Rep. McCarthy: Democrats try to sabotage Trump every time he strengthens
House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy slams Democrats for naming impeachment mangers while President Trump signs phase one of the China trade deal.
This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," January 15, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: I'm Laura Ingraham. This is "The Ingraham Angle" from a supercharged Washington tonight. We have an unbelievable lineup. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, Congressman Doug Collins. They were stars today on the House floor. Exclusive reaction to Pelosi's impeachment circus today.
We also have a response from the White House in just moments. Plus Senator Rick Scott tells us how he and his colleagues are going to proceed. Former senator and Attorney General Jeff sessions reveals the games that Chuck Schumer may try to play and Raymond Arroyo, he takes us through the bizarre theatrics, very strange, moments you didn't catch but we did from Pelosi and company from last night.
But first, A Tale of Two Leaders, that's the focus of tonight's Angle. Today we saw a stark contrast play out before eyes in real time. The contract of two leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump. Now Pelosi is a leader in title only. Yes, she's a Speaker of the House but I think I'm right.
Last spring, she said impeachment should only be bipartisan. The same Speaker who couldn't get one Republican to join her lynch mob but that didn't stop her today from milking the conveyance of the articles of impeachment for all it was worth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: The House of Representatives impeachment the President of the United States. An impeachment that will last forever. This is a very serious matter and we take it to heart in a really solemn way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Impeachment, oh that's why she was wearing peach. I couldn't forget the color out today. It was a day of choreographed moments though that were supposed to indicate the seriousness, the prayerfulness of all of this, not political at all of course. But it only underscored the vacuousness of Pelosi and her collaborators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: We are here today to cross a very important threshold in American history. Today, we will make history. A threshold in history. As we make that history, we are making progress for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Put it in the Smithsonian. Well, actually how is a sham impeachment with zero convincing charges at all making progress with American people? It's not. There was one person making progress for the American people today. It was Donald Trump. While Nancy was trying to pass herself off as a second Betsy Ross, Trump was signing Phase One of a trade pact with China, that will directly benefit you, the American workers and our industry.
Now this is a deal no one thought was going to happen but it tackles intellectual property, theft, has real enforcement triggers, still keeps tariffs in place to keep the Chinese honest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP: We're going to work together for the benefit of our countries but also very importantly for the benefit of the world. So this is a very big day for the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Sorry Mr. President but Pelosi was not going to be bested by some historic trade deal. Now she had her own signing ceremony of the articles of impeachment. Platters of hors d'oeuvres or I guess pens were brought out to commemorate the occasion, which she clumsily used to create her signature.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: That's a funny signature. They just gave us a lot of pens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: So solemn that all the co-conspirators were given a booby prize. Maxine Waters looked like she was waiting for the Rolling Stones to show up. It's not a magic wand Dante Maxine. I can't get through this. But don't worry. Nancy quickly restored order in the appropriate net solemnity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: When they bring this over, it will set in motion a process on the Senate side.
They will take a special oath of office to do impartial judges - and do impartial justice according to the constitution and the laws.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Justice - judges, it happens to the best of us Nancy, honestly especially late at night. This is a total joke. Next came a solemn procession of the articles to the upper chamber. It was like a parade of fools getting their steps in for the day.
The only thing that the parade lacked was Nancy in the lead carrying the patriotic incense or maybe twirling a baton. Years from now when we look back on this day, no one's going to remember Nancy's cheap theatrics.
They will remember though how President Trump brought the Chinese to the bargaining table and delivered achievements, few ever thought were possible. This is what real leadership looks like. And only one of those signing pants will be worth a damn a year from now and that's The Angle.
Joining me now House Minority leader, Kevin McCarthy. Congressman, Democrats really don't plan on taking this trial seriously, do they?
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY, R-CALIF.: No, she held it a month because she knows how weak it is but what's so telling--
INGRAHAM: Will you address the Chair please.
MCCARTHY: You're watching on the floor.
INGRAHAM: No, would you direct your comments to the chair, right behind me.
MCCARTHY: The Speaker was so upset and Adam Schiff and Nadler, what I would just point out today, how they wanted this impeachment so badly. In all these seven managers, six of them already supported impeachment before that phone call ever took place. That's what they have going.
And every time this President is strengthening our nation, they're sabotaging democracy. Think about this. September 24 when he's at the U. N. Council, what did they do? Nancy did the press conference announcing impeachment. December 4, when he's with NATO. They did that bombshell hearing and today while he's signing with China, what are they doing?
On the floor, naming the managers. They try to sabotage him every time he strengthens.
INGRAHAM: Well, I'm going to get into this was Robert Ray a little bit about the legal stuff but it is quite interesting, is it not? How these little text messages just start popping up. Again, the little poppers, they just start popping in as little punctuation points and we're also to go oh.
It's like every time Michael Cohen went to the bathroom, we were all supposed to think, it was over for Trump, right? Same deal here. He's the Michael Cohen of impeachment.
MCCARTHY: You shouldn't worry about any of that. You have the transcript of the phone call.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
MCCARTHY: That is what they claim they had to impeach him over. Nothing is there that's impeachable. We know every word that's said. We know what's the message from the two individuals that talked to one another.
I don't know where they're going. It's because they had always planned this. Nadler campaigned in 2017 to be chair of this committee because he said he was best to impeach and Adam Schiff is the one who continued to lie.
Remember, he had proof beyond circumstantial. He didn't know who the whistleblower was and he is a fact witness. He would never hold up. You know this.
INGRAHAM: Wouldn't it be funny if you're arguing the case then he had to walk around to like the witness area. Like hold on one second. I'm going to walk around and you can ask me questions. He's just ridiculous.
I mean, I want to take this seriously but everybody who's been in this town for more than five minutes knows exactly what this is all about. From day one, they wanted this man out of office. From the moment he came down that golden escalator, a lot of establishment Republicans, maybe even you Kevin and some - and some establishment Democrats, they wanted him out, they wanted him gone.
The Bushes wanted him gone. Obama wanted him gone. The Clintons wanted him gone. The media, Hollywood and the man like - it's like - he's like the marathon man. He just kept going. It drives them nuts that he keeps surviving and thriving.
It drives them crazy. I think they're going nuts completely.
MCCARTHY: But that's why he's so strong. That's why he gets a China deal done. That's why he gets USMCA done. That's what.
INGRAHAM: Yes but he'll work with anyone. Will he not? They won't work with you really on most anything, most anything.
MCCARTHY: They won't.
INGRAHAM: But he'll work with them. That is also the sign of a great leader.
MCCARTHY: They made their biggest mistakes. If they would sit into a room, he'd come to an agreement. They are too afraid to work with him. I've been in these rooms where he sits with Nancy Pelosi. She can't handle it.
INGRAHAM: Well, Pelosi, you knew this was a complete farce. They're back to the Russians scare again. When Pelosi went back to her security blanket, otherwise known as Vladimir Putin, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: Voters in America should decide who our President is. Not Vladimir Putin in Russia. I'm very concerned that in all of this, all roads lead to Russia. All roads lead to Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: And then she's doing basically the Moscow Mitch deal.
MCCARTHY: She did that to Mitch too.
INGRAHAM: Yes, yes.
MCCARTHY: This is all she ever says.
INGRAHAM: Is that how you drink and walk. That's like come on. That sounds - no but right now, I argued this last night and it's not going to happen but the Senate, I think entertaining this is a joke. I think Doug Jones, Joe Manchin, Romney. Collins was really smart, today. She sounded actually - she sees through this stuff.
These are smart people. They might not like Trump in every issue but they're smart people. This whole thing should be dismissed. I don't care what they say about cover.
MCCARTHY: It doesn't matter if you like Trump or not. The constitution matters. This is what Alexander Hamilton warned us about. That one party just because of animosity, would try to impeach somebody, demean the impeachment process and that is what is taking place.
I think you have a bipartisan vote of senators to reject this, just as you had a bipartisan vote in the House.
INGRAHAM: I think we challenge these people who want to do impeachment and go through this trial, say go home and campaign on that. Mitch. I mean or you know Romney. Go home.
MCCARTHY: They're going to be in there 6 days a week. No phones, no iPads. Can't talk to each other and just listening. I think when they listen to Adam Schiff, they're going to want to get--
INGRAHAM: They're going to be like, what can we do to get out of this room? It's like a rubber room by the end of the day. Hey but you did a great job there. Really appreciate you coming in. I know you're exhausted but wait till next - next week the real fireworks begin.
All right, what struck me about today though is how it just - we like to laugh but it's really - just really improper. Here's just one example. During the Clinton impeachment, then-Speaker Newt Gingrich recused himself from selecting managers because of what it looks like the perceived conflict of interest.
He was of course second in line for the presidency but not Nancy. She handpicked her managers this time around. Joining me now Robert Ray, former Whitewater independent counsel. Robert, is this all kosher to your eye?
ROBERT RAY, FMR WHITEWATER INDEPENDENT COUNSEL: I think that you know, what really is going on behind the scenes and sometimes it even leaked out into the public domain is the - the fist-bumping that goes on between the impeachment managers you know, celebrating the fact that there is the indelible stain of impeachment.
I don't think that's a shining moment for our country and the only way it's going to be rectified is for the Senate to treat this as it should be treated which is an entirely partisan effort that came from the House and it deserves an entirely partisan rejoinder from the United States Senate.
INGRAHAM: Yes, I just think this whole thing should be rejected out of hand. I wouldn't waste a minute of the taxpayer dollars on this. I wouldn't waste a minute putting on a case. This thing should be just knocked right out.
RAY: I think we'll have a better - we'll have a better clue about that probably tomorrow when we see the Senate resolution which is I think as Mitch McConnell has said is likely to model very closely what was done during the Clinton impeachment but I think it will have one significant difference and that is, I don't think unlike the Clinton impeachment which was a much more extensive record.
INGRAHAM: There was a crime. There was actual crime.
RAY: Well, right.
INGRAHAM: There's no crime here.
RAY: And it's a little hard to see how you have a fair trial over a case in which there's not any accusation of a crime, much less evidence of one.
INGRAHAM: This is what I'm saying, this whole thing.
RAY: But that aside, I don't think you're going to see 24 hours aside for the presentation of the initial case. I think it'll be about a third of that. Like try in the neighborhood of about 8:00 hours.
INGRAHAM: Yes, but I want to - I want to get something quickly. We have limited time. Andy McCarthy wrote a piece today in National Review and it caught my eye. It was talking about how the House basically wants the Senate to do its work for it. "Democrats' goal is to pressure the Senate to complete the investigation that the House failed to complete.
As if a trial were nothing more than extension of an open ended grand jury probe. A federal judge would tell prosecutors to go back to the grand jury, finish investigation, and then come back to the trial court when they have a case ready to be tried, not investigated."
Robert, do you agree? Should the Senate trial be postponed until the House finishes investigating and stop with this - the little suppose a bomblet text from the Ritz Carlton in Vienna?
RAY: Look, the - the House is now wedded - they're done, right? They have spoken through articles of impeachment. The problem is and the danger of an abusive power allegation that is essentially an empty vessel through which you can pour anything you want, allows the House to attempt to throw into that article of impeachment, whatever new thing they come up with, you know, today, tomorrow, the next day or whenever.
That is unfair to the President and you know that it's going to be smoked out, beginning as soon as next Tuesday.
INGRAHAM: Well, how about the fact that the Speaker did - you know she pulled an Adam Schiff and misquoted the original transcript. The President never said, do me a favor. He said do us a favor though, meaning the American taxpayer, the American people. She as a House Speaker misstated what was said on that call.
That, in and of itself indicates bad faith or just sheer incompetence or dementia. I don't know which one of those but I wouldn't take this seriously for one second. It's a fraudulent impeachment and they should call it - they can call it articles of impeachment. If I were the Senate, Mitch McConnell would say these aren't articles of impeachment. These are fraud on the American public.
RAY: It's of the same piece of as - as what Adam Schiff did.
INGRAHAM: Yes, that's what I'm saying. She pulled a Schiff. It's a joke.
RAY: Basically, it's just a revisionist look at the conversation and fortunately, for everybody including the President of the United States, we actually have the transcript and that's what's going to be the focus of the evidence beginning Tuesday night.
INGRAHAM: Yes, they didn't like the transcript so then they just keep misquoting it.
RAY: Right, that wasn't good enough so they're going to make it up in order to try to argue that--
INGRAHAM: Now bad faith, bad faith, bad faith and not historic at all in my view.
RAY: Right.
INGRAHAM: It's a historic fraud perhaps. Robert, thanks so much.
RAY: Thanks Laura.
INGRAHAM: Now when Speaker Pelosi announced her picks to be impeachment managers today. She stressed their seriousness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: The emphasis is on litigators. The emphasis is on comfort level in the court room. The emphasis is making strong as possible case to protect and defend our constitution, to seek the truth for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Betsy Ross, once again. Now the truth of course is Kevin McCarthy said she picked some of the most partisan bomb-throwers in Congress. They all should recuse themselves. She's trying to sell his impeachment as some kind of 18 presentation. It looks more like the F. troop.
Well, for starters Hakeem Jeffries compared impeaching Trump to ending slavery. Jerry Nadler called Trump, a criminal and a self-dealer and their ringleader, Adam Schiff lied at every turn, most famously of course reading the fake transcript.
Does it really look like Nancy's is trying to convince those senators sitting on the fence? Or she's trying to further smear a sitting President? Joining us now, Tony Sayegh, White House Impeachment Spokesman.
Tony, I hate mood questions like what's the mood at the White House but come on. Tell us the mood and don't spin it. What's the mood?
TONY SAYEGH, WHITE HOUSE IMPEACHMENT SPOKESMAN: Laura, we've been consistently confident all along because the one fundamental and most important fact of the case has not changed. The President's done nothing wrong and the reason Nancy Pelosi, after saying they had amassed overwhelming evidence during the House hearings saying, the President in one of the articles was a real clear and present danger to the country.
The reason she held it for a month was because she knew, she panicked that her case was weak and you're an attorney. If you have a strong case, would you be saying after you've closed the investigation, wait a minute, we need more witnesses? Wait a minute, we need more documents?
No matter what she thinks the qualifications of her managers are, the bottom line is they have a fundamentally flawed case and that's going to be exposed in the Senate trial, which we know is going to offer a much more fair process for our White House counsel's office with Pat Cipolonne and his team, being able to actually tell the President's side of the story in a fair, open and transparent way.
And we feel very strongly in the strength of our case and we're going to make it in the Senate.
INGRAHAM: OK, I just want to - speaking of theatrics and mood, OK? The parade of managers walk the articles of impeachment over to the Senate. I would like to think of the media covering, it was like the OJ and you know the white Bronco. It was like, OK, here come the articles.
OK, so they bring it and it's this big black folder. Doesn't it look the funeral dirge for the Democrat party?
SAYEGH: Well, they're marching the two weakest particles in the history of impeachment over to the Senate.
INGRAHAM: Funeral dirge playing in the background. Yes, it's like - it's - it's awake for the Democrat party with - with a little black you know, casket there in front, holding the article.
SAYEGH: She's already marched her caucus off the cliff, Laura. And whether you know or not they pay the political consequence of it, next year, many people have reason to believe they will, is yet to be seen.
The reality is, it's going to go to the Senate where they're not going to be able to rig the process. So therefore they only win when they get to rig the process as they did in the House.
INGRAHAM: Even CNN wasn't buying the seriousness and the historic nature of all this with the theatrics, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BUSH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was unusual to see that kind of ceremony and - and making - you know, handing out the pens and smiling for a picture in this kind of situation.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: I thought that was a little jarring and certainly, I think off message because you heard Nancy Pelosi there say in fact that this was a sad and tragic day and there she is holding up the pen and having photographs taken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Yes, I'm surprised they're both still working at CNN the night after saying that but--
SAYEGH: She - well, yes. That's finally a correct analysis. She also fist pumped today when she was on the House floor and someone had repeated that Donald Trump now is impeached forever which by the way reveals--
INGRAHAM: Oh yes, that's my other favorite one.
SAYEGH: Which reveals what we've known all along. This is a political vendetta. This is not a constitutionally mandated impeachment because the President committed any sort of high crime or misdemeanor. This is all born out of an election loss in 2016 and the fear of an election loss in 2020 if they don't try to delegitimize the President.
The problem is they don't have a case and that's going to--
INGRAHAM: Nadler says, if the Senate doesn't allow all of the new evidence and new witnesses and text messages and tweets and smoke signals in, then it's just a cover up in the Senate. So they're already setting up. If McConnell says, no mass, we're not doing this, no witnesses, it's all part of the cover up.
SAYEGH: Again, they have to delegitimize the process because it's going to be a lot more fair and they can't rig it. So the bottom line is if you want all of these witnesses, you had the power to have in the House, you had the power to introduce all of this evidence in the House process. They're playing games and they know it and the bottom line is Laura, this was never designed to actually lead to removal of the President.
This is designed to politically hurt the President but boomeranged around and I believe, it's going to hurt the Democrats more.
INGRAHAM: Tony, just remember. Nancy's praying for you tonight, it's a prayerful moment for her.
SAYEGH: I feel reassured.
INGRAHAM: It's great - great to have you on tonight. Thanks so much and our next guest says that the senate is going to see this impeachment push as the Dem's attempt to disenfranchise Trump. What does that mean? Congressman Doug Collins explains in it moments.
Plus Nadler's accusing the GOP senators as I just said, of engaging now in a massive cover up. Senator Rick Scott, is he part of it? He'll respond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF, D-CALIF.: President Trump put his own personal interests above the national interest, above our national security and if not stopped, he will do it again. The only remedy is the conviction and removal from office of President Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Yes, because people here in the United States think our national security is intimately tied to whether Ukraine gets the aid, 40 days good concurrently or 40 days later. That's going to be the linchpin of the whole future of the United States of America.
You see how ridiculous these arguments are? The only thing that will be a remedy is for the Democrats' humiliating defeat in 2016. Joining me now, House Judiciary Ranking Member Doug Collins.
Congressman, the Senate has likely not followed the ins and outs of this case all that closely. What are they about to learn?
REP. DOUG COLLINS, R-GA.: I think they're about to learn that they're going to get the weakest impeachment articles that have ever been done. They're going to see a sham process in the House in which rules were overrun, the agenda was only to get rid of a President that they dislike.
They're going to find out that they started in November of 2016 and they go, find out that there was nothing here to impeach the President for and I think when you understand that and when they see that this is all about election 2020, the only election problem here is the Democrats trying to throw an election because they have candidates that can't win.
INGRAHAM: Well now, it's Lev Parnas. So this convicted felon, fraudster wants to - he's pulling a Michael Cohen. He wants to get a reduced sentence clearly so he's throwing some chicken scratch notes over, that's going to change the course - it reminds me of when they kept saying it was bribery, then it was extortion, then it was quid pro quo and none of that happened because none of it is sticking.
So now they have to have Parnas in there but is this something that you all are worried about?
COLLINS: No, not really. I mean, look, their problem is they don't have enough focus groups. Remember Laura, they need focus groups. Well, extortion is not good, bribery is not good, quid pro quo is not good.
INGRAHAM: Are they trailing Yovanovitch? So why are they doing that? Why was a private citizen, if that was happening you know, working to trail a U.S. ambassador, it's not against the law but it certainly doesn't look great.
COLLINS: Well, it doesn't look great and it shouldn't be done and I think here's the interesting thing. He's been indicted. The Department of Justice has him. Look, Bill Barr will take care of this. We'll see that coming and what we're seeing here though is nothing that we've not seen before.
Here's what I see it is. They've got a weak case. They're throwing this weak case at the everyone and saying, hold on. Shiny object, shiny object, America, look over here and they're trying to tie it back to the fact that this President, they could do nothing with him except he signed his trade deals.
He improves our economy, he improves our world standing, that's what he does.
INGRAHAM: Parnas was on with Rachel Maddow, tonight on MSNBC and he's saying that Barr is in on this.
OK, he said, he basically knew what was going on, that this, he knew what was going on with trailing. President Trump knew exactly was going on. He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn't do anything without the consent of Giuliani or the President. I have no reason to speak of any of these officials.
COLLINS: Well, I think this goes back to show--
INGRAHAM: That Trump was aware, not Barr.
COLLINS: Well, again, if we weren't such on a clock and a calendar and a House and we weren't on such a deadline to impeach the President like the Grinch in Christmas, you know, we would - they - if they wanted to try and investigate, why didn't the House do the investigation?
What they're doing is they are taking - it reminds me of my kids when they come home from college, they pack all the dirty laundry into a bag and then bring it home and say, mom, would you fix the laundry for us.
The House did a terrible job with impeachment. Now they're trying to make the Senate do their job for them and in the end, the senators are going to see through this and then we have people who already saw it.
INGRAHAM: When you - when you can't convince people on the substance of rank illegality, you have to play up the atmospherics, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a sacramental quality to this. There's a - there's a ritual.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so glad Chris used the word ritual. There is something almost religious to it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Pelosi is a real believer in this, about ritual.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said he's been impeached forever. They can never erase that. You know that's something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, there's a sacramental statement and like a priest for life is a perfect carving statement which she is. I think she's very reverential.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Who - the thrill up his leg now? Who said women can't become priests or popes. Its Pope Nancy.
COLLINS: This is sad. I mean when you're all of a sudden putting religious terms to a very blatant impeachment that is a partisan impeachment. This is just sad. The people see through this. To make this reverential, then you fist-bump, you hand out pens and you say everybody will get a pen and you laugh about it.
There's no reverence to this. They hate the idea of this President winning. They hate the idea of losing another election. They can't stand what he's done.
INGRAHAM: Wait, wait Congressman, the foam poster board of the American flag behind Nancy. That was really - that took a lot to put that prop together. So I think you - you're - you're really not giving her, her due. Congressman, that was quite a show today. It was great to see you.
COLLINS: Good to see you too.
INGRAHAM: Thanks for coming in. All right, speaking of the Senate, Jerry Nadler has a warning for senators who refused to bow to the Democrats' demand for a full trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHIFF: Mitch McConnell made it clear that he didn't want a trial in the Senate, that he didn't want to hear from witnesses, that he didn't want documents.
REP. JERRY NADLER, D-N.Y.: If the Senate doesn't permit the introduction of all relevant witnesses and of all documents that the House wants to introduce because the House is the prosecutor here, then the Senate is - is engaging in an unconstitutional and disgusting cover up. The Senate is on trial as well as the President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Thanks Jerry. Here to respond Republican Senator Rick Scott is going to have to sit through this madness. Senator, I thought they were supposed to control their House and let you guys determine your rules but now you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.
They just want to tar you before this whole thing starts. You worried?
SEN. RICK SCOTT, R-FLA.: No. First off, they failed. They failed. You know what they ought to do now? Just shut up. Shut up. They gave it to us. We don't want it. We're going to go through it and you know, who ought to be mad? All of us should be mad. Everybody that voted in 2016 because what they're trying to say, in the future of this country, 218 people in the House and 67 people in the Senate can change 127 million voters. That is what they're trying to do. So everybody ought to be mad about this. There's no crime. This is just them trying to change the president because they don't like his tweets, don't like his attitude, don't like what he is doing.
INGRAHAM: Don't you think it's time to impeach Pelosi and the House Democrats. They need to be impeached. Their case is fraudulent. Their process was completely unfair, lacking in any sense of due process for the president. Things kept in secret until the last minute, now they want to drop new documents. Are you afraid of this new evidence, Lev Parnas, they said tonight that President Trump knew about all of this?
SCOTT: No, absolutely not. First off, they have no case. The only person that has been transparent is Trump. But you know what ought to happen? This November when people go to vote, they're going to say, what have Democrats done? All they have done is try to impeach a president from day one. And what has Trump done? Best economy ever. Take care of our military, secure border, keep us safe. So let's remember that. And so we don't have to impeach him. Let's just beat him in November.
INGRAHAM: Talk about Florida for a moment. Florida has become, I think, an incredible state. Everyone is moving in, you and I were talking about it the other day. But a lot of people have moved to Florida, as well, people who might not necessarily be natural Republicans. How are the Republicans going to make that case to the new voters who come in from places like Puerto Rico, a lot of them angry about hurricane Maria, how do you reach out to them?
SCOTT: How do you reach out? Do what I did. You go talk to everybody. I was just in Puerto Rico last Friday. You talk to everybody in the state. Trump is going to have a big win, and the reason why is what's the first thing that is most important people. A job.
INGRAHAM: It was tight last time. It was close.
SCOTT: Yes, but we have -- he has a good economy, something to run on, and he is taking care of the military, and he has defended our freedom. He's trying to get out of forever wars. There's a lot that he is going to be able to run on. And the other thing is the RNC, Ronna is doing a great job. I think he's going to have a big win this time.
INGRAHAM: Do you think John Roberts, he is going to be sworn in tomorrow as part of the process, do you expect him to take an active role, or will this be preside, ceremonial, and few words?
SCOTT: I think he is going to be preside, ceremonial. He'll leave the decisions to the Senate. We can make most of the decisions, I think almost all decisions with 51 votes.
INGRAHAM: He's never been a trial judge. This is his first trial. He was an appellate litigator, an appellate judge, but he was never a trial judge. This is his first one.
SCOTT: This is going to be interesting. They have no case. It's going to be interesting to watch.
INGRAHAM: Senator, great to see you, as always.
And our next guest has known Chuck Schumer for years, and he says the minority leader will try to send senators on a fishing expedition to distract from the Democrats abysmal case. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions joins us next, exclusively.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y., SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Donald Trump does not want the truth to come out.
(APPLAUSE)
SCHUMER: If he were so sure that he was right, he would have said to us, have the witnesses. There have been 16 impeachment trials, and only one was there no witnesses. How do you run a trial with no witnesses and documents, no evidence? That's what McConnell wants.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he can't handle the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Oh, what a tired old line that is. That was Chuck Schumer on "The View" yesterday, once again calling for more witnesses and documents ahead of the impeachment trial. Our next guest served in the Senate with Schumer for nearly 20 years, and he says he knows exactly what tricks the minority leader might try to pull. Joining us now exclusively, former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. All right, Senator, what sort of little chicanery will Schumer try to pull here?
JEFF SESSIONS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: One big thing he is going to do, and it's pretty obvious, they know that when this presentation is made by the managers, it's going to be insufficient, nowhere close to impeachable, and they have to got change that narrative. And so their narrative is there's some other witnesses that we can call, some other evidence. They been saying that for three plus years. Every week, there's something new and explosive is going to be out there.
It's time to bring this thing to a conclusion. It's time to bring it forward to the Senate and have a vote and decide this matter. The American people are not happy. I've traveled all over Alabama. I've talked to people in 5,000 miles we've traveled in recent weeks. They are hot about this. They think there are other things that need to be done for this country that are not being done, and they are tired of this charade.
INGRAHAM: Mr. Attorney General, here's how the house's top two impeachment managers reacted to questions about Hunter Biden testifying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JERROLD NADLER, D-N.Y., HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Anybody like Hunter Biden who has no information, he is not a relevant witness.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF, D-CALIF., CHAIRMAN, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: The desire to have Hunter Biden, for example, this is a desire just to continue the smear campaign that they sought to get the Ukrainians to do. Hunter Biden doesn't have relevant information in this trial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Should Hunter Biden be asked to testify?
SESSIONS: Well, absolutely. If we go to witness, he is absolutely relevant to the president's concern that something may have been covered up when the prosecutor in Ukraine that was investigating this company was removed. So I just think that is inevitable. But the Senate is going to have to wrestle with it, and they will do as, I think McConnell has predicted, they will hear the arguments, they'll see what the evidence is, and decide if there will be any witnesses. But if there are witnesses, certainly they should be called from both sides.
INGRAHAM: Now senator, tell us about the moderate Republican senators and this desire to be seen as taking this all seriously when this was a fraud from day one, from the Schiff work with the whistle-blower to the no quid pro quo to the no underlying crime to the hearsay -- all a zero. And yet we are supposed to go through this nonsense and waste everybody's time and money for another two weeks? And McConnell can't get Manchin and Doug Jones to come around to the side of good sense here, and Romney, Collins, Murkowski? I've got to say, it puzzles me.
SESSIONS: I do think the Republicans, it's time for them to toughen up. There is not an impeachment case here. This is a terrible, terrible abuse on the awesome impeachment power, and the first time this has ever happened in our history. And it should not be done. And so the Republicans need to think clearly. They need to call it what it is, an abuse of the process. And you are right, they don't need to give any real credibility, because the evidence is not going to justify this charge, it seems to me, quite clearly.
INGRAHAM: Attorney General Sessions, this question, let's think Chuck Schumer knows this is going to go down, I mean, that it's going to go down in flames, but tells Doug Jones, if you need impeachment to try to help yourself with the voters of Alabama, go ahead and do it. Would that pose a problem for you?
SESSIONS: No. But I think that Chuck Schumer will absolutely do that. That's exactly the way he thinks, because there's not going to be enough votes to get in impeachment, for heaven's sake. And so it makes no difference to him how he cast his ballot, I think, in the end. So he may well tell him just that. But Doug Jones has supported Nancy Pelosi's holding back the impeachment articles. He has supported the witnesses, only the witnesses that Chuck Schumer wants to see called. So I think he has made clear which side he's on.
INGRAHAM: Yes. It's transparent.
SESSIONS: If he has a chance, then he will vote for Schumer as the majority leader.
INGRAHAM: It's transparent. Senator, it's great to see you. Thanks so much for coming on tonight.
And the nonstop slobber-fest, we talked about this about Nancy Pelosi, it might be seriously damaging the Democrats in the long run. "The Federalist's" Chris Bedford writes "The cult of Pelosi is a deadly thing for Democrats' future."
Joining me now is Dan Bongino, former Secret Service agent, FOX News contributor, author of the book "Exonerated." Dan, how much long-term damage has she done to the Democrats with this ceremonial nonsense today?
DAN BONGINO, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: I think it was significant.
Today was -- I used to say, although I disagreed with Pelosi, I thought she was strategically smarter than this. I've now abandoned that completely.
I don't know what it is. I think the easy answer is the AOC, Ilhan Omar wing of the party has pulled her left. I'm not sure. I think she genuinely hates the president, too, and it's clouded her judgment. Laura, think about it, right. Her talking points have been clear the whole time. You've heard it, I've heard it, you heard it on the show tonight. This is a sad and somber and serious moment. And then they're auctioning the pens on eBay later after you sign the impeachment articles? It was so hokey and stupid.
And as I tweeted out tonight, listen, I'm a partisan, I'm obviously a conservative, it's not a secret. Do you really think this looked cool or edgy, this funeral procession with the articles of impeachment? It was embarrassing. Believe me, I get it. I'm a partisan, so gaffe me off, fine, do whatever. I'm telling in the most nonideological way possible, this looked ridiculous, you looked really dopey.
INGRAHAM: Because someone said on Twitter it looks like a royal wedding but nobody was there and it didn't have a nice dress. I thought it looked like a funeral possession for the Democrat Party. So we are putting the Democrat Party, House majority to rest with the impeachment trial. Don't you think these Republicans should dismiss this? McConnell should leave arms on the floor if he has to, but this thing should just be dismissed outright?
BONGINO: Listen, you are a litigator, I'm not. I was a business student. But I'm not sure anymore. It's a hoax. If I was in any way afraid they had anything on the president of the United States at all, anything, I'd say, you know what, maybe this is bad, Republicans need some kind of a strategy. They've got nothing. Everything is a big nothing-burger. They've got the military aid delivered, the Ukrainian president saying there was no deal, and we've already read the transcript. This is blowing up in their faces.
I think Ted Cruz may have had a point the other day on this network, maybe it was yesterday or this morning, when he said, listen, let's put this on trial. It keeps blowing up in the Democrats' face. And once the president gets exonerated completely and fully, it works out to be a great talking point in 2020 for how hapless the Democrats really are.
INGRAHAM: Dan, great to see you. Thanks so much.
And up next, Raymond Arroyo takes us through the bizarre theatrics from Pelosi today, things that you thought you saw but you missed. And 2020 Democrats last night, oh, boy. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: Oh, goody, it's time for our "Seen and Unseen" segment where we expose the big cultural stories of the day. Pelosi marks time while the 2020 Democrats are running out of it. Joining us now, Raymond Arroyo, FOX News contributor.
RAYMOND ARROYO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: You couldn't get it out there.
INGRAHAM: It's been a long day.
ARROYO: I understand. I understand.
INGRAHAM: You noticed something during Pelosi's drama today that didn't much coverage.
ARROYO: Throughout Speaker Pelosi's rather rambling impeachment press conference and later on the floor, she seemed obsessed with history and time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF., HOUSE SPEAKER: This is a very important day for us, and as you know, I've referenced temporal markers that our founders and poets and others have used over time, to places in time, to emphasize the importance of time, because everything is about time. Thomas Paine, these are the times that try men's souls, the times that found us. Again and again, even deep in our poets, Longfellow, remember, listen, my children, and you will hear the midnight ride of Paul Revere on the 18th of April in '75, hardly a man is now alive that remembers that famous day and year. It's always about marketing history, using time.
(MUSIC)
PELOSI: In a course of the time since we passed the resolution, and not because of the time, we passed it on December 18th. Don't talk to me about my timing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: I think the word of the day, Laura, was "time." Do you know what this really is? This is like a psychological breakdown. I think she is obsessed with time. Nobody can make heads or tails of this. Longfellow and Paul Revere, the Pledge of Allegiance, and then all of a sudden, time, time, time. She is obsessed because she misused time. She thought time was on her side, and that holding these articles would give her an upper hand. It bombed. And now the polls are turning against her.
INGRAHAM: She's trying to say it's her time. It's like the Bonnie Raitt song, "In the Nick of Time." It's in her own time.
ARROYO: Time is not on her side, Laura.
INGRAHAM: By the way, look and watch that. She really needs to go with Biden into the Tapioca Bowl. That was a moment. Speaking of Democrat 2020 candidates, last night was the final DNC debate before the Iowa caucuses in Feb, and as expected, Biden was a bit sluggish, a little confused, and, well, the gaffes were enjoyable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I commuted every single solitary day to Wilmington, Delaware, over 500 miles a day, excuse me, 250 miles a day.
And I headed up the recovery act, which put more money into fossil -- moving away from fossil fuels, to solar and wind energy than ever has occurred in the history of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: More wind and solar than we've ever had any history of America. Poor man, he is like the Pelosi of the 2020 race. This is not a frontrunner. And imagine this up against Donald Trump. I watched them on split screen, Trump in Wisconsin last night, he owned the room. I don't how Joe Biden is going to stand up to him, should he make it.
OK, CNN made a big deal last night, Laura, about Elizabeth Warren's story that Bernie told her a woman cannot win the presidency. He denied that charge. During the debate, this is how the evening ended for both of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, D-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think you called me a liar on national TV.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, I-VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What?
WARREN: I think you called me a liar on national TV.
SANDERS: Let's not do it right now. If you want to have that discussion, we'll have that discussion.
WARREN: Any time.
SANDERS: You called me a liar. You told me -- all right, let's not do it now.
TOM STEYER, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to get in the middle. I just want to say hi, Bernie.
SANDERS: Yes, good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
ARROYO: I love Tom Steyer. Tom Steyer, I just wanted to say hi Bernie, great to see you. All right, good, get out of my way.
What I love about this, what we are seeing here, Elizabeth Warren's credibility is in the can right now. She has lied about being fired while pregnant, she lied about her Indian heritage, she lied about her child going to public school, now caught in the fourth life. You are seeing the unraveling of this woman, and these narratives are crashing. This is going the way of Custer's Last Stand, and Elizabeth Warren is not the Indian, OK, once again.
INGRAHAM: I'm telling you, princess running mouth always gets herself in trouble.
(LAUGHTER)
INGRAHAM: All right, what else.
ARROYO: No, no, that's it. The important thing is this -- Donald Trump last night owned the room, had drama, he had humor, he rode the crowd. I don't know how any of the Democratic candidates are going to be able to compete.
INGRAHAM: Didn't the media come away --
ARROYO: Watch them. They were very upset.
INGRAHAM: They were dispirited.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is this party going to beat Donald Trump in your view?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's going to be really hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't see anybody on the stage or in the ring that really said I'm taking charge. I can be president. I can take on Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was nothing tonight if you are looking at this thing, you say any of these people are prepared for what Donald Trump is going to do for us.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You've got to love Trump. You've got to love Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
INGRAHAM: OK, so I'll make an announcement, Al Sharpton is getting into the race, OK, and Van Jones is in his running mate. Raymond, thanks so much.
ARROYO: You're welcome.
INGRAHAM: Final thoughts when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA., HOUSE MINORITY WHIP: What you and your fellow teammates did, both on and off the field, gave us hope. Steve Gleason, what you did that night gave us hope, but you continue to inspire people to this day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: That was Louisiana Congressman, Steve Scalise, honoring former Saints player, an ALS thriver, Steve Gleason. Gleason received the Congressional gold medal today for his efforts on behalf of all those afflicted with ALS. That's all the time we have tonight.
Shannon Bream and the "Fox News @ Night" team unpack it all from here. Shannon, take it away.
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