Rudy Giuliani reacts to Paul Manafort's plea deal

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Rudy Giuliani reacts to Paul Manafort's plea deal

Former Trump campaign manager avoids second trial with plea agreement; Rudy Giuliani responds on 'Hannity.'

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," September 14, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All right. Thanks, Tucker, great show.

Welcome to "Hannity."

This is a Fox News alert. Florence continues to pound the Carolinas as we speak. Over 600,000 are now without power. Coastal areas have been devastated by flooding and the rain is not stopping any time soon.

And coming up, we're going to bring you live reports from the ground. But, first, we have a lot of breaking news today in the media as most of it wrong and they're not covering the important stuff. Paul Manafort did agree to cooperate with the office of special counsel.

But, despite what you are hearing from the destroy Trump left wing press, the plea deal, it doesn't have to do with the president at all, nothing to do with the 2016 campaign at all, nothing to do with Russian collusion at all.

But, tonight, we can report the deep state house of cards is tumbling and tonight also, we have more damning Strzok-Page texts that have been uncovered. We will share with you and the level of corruption we now see is beyond shocking.

And, tonight, I'm going to explain why Robert Mueller has no choice but to end his witch-hunt and how, if he doesn't, he will forever destroy great institutions in this country like the FBI, the DOJ, the CIA and more. The choice, the power is in his hands.

Also tonight, we have an update to bring you on the Democrat's dirty tactics. Last-minute tactics to block the Kavanaugh confirmation. We have a brand new media blitz from Democratic savior, yes, the great one is back, Barack Obama. Yes, the anointed one. You're going to see what is a veiled cheap shot that he is taking at FOX News and talk radio.

So, sit tight, buckle up, it's time for tonight's Friday edition opening monologue.

(MUSIC)

HANNITY: All right, Florence keeps pounding the Carolinas. It is still extremely dangerous, and joining us now with a quick update on the ground in North Topsail Beach, North Carolina, is hurricane Steve Harrigan -- Steve.

STEVE HARRIGAN, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Sean, this part of the coast has simply been pounded for the past 30 hours. We have seen more than 20 inches of rain and winds strong enough to shear off the roofs of houses close to that beach line.

Finally, we are getting some break in the action. A light rain and light breeze. That's going to make it a lot easier for first responders to do their job and that job is growing as the water keeps rising.

The police chief here says they're going out at first light to try and see areas. They have been unable to get to the roads here still very treacherous, downed power lines, water and debris. So, it's going to be the start of a long clean up and rescue operation at first light.

Sean, back to you.

HANNITY: All right. Steve, I don't think anyone is getting gas at that BP station any time soon.

All right. For everybody, please stay safe. We'll have more coverage throughout the show.

But, first, the left wing destroy Trump media is so quick. Remember, lavishing so much praise on Bob Woodward and his new anti-Trump book. Now, this is a book with, of course, unnamed anonymous sources over 100 of them.

But today, he threw them a bit of a curve ball. I don't think they are going to be reporting this on the other channels. I'm just guessing. Take a look.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HUGH HEWITT, THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW: Did you Bob Woodward hear anything in your research and your interviews that sounded like espionage or collusion?

BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "FEAR": I did not. Of course I looked for it, looked for it hard. So, you know, there we are, we are going to see what Mueller has. And Dowd may be right, he has something that Dowd and the president don't know about, a secret witness or somebody who has changed their testimony as you know that often happens and that can break open or turn a case.

HEWITT: But you've seen no collusion?

WOODWARD: I have not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Yes, he looked hard. That's right. No evidence of collusion because there was no collusion.

Also today, we learned that Paul Manafort is not going to face a second trial. He did plead guilty to two counts of conspiracy now agreed to the Department of Justice. And naturally, many in the media, on the left -- they have been out there reporting and predicting doom and gloom for President Trump over this. Unfortunately, for them those characterizations couldn't be further from the truth.

Listen to Manafort's attorney from earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANAFORT'S LAWYER: Tough day for Mr. Manafort but he has accepted responsibility and he wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life. He has accepted responsibility and this is for conduct that dates back many years. And everybody should remember that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Everybody should remember that these charges are old, old charges, completely predating 2016, the presidential election.

Now, the president's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who will join us tonight in just a minute, he released a statement that says, quote, once again an investigation has concluded with a plea having nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign. The reason? The president did nothing wrong.

Let me reiterate. Multiple sources have confirmed to me and others tonight despite what the media is reporting this guilty plea has nothing to do with the campaign, Trump or any collusion with Russia. We have numerous sources confirming to us tonight. Instead it has everything to do with Manafort not paying federal taxes on millions of dollars which he made as an unregistered lobbyist for Ukraine's former pro-Russian president.

"The Daily Caller" is reporting tonight that Manafort's cooperation has nothing to do with Russia and collusion with the special counsel and has a lot more to do with the man by the name of Tony Podesta. He's the brother of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. He's founder of a once very large lobbying organization called the Podesta Group. And according to the Manafort indictment, if the media would ever take the time read it, various employees of companies A and B understood that they were receiving direction from Manafort and, yes, that president of Ukraine.

And The Daily Caller is reporting that company B is the Podesta Group. Politico is reporting that a letter from the Justice Department shows that Podesta knew that Manafort was working at the direction of the Ukrainian government, and even a New York fake news Times is reporting, quote: Mr. Manafort could also be instrumental in investigations now underway of lobbyists and influence brokers who work with him in Ukraine. Including, New York Times says it, Tony Podesta, a prominent Democratic lobbyist; Vin Weber, former Republican member of Congress and Greg Craig you may remember him from the impeachment days, former White House counsel and the administration of President Barack Obama and he represented Bill Clinton back in the day.

Now, we have reached out to Tony Podesta, his lawyers for comment. As of tonight, we have not heard back.

And that's not all. More bad news from Democrats coming out of the Manafort probe. Breaking just moments ago, we now have learned the federal prosecutors weighing whether or not to charge former Obama White House counsel Craig Greg, why? For failing to register as a foreign agent.

Now, Mueller is moving away from the fabricated accusations of so-called Trump-Russia collusion and pursuing other leads might finally be a good sign that we might in this country possibly be returning to equal justice and equal application of our laws. This witch-hunt may actually be coming to an end sooner than we thought.

And there is one other reach that Mueller made this deal with Manafort today. Now, to be very blunt. There is now in this country a cancer. It is now growing on every single intelligence agency that we once respected in this country. We're now at a tipping point.

As a result of all of the corruption, it's taken a long time that we have exposed on this show, including all week this week, at the highest levels, corruption in the FBI, the DOJ, the CIA, and even corruption leading straight from Steele, Christopher Steele, to Bruce Ohr, right into Robert Mueller's office. Every single institution, main institutions of law enforcement in this country have been so tainted by corruption, so tainted by desire to take down the president, if Mueller cares at all about the future integrity of these institutions, this all needs to come to an end, because these once great institutions tonight are hanging in the balance.

And we have all the evidence to prove that they have been corrupt. A deep state, based on a deep hatred and deep bias. Example after example of how these institutions broke the law, abused their power, how they have been proven corrupt at the highest levels of these institutions, using their power to favor one candidate over another, trying desperately to destroy Trump before the election, trying to destroy him after he was elected, trying to undo a presidential election in this country -- a duly elected president of we the people -- and in some cases real actual true allusion.

Remember, this all starts, can you all trace it back to Hillary Clinton, her campaign, funneling money, through a law firm, Fusion GPS taking the money, paying ex-foreign spy Christopher Steele. They put together a phony dossier, now, we know filled with Russian lies and prop began does, rumors and misinformation.

Steele himself won't even stand by his own dossier under oath. He said, oh, no, I can't say if it's true or not. Maybe 50/50. That's when he was under the threat of perjury in interrogatory in Great Britain.

That dossier was then passed off to the highest levels of the DOJ and the FBI. And then after FBI people that we know, Comey, Strzok and others, after they put the fix in on the Clinton investigation. We know she broke the law. We know she violated the Espionage Act. We know she obstructed justice -- well, they exonerated their chosen candidate Hillary anyway.

Then they used her campaign op research from Russia that she paid for, the dirty dossier, as the basis of an investigation into so-called Trump-Russia collusion. None of them ever verified or corroborated, any of their contents. The FBI, the DOJ, used the dossier to obtain multiple FISA warrants against a Trump campaign associate. Now, we learned all week they were leaking the contents of that dossier to you, the American people before the election and influence the presidential election after the election, through 2017 to destroy a duly elected president in the Trump administration.

These are facts. The evidence is overwhelming and incontrovertible. Mueller, are you paying attention? All of this based on Clinton bought and paid for Russian lies. The FBI, the DOJ, they covered for her. They spread her lies and now irreparable damage to some of the greatest institutions in American history are happening in the balance tonight.

And tonight, yet again, we have brand new just unearthed text messages between Strzok and Page. By the way, I hear there's more coming next week, which show even more leaking to the press of nothing but dossier, phony lies and misinformation. We have been reporting all week that Strzok and Page, you know, that they have been doing this and we have the text messages to prove it.

By the way, CNN got late into the game tonight. Welcome aboard. You are only a year and a half too late. They actually uncovered the texts we have been telling you about all week. Welcome to actual journalism for five seconds, fake news CNN.

Look at this text from Lisa Page to Peter Strzok, the date December 2016. At that point, President-elect Trump, both Trump haters wrote, quote: It will make your head spin to realize how many stories we played a personal role in.

Next stop, text January 2017, it's even more damning. Sitting with Bill watching fake news CNN, I added that part, a ton more out. Hey, let me know when you can talk. We are discussing whether now that this is out, we use it as a pretext to go interview some people.

So, what you see here is an obvious effort from Strzok and Page not only to leak information, then used that leak information to justify further investigations and intimidation of other people, exactly what we have been telling you for over a year.

And there is more. Look at this text, April 27th, 2017, that shows even more damning evidence of leaking. It's going to be very apparent we cooperated and gave access. A lot for that article that I think is going to be very negative.

Add all of this for what we have been reporting for a year and earlier this week where Strzok and Page were texting about media leak strategy. They were also working together on Russian interference op-ed in the lead up to the 2016 election.

We also learned, thanks to Catherine Herridge, the FBI sisters in the CIA that were, quote, leaking like mad after the election that were on a vendetta, well, that was the CIA, of course, leaking to the press, lying to numerous FISA court judges, colluding with a foreign spy with deep Russian ties, propagating Russian lies.

This is real. This is serious. These are crimes -- by the way, if this special counsel won't investigate it -- we need a special counsel that will. If Mueller's inquiry wraps up without addressing any of this -- well, here's what Lindsey Graham had to say about this very topic. Take a look.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-SOUTH CAROLINA: What I wish Jeff would talk about. I wish some of my colleagues would talk more about. This was going on at the Department of Justice and FBI. I'm going to send a letter today to Rosenstein. These new text messages from Strzok and page about leaking information about the FISA warrant process to the media is just one in a series of events that spring for a special counsel.

How much more has to be uncovered at the Department of Justice regarding a political agenda. The Department of Justice and the FBI were political operatives when it came to Trump. They weren't investigators. This screams for a special counsel.

So, I agree with Jeff. He shouldn't beat on Sessions personally, but I don't know why Rosenstein who is in charge of this process doesn't see what I see an out-of-control Department of Justice and FBI and what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Let's have a DOJ investigated by somebody outside the Department of Justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: So, tonight, what he is saying and what we are saying is the same, the integrity of some of the greatest institutions in American history, our FBI, our intelligence committee. The Department of Justice, our CIA, if we can't trust them, if we don't resolve this abuse of power, if people aren't held accountable. We will lose this constitutional republic. That's how serious this is.

We are going to have a lot more reaction to the latest deep state developments. Gregg Jarrett and Sara Carter coming up. Rudy Giuliani coming up.

But we also have update on the looming Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh. Last night, well, we first reported Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein's Hail Mary attempt at the last minute to destroy Kavanaugh's reputation. She issued what was a cryptic statement about alleged misconduct from Kavanaugh, so-called from an anonymous source that didn't want to be known dating back to when Kavanaugh was in high school -- in other words in the 1980s.

Feinstein said she reported the allegation to the FBI. Kavanaugh has been investigated 30 times by the FBI and has been investigated the whole time. And they are declining to investigate.

Now, this charge was made public after Kavanaugh's private hearings, after all of his private meetings with Democrats and months after Feinstein first learned about the so-called alleged misconduct. She also met privately with Kavanaugh and never asked him about it.

Now, as "The Wall Street Journal's" Kimberley Strassel noted, Feinstein suddenly thought the charges were serious enough to refer to the FBI but apparently not serious enough to ask him a single question about it during his testimony. And Judge Kavanaugh is just days away from being affirmed, he reputed all of these claims, and he wrote, quote: I categorically, unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.

And by the way, there were 65 other women that he knew at that time that spoke up in favor of his character, including another person supposedly mentioned in the letter said it's not true.

What you are seeing from Feinstein is an embarrassing, blatant attempt to smear and slander the character of Judge Kavanaugh. And it's not the only sad moment from the Senate's Democrats' attempt to block Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

Remember when Senator Cory Booker himself comparing himself to a Roman gladiator Spartacus for threatening to release the documents to the public except he was told he could release them because they were already released. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER, D-NEW JERSEY: I openly invite and accept the consequences of my team releasing that email right now. This is about the closest I will probably have in my life to I am Spartacus moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Yes, I am Spartacus had all of the information ahead of time was told he can release it ahead of time after getting resoundly mocked for over a week over that ridiculous statement, Booker is now walking back his heroic comparisons.

As it turns out, he is not Spartacus. He's a far left politician from New Jersey who would love to see the Democrats take back the Senate. He thinks he is going to be president one day.

And now, Democrats across America have unveiled secret weapons for midterms. That would be Barack Obama. Unfortunately for Democrats, only 38 percent of the American people want to see him back on the campaign trail.

And just by the way, as we saw over and over during his eight, long, hard, difficult years in office, Obama is now using the same corrosive politics of division that he used back in the day. Yesterday taking a shot a at his favorite target: conservatives, talk radio, FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Forces of retrenchment and backlash and anger are constantly being fanned. And we've got frankly some media outlets that like to do the fanning. If you wanted to get to get involved and knock on some doors and talk to your friends, talk to some of those family members, talk to -- talk to Aunt Jane who sometimes, you know, listening to the wrong radio program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Yes, get in their face he once said. He once said, we'll send Mr. Burgess over to Sean Hannity, he'll tear him up.

All right. Well, stop whining Mr. Obama. Those were your words to President Trump in 2016. In 53 days, you, the American people, you have the power, you get to decide. You'll get the government you deserve.

That means whether or not Obama's cronies get their power back or whether the Trump agenda continues with its success.

Here now with reaction to all these breaking news tonight, the author of The New York Times bestseller, "The Russian Hoax", he is a Fox News legal analyst, Gregg Jarrett. He's number one on the New York Times list. And Fox News investigative reporter and contributor, Sara Carter.

Sara, this is now five straight days in a row and I'm told more Strzok-Page messages. There's over 50,000 of them, are coming out next week that are even more damning than the reveals about the media leak strategy and everything else.

Here's my question. Am I right, that tonight, the institutions that are so great in the minds of most Americans, including my own, the FBI, the Department of Justice, the CIA, the intel community, are they hanging in the balance based on the abuse of power of some at the highest level that now we have incontrovertible evidence about?

SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Sean, I have spoken to a number of former, very high level intelligence officials and current law enforcement officials. And they say that's absolutely the case.

This is hanging in the balance because all of this evidence, this isn't just circumstantial anymore. We are actually seeing the facts on its face point to one thing and one thing only. That this was a deception operation from the very beginning -- and let me explain that a little bit. A deception operation is what CIA is trained to do overseas. It's what the Russians do to other countries.

But, instead, it appears that the FBI and possibly members of the CIA were doing it right here in the United States, to their own government. So, there needs to be a special counsel, they said. There needs to be a thorough investigation.

Lindsey Graham is right. There needs to be somebody outside of the DOJ to investigate this because the one thing we can't have in our country is have our own agencies, agencies that we entrust ourselves to, our lives to, actually working covertly against their own government and against the people of the United States.

HANNITY: Gregg, this is the whole premise of your book, the illicit scheme to elect Hillary Clinton and destroy Donald Trump. That's what this is all about.

CARTER: That's right.

HANNITY: But who are the people destroying. We've got the highest levels. We've got Strzok, we've got Page. We've got Comey. We've got McCabe. We've got Ohr. We've got Sally Yates.

We've got all these people, they all have one thing in common -- they hate Trump. And it goes right into the special counsel's office himself because Steele texting Bruce Ohr, did you get my information over to the special counsel, your contacts there?

So, it's the institutions of law enforcement. The FBI, the DOJ, the CIA, the intel community and the special counsel's office, how can anybody in this country have faith in the rule of law now that all of those institutions have been tainted not by rank and file but by the highest people with the most power?

GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: You are correct there was a cancer in our government. It's still there. It became malignant under Obama's Department of Justice and James Comey's FBI, John Brennan's CIA. James Clapper's DNI, and it's still going on.

Just look at the text messages that we received today. Strzok and Page are obsessed and transfixed with their quote/unquote personal role in leaking and shaping stories and then they are bragging that now we can use this as a pretext to interview people. It's not only mendacious and devious but to the extent that they were leaking highly classified information and they surely were, it is a crime.

I'm no fan of a special counsel.

(CROSSTALK)

JARRETT: You've got to have a special counsel for the investigators who were breaking the law with impunity.

HANNITY: I got to believe somewhere in the office of the mind of Robert Mueller, somewhere there's got to be some sense of truth in all of this. And that all of this evidence, all of those abuse of power, he's got to understand that at some point that all of these agencies now will be permanently, if not irreparably damaged in all of this, Sara?

CARTER: Yes, and the one thing that he needs to do and, you know, we have spoken to a number of lawmakers who have said the same thing. He needs to wrap up this special counsel investigation which was based off of false, unverified information.

Look, all of this was a pretext, Sean. They built a narrative and then they tried to support that narrative. When I tell you this is a deception operation, that means they thought about this from the beginning.

They were going to try to find a way to try to connect President Trump to Russia, even if it was based on false information. They leak that to the media --

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: The irony was the connection. Hillary paid --

CARTER: That's right.

HANNITY: -- for the Russian lies that got everybody in trouble because they all wanted to protect her.

CARTER: Absolutely.

JARRETT: These people loved Hillary Clinton. They hated Donald Trump. He was a threat to positions of power. So, they went about conjuring based upon false evidence a hoax to frame him. I detail it in my book. But every day, new evidence comes out that corroborate the Russia hoax.

HANNITY: All right. I've got to let you both go. Great information.

Next week is going to be a bombshell week. Look at me, we have not been wrong yet. Sara, Gregg, thank you.

Also tonight, Hurricane Florence continues to wreak havoc in the Carolinas. A lot of damage there.

For more, we bring in FOX News chief meteorologist Rick Reichmuth is with us.

You were right. We were right. It's not stopped and it's now literally dropping inches and inches and inches of rain and it's not seemingly going to stop any time soon.

RICK REICHMUTH, FOX NEWS CHIEF METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we got about two feet of rain, two feet of rain in more Morehead City.

This is a look at the last 24 hours of the satellite. Started getting rain 30 hours ago and the storm has moved 150 miles is all in the last 30 hours.

So, an incredibly slow-moving storm. You can see on the radar picture, not moving much at all. We've got flooding going on. You see these gauges.

Here is our big concern -- these are rivers that are at major flooding. That's the purple, moderate flooding is the red. Take a look at what happens over the next five days, Sean, it completely gets major flooding going on down across South Carolina, North Carolina, in across parts of Virginia, because of the rain that's going to fall. That's going to go down all the rivers and we're going to be seeing a lot of rivers well above their record levels that they have ever seen and likely stay that way for a good part of say, five to six days.

Here's a satellite image from this. You see right there, the center has moved in across parts of South Carolina, Myrtle Beach still an offshore flow. So, water going away from the ocean, but anywhere to the east of that still seeing this onshore flow. That's where it came on shore 7:15 this morning. We're 14 hours away and it's moved 60 miles.

We're also still seeing that energy up across areas towards the outer banks and take a look at this. A lot of areas, Sean, over 20 inches so far probably another 20 inches to go before we are done.

HANNITY: All right. Rick Reichmuth in the Fox Weather Center tonight. And our thoughts and prayers go to the people in the Carolinas and elsewhere.

We go now to Leland Vittert. He is in Morehead City, in North Carolina.

I watched you nearly get blown over a few times. Hope you are holding up okay.

LELAND VITTER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sean, it's certainly better 24 hours later. This is really the first lull we have seen in this storm now in 24 hours. Rick was talking about 24 inches of rain in Morehead City. We have been outside for most of those 24 inches of rain and effects have been devastating.

I talked to a captain who flies these waters, actually he's boat is normally tied up dry dock. And he said there are part of the waters around here, those rivers upstream that Rick was talking about that people can't even get to that he said were absolutely devastated so far. And we haven't even begun to really see the high water that is about to come in the next couple of day us. It's very easy in a time like this when you stand out the storm sort of passed or you are between bands, you go, oh, well, it doesn't look so bad. You know, the docks behind you aren't trashed and you then take about another 24 to 48 hours and realize the lives that have been totally upended by this storm.

It is going to be extensive damage. The damage will continue now over out next couple of days before we can get to a lot of the areas that are hardest hit. Obviously, we've already had a number of fatalities here. The oak trees so famous in North Carolina turned deadly when they snapped and flew into a house. It's also really hampering a lot of the rescue efforts because the ground has become so saturated by this rain and will continue to become so saturated that even the wind we are feeling now that ordinarily wouldn't be that terrible is enough to snap and uproot some of these oak trees, they fall over. Totally block traffic.

Each one of those trees cleared before fire, police, fire crews come back in and also cell phone tower crews to clean stuff up -- Sean.

HANNITY: All right. Leland Vittert hang in there, I know you need some sleep. Great job as always.

We switch gears now to the major news out of Washington today. Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort had a deal with Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation.

Joining us now with reaction, the president's -- on the president's perspective on the matter is his attorney Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor.

Mr. Mayor, good to see you.

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Good to see you, Sean.

HANNITY: On the Manafort issues, I have been told by numerous and multiple sources close to Manafort and others that in fact whatever cooperation is going to take place is not what is being reported. It would have nothing to do with the campaign, Donald Trump, Russia, collusion of any kind, but more to do with lobbying and other groups.

GIULIANI: Well, Sean, that's absolutely true. I mean, the reality is there is a quote put up by a source close to Manafort that the plea agreement has and cooperation agreement has nothing to do with the Trump campaign, quote: there is no evidence of collusion. Now I know that because I have been privy to a lot of facts I can't repeat. But the reality is no evidence of collusion.

All you had to do was look at the plea. The plea is to crimes that have to do with Manafort's past, no involvement with Trump. No involvement with the campaign. No involvement with Russia. By the way, there is also no evidence of obstruction.

There have been four guilty pleas now and they're completely irrelevant. Mueller --

HANNITY: But you agree with me, Mr. Mayor? You know, look, I know you not only as New York City's mayor but you're one of the toughest prosecutors in the southern district of New York. You were right there putting your life on the line, taking down some of the toughest crime families in the country at the time.

But do you agree with me that the integrity of institutions like the FBI, the CIA and DOJ and intel community now hanging in the balance? Because what did we discover here? That the FBI first got Hillary off the hook. They fixed what were obvious crimes she committed.

That they were involved in spreading propaganda, misinformation through her bought and paid for dossier that they also used to get a FISA warrant. They lied to FISA court judges and committed a fraud on the court.

But the level of leaking and lying and conspiracy to hurt then candidate Trump and then President Trump it's all here. We have the information. There is evidence.

GIULIANI: There is no question about it. Here is the collusion strangely, Sean. The collusion is that a whole group of people, Strzok, Page, Ohr, Ohr's wife, Comey, Brennan, Clapper. They decided to first keep them out of the White House so we get the dossier paid for by Hillary Clinton.

A million dollars, by the way, to pay for the phony thing. Never revealed properly to the court by the way, completely fraudulent FISA wires leaked illegally, now admitted totally crime, as Gregg Jarrett points out both in his book and now with you.

And then finally, when they failed in that mission they just transition right into trying to drive them out of the White House.

HANNITY: Yes.

GIULIANI: And so this is not -- this is not an investigation based on any facts. There has never been a single fact produced that President Trump in any way colluded with anybody, much less conspired with anybody.

HANNITY: But Mr. Mayor--

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: The man is totally innocent.

HANNITY: We do know the FBI. We do know the DOJ. We do know that then DNI. We know the CIA. All had media leak strategy all related to destroying Donald Trump before the election, after the elections.

And not only that, with all due respect, I guess have you got to do business with the guy. I don't. But when we look at the messages from Steele to Bruce Ohr, his wife of course worked for Fusion GPS.

But Christopher Steele put all the Russian lies together paid for by Hillary. He is talking about praying he doesn't get exposed. He's also talking about fire walls holdings. Strzok and Page talk about and insurance policy.

But then Steele tells Ohr asking Ohr hey, did you get the information that we now know are fabricated lies from Russia did you get them into the special counsel's office. That goes into Robert Mueller's office. He is now taken by the whole thing.

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: Tell you if there is the same relentless pursuit of these people as they have done to President Trump, you're going to find very quickly already admitted evidence of serious crimes and a major conspiracy to first stop him from being president and then to create circumstances where there would be an impeachment.

And this is -- my head hangs in shame for the department that I gave 16 years of my life to the Department of Justice as a third ranking official in the Department of Justice when I could proudly say it was a Department of Justice.

And the only thing that could be done now is as relentless an investigation of all these people, as they did to President Trump.

HANNITY: All right, Mr. Mayor, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

GIULIANI: Thank you.

HANNITY: When we come back, Trace Gallagher has a live update the Democrats' 11th hour attack to smear, slander besmirch the character of Judge Kavanaugh and his confirmation that more on this busy breaking Friday news night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: A lot of questions being raised about Senator Dianne Feinstein waiting to reveal the so-called secret letter that she had about an allegation from Judge Kavanaugh from when he was in high school like 1980. An allegation Judge Kavanaugh categorically denies, as well as 65 other women that knew him back in the day as well as another person apparently whose name was mentioned in this case.

Joining us now though, first from our west coast newsroom with an update, Trace Gallagher. Trace, what do you got on this?

TRACE GALLAGHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you have to remember, Sean, Dianne Feinstein got this letter back in July. She then met with Brett questioned him twice during the confirmation hearings and sent written follow-up questions and never one time raised the issue.

Feinstein now says she was trying to protect the woman's anonymity. The letter has been given to White House counsel Don McGahn as well as senators on Capitol Hill. Though it's unclear how many senators have actually read it. The accusation is from an unnamed woman who claims Brett Kavanaugh tried to force himself on her in a locked room at high school party some 35 years ago.

Kavanaugh says quoting, "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time."

Republicans are rallying behind Kavanaugh. As you mentioned Senate judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley today released that letter signed by 65 women who knew Brett Kavanaugh back in high school defending him as a good person.

And while some liberal groups are calling on Kavanaugh to withdraw, Democratic senators at least so far have been mostly quiet about the issue, so two have swing vote Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Senator Grassley, by the way, says the confirmation process will go forward as scheduled. Sean?

HANNITY: All right. Trace Gallagher in our L.A. newsroom tonight. Thank you.

Here with reaction all tonight's breaking news all of it, American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Pam, we'll start with you. She had this letter in June. She met with him privately. The woman doesn't want to be disclosed. Didn't want to take it any further. Doesn't want to go public. Another person apparently was mentioned in this letter said it's false.

PAM BONDI, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Right.

HANNITY: Sixty five other people say that's not the guy we knew. Why didn't she bring it up with him or bring it up in the hearings if it was something that she was so concerned about?

BONDI: Well, she would have, Sean. This is a horrible preposterous attempt to discredit a good man. Legally as a career prosecutor, it would not stand any merit, none.

And that's why the FBI is refusing to open it. Nothing, nothing legally could be done about this. It's ridiculous. Morally it's horrible that they are doing this. This a good man with a wife and two young daughters.

Ultimately though, they will see their father on the U.S. Supreme Court and that good prevailed. Personally, I know Brett Kavanaugh. But, better than I, my solicitor general was a Kavanaugh clerk, along with many other men and women who think the world of this man. And my solicitor general says he of the upmost integrity and he work by that man side every day.

HANNITY: Matt, how do you see it?

MATT SCHLAPP, CHAIRMAN, CPAC: Well, you know, Mercy and I have known Brett for 20 years. We worked in the White House with him.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: By the way, Mercedes Schlapp. Most people don't know Mercedes as Mercy. And you know, she--

(CROSSTALK)

BONDI: I call her Mercy.

HANNITY: -- she absolutely got the worst part of that deal. I'm just saying.

SCHLAPP: Let me tell you Brett Kavanaugh knows her and we worked closely with him and I was with her at dinner tonight. And she said please tell Sean and tell Sean's viewers how repulsed we are by this. By what a good and decent man he is. How wonderful his wife is. What a wonderful family they have.

And that what's important to know here is that when you know somebody's character so deeply like I have the fortune to know in the case of Brett Kavanaugh you know what motivates them and he is a perfect person, none of us are, but he is a wonderful person. And he is a wonderfully talented person.

And this is a tactic. And they had no other choice because of what Harry Reid did with the filibuster and because the stupidity of those hearings and 300 people getting arrested and acting like kindergartners that they are going back with a tactic about a time when this man was a boy and they are trying to do anything they can to derail him.

I just want anybody listening to the show to know that I could not think of a person on the globe who could be a better representative of American values and the things we care about than Brett Kavanaugh. And I'm telling you that this is a tactic, this is false, and the American people will not like this to happen.

HANNITY: Let me go back -- let me go back, Pam, to our earlier discussion about I believe tonight hanging in the balance is the credibility of some of the greatest institutions we have. You work with them as a Florida attorney general.

I don't like talking badly about the FBI, the CIA, the Intel community in this country or the DI -- the director of national intelligence. But we all know now beyond any doubt that there was at the highest levels, not rank and file, abuse of power.

BONDI: That's right.

HANNITY: And corruption and law-breaking.

BONDI: That's right.

HANNITY: And spreading of lies and leaking lies at every level. How do we fix this at this point?

BONDI: Well, Sean, hopefully it's being fixed with a grand jury being impaneled. And you've been saying this all along from day one. Now what the American people have to remember we are a nation of laws and no one is above the law. Especially the highest levels of the FBI.

And there are thousands of great men and women of the FBI who are out there working tirelessly every day. And I know many of them are disgusted by the reputation that is happening to the FBI because of an elite few.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: All of them that I know is disgusting. Yes. I mean, Matt, you see these text messages, you see what they were doing before and after the election.

BONDI: Disgusting.

HANNITY: And at the heart of it all is Clinton corruption and her Russian bought and paid for lies. And it even sits right into Robert Mueller's office vis-a-vis Christopher Steele and of course his conduit Bruce Ohr.

SCHLAPP: Yes. I mean, there have to be a water's edge on political disagreements, right? We are seeing this with the Supreme Court. We are seeing with what happened at the very top echelon of the FBI. It doesn't seem to be that as a country we can just have political disagreements. You have to do things. The left has to do things like try to corrupt the greatest law enforcement institution the world has ever known.

The FBI 99.9 percent of the people working there are wonderful, talented patriots. And what they did was repugnant. And you know what, Sean, I think what I hear most when I go around the country is they always say how come nobody is in jail. This is the worst corruption political corruption we have ever seen.

HANNITY: Abuse of power ever. And Robert Mueller is not doing anything about it he was former FBI director. he needs to fix it and clean up the mess. Get out the bad actors and save these great institutions with great people that do work in them.

SCHLAPP: Amen.

HANNITY: All right. Thank you both. When we come back, Dr. Gorka, Larry Elder, they'll weigh in on the left shameless attempt to actually use the storm and the hurricane to score cheap political points against Trump. You can't make this crap up but it's real.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: The left as is common practice they will use anything, everything to try to attack President Trump. Now they are even using the hurricane that's been hammering the Carolinas to criticize the president. Saying he complicit with the hurricane. And it gets worse than that. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a president that is denying the impacts of, you know, this hurricane season last year and this year and actively making the problem worse by not addressing this root cause of foreseen storms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump says FEMA is ready for hurricane Florence but mounting evidence suggests it could be incredibly difficult to deal with this disaster if climate change deniers are on the front lines of emergency response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you are elevating Trump to evil whereas having raised three kids, I just think is he a giant toddler. With no real connection to reality and no sense of empathy or responsibility.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He came across as almost gleeful and excited about the hurricane and how big it is and how tremendously wet it's going to be and all these absurd things that came out of his mouth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to two Harvard scientists Trump's environmental policy could say lead to 80,000 unnecessary deaths every decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Here with reaction Salem nationals -- nationally syndicated radio host Larry Elder, the author of the bestseller coming out "Why We Fight," our friend, Fox News national security strategist Dr. Sebastian Gorka.

Larry, I guess he is complicit. He has such a close relationship with God that he conspired with God and maybe Putin, too, to build a hurricane that's going to hurt innocent people. That's how sick they've gotten.

LARRY ELDER, SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW HOST: Well, Sean, this is all about portraying Trump not only as incompetent, not only a climate change denier but as racist. Remember what they did to George W. Bush, Kanye West during a fundraiser says George W. Bush doesn't care about black people.

Representative Barney Fyffe called George Bush's response to Katrina ethnic cleansing by inaction. And just recently one of the pundits on CNN said that if 3,000 white people had died during the Puerto Rican storm Trump would not have called that a success. Wink, wink, nod, nod. Trump is a racist, he only cares about white people. It is absolutely outrageous but that's what the left does.

HANNITY: Well, just like in the election, this is a white lash. I mean, that was the reaction on fake news CNN. You remember well, Dr. Gorka, because I think you compared them to the Cartoon Network at the time.

SEBASTIAN GORKA, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST: I did and CNN and Anderson Cooper will never forgive me but hey, ratings are ratings. Yes, they are desperate, Sean, because there is no evidence of collusion, even Bob Woodward's book couldn't find any evidence, so now Donald Trump is colluding with God and with the gods of weather. It's absurd.

And every quote you just had, all of those clips, none of those people, none of them know Donald Trump like you know him, like I know him. He is driven above all else by one thing, Sean, by keeping Americans alive and keeping them safe. Whether it's crushing ISIS, whether it's staunching the flow of MS-13 across our border, and stopping the opioid epidemic.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Let me ask--

GORKA: These people--

HANNITY: A serious question. I don't know if people have understand what's at stake in 53 days. Do you think they get it? Do you think people that voted for Trump, are they going to go out and they are going to protect the House and Senate from Nancy Pelosi and company. Larry, we will start with you.

ELDER: I think they will. I think the Republicans are getting energized. They realize what's at stake. We know what's at stake. The first day when the Democrats take control of the House, they are going to begin impeachment proceedings.

I have told you before, Sean, I know I'm the minority on this. I think there will be 20 or 30 insane Democrats who won't impeach. Because they realize if you impeach Trump for petty reasons or political reasons, because you don't like his style. Then the next guy or gal who comes in could be impeached because we don't like his or her policies or his or her style--

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: I don't think about style.

ELDER: His agenda certainly will be gummed up which is what they want to do.

HANNITY: And Dr. Gorka, it's not about anything but style. They don't like the style and they don't like that he's taken on and expose the deep state. They tried to stop him before the election and after he became president.
GORKA: Sean.

HANNITY: They got caught. They all now are exposed.

GORKA: Style is an excuse. Who cares about style? I mean, the guy gets things done the issue isn't style. The issue is Donald Trump doesn't owe anything to anybody that's why he's dangerous. He doesn't owe the GOP anything. He doesn't owe the media anything. He doesn't owe the Democrats. he doesn't owe anybody.

He is there for one reason, to represent the Americans who believe that we should be a great nation again. And, in 53 days, it is all at stake. The economy, the national security we've gained. Our international relations. It is that serious. And Donald Trump, his agenda is on the ballot when you go to vote at the midterms.

HANNITY: Larry, last word?

ELDER: Well, I find it remarkable that the left is telling us that the economy is disproportionately benefiting the rich. But Obama comes out of retirement and takes credit for it so bad why is Obama trying to take credit for it.

HANNITY: By the way, median income now at all-time high. The first raise people have gotten since 1999. More jobs than people on unemployment insurance. Unbelievable available. More records on unemployment than we have ever set.

Thank you both. We appreciate it.

When we come back, another update on Florence and the damage the storm has left in its wake. It's severe. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody. We'll continue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Florence continues to wreak havoc on North Carolina dumping inches and inches of rain. We go back to Leland Vittert, he is in Morehead City, North Carolina with an update. Have you had any sleep in the last 24 hours?

LELAND VITTERT, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Yes. Well, you can sleep later, Sean. Right now, frankly we don't have it nearly as bad as anybody else does in this storm. You know, you said Morehead City. Now we are at 24 inches of rain and counting as more rain continues to come down.

Certainly when we left you last night at this time, the conditions were far worse. So things are improving, but it is telling how slow they are to improve. Normally it would only have been about 8 to 12 hours of really intense conditions. We have had 24 hours of it.

And that's one of the conditions that this storm is going to be so destructive, it may not have the wind speed but it certainly has that unbelievable amount of flooding and rainfall. It has the storm surge and it sticks around for so long that this is there is this exponential effect.

And we've seen that as we just drove a couple of miles around here. That's as far as we could go as in terms of looking at the damage.

HANNITY: Yes.

VITTERT: A number of businesses destroyed.

HANNITY: Leland.

VITTERT: Homes crushed. Trees to toppled. Blocking highways, you name it, Sean.

HANNITY: All right. Stay safe. Get some sleep. Great coverage. And our thoughts and prayers to all the people that have been impacted.

We will always be fair and balanced. We're not the destroy-Trump media. Let not your heart be troubled. Laura Ingraham.

END

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