nomination. They are taking it away from Bernie again. Mini Mike, major party nominations are not for sale. Good luck in the debate tomorrow night, and remember no standing on boxes." It seems like he's having fun in this situation.

(LAUGHTER)

FERRECHIO:  He's right in many ways in that he has purchased his way into where he is right now. The national poll that came out today has him at 19 percent. He was at four percent in December. Since then he has spent more than $300 million on his campaign. And one poll had it showing that he, of all the candidates, 68 percent of voters have seen a Bloomberg ad. That's an astronomical number. The closest to that was Bernie Sanders who has been in this race twice now. So he's getting a lot of people looking at him.

BAIER:  The amount that the president has weighed in on Mike Bloomberg, does that suggest that that is the person he fears the most to go up against in a general election?

SWAN:  I don't have reporting to support that. That's what people close to him say. Not fears, but certainly the one he's preoccupied by most. One person said it best who is an aide to the president, which is he respects money. He thinks money works, and its effective, and he sees that as something that is very potent.

BAIER:  We'll see if it works for Mike Bloomberg. Thanks, panel.

When we come back, a very unusual way to catch a fish.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER:  Finally tonight, a different way to catch a fish. We like this video. In the midst of the massive Mississippi floods, Ben Gray saw something moving in the water of a roadway, so he just ran over there and pulled out a large bowfin straight from the water with his bare hands. Yes, just ran under the highway and just got it. Spoiler alert, he did not end up eating the fish. He returned it to the Pearl River instead. A lighthearted moment in the middle of a serious circumstance, and we're thinking about all those people affected by the dangerous flooding in the south. But he got this picture, he got the fish, there you go.

Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight.  That's it for the SPECIAL REPORT, fair, balanced, and still unafraid. "THE STORY" hosted by Martha MacCallum starts right now.

Hey, Martha.

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