Rep. Scalise compares Trump's Russia strategy to Obama's
Rep. Steve Scalise calls out the Obama administration over their handling of Russian threats on 'Hannity.'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," July 18, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity."
All right. The American left, the mainstream media, they will stop at nothing to malign the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Night after night, these attacks on the president and everybody who supports him, they are vicious, they're absurd, and at this point, it's psychotic.
And right here on "Hannity" we've been onto this game all along. We've been calling out o for years. And what you've witnessed in the last 48 hours is the latest example of the left's anti-Trump echo chamber, propaganda, all in an attempt to hurt his presidency, delegitimize the election, and really undermine the vote of the American people.
Now, in moments, we're going to expose all the political hacks who pretend to be so fair and unbiased, the so-called "journalists". We'll also show you also the media's best friends in the Democratic Party, they are playing politics with the safety and security of our country at the southern border.
And the midterm elections are now fast approaching. The left, they have no plan to improve America. And, by the way, they are in full gear trying to discredit your vote, your agenda, your beliefs, and your economy.
All right. Stay tuned, buckle up, it's time for tonight's very important breaking news opening monologue.
(MUSIC)
HANNITY: All right. Tonight, we're going to start with a "Hannity" history lesson. Way back in 2015, when Donald Trump, remember, descended from the escalator at Trump Tower, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. These so-called "elites" in this country -- they were laughing in his face. They said it couldn't happen, please, please run.
And, of course, Trump went on to prove them all wrong. And despite the media's best efforts to trash then-candidate Trump, laugh at his agenda, he energized the American people. He won the Republican primary, went on to resoundingly defeat Hillary Clinton in the general election.
This wasn't their plan. This was not supposed to happen. And on the election night, you may remember, 2016, your corrupt mainstream media, America's holier-than-thou so-called "journalists" -- they had a collective depression and meltdown all on television. You might remember.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, MSNBC, NOV. 9, 2016: America is crying tonight. I'm not sure how much of America, but a very, very significant portion. I mean, literally crying. This is a sadness. It is a mourning moment for those people, and it is a moment filled with fear, filled with fear.
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC, NOV. 9, 2018: Our country is about to face some serious crises. And so, buckle up. Your country needs you.
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS, NOV. 8, 2016: Pretty extraordinary thing to say. If you have a son in the Marine Corps and you don't trust the commander-in-chief. People in the military defend the constitution.
VAN JONES, CNN, NOV. 8, 2016: This was a white-lash. This was a white-lash against a changing country. It was a white-lash against a black president, in part.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: All right. From that point on, it has totally gotten worse. They are hell-bent on discrediting this presidency, your vote. The media turned into nothing but an anti-Trump nonstop echo chamber. And for them, every issue of the day is a full-blown crisis.
The smoking gun, a national embarrassment, they literally parrot each other in their talking points until the rhetoric reaches a fever pitch. Remember this freak out over the president's use of the word -- hole?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
DON LEMON, CNN: What was your reaction of the president calling African nations (EXPLETIVE DELETED) holes?
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN: It's not clear what he meant by (EXPLETIVE DELETED) hole countries.
LEMON: Are you shocked or surprised by this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not surprised. In one way, I'm proud. I am a proud (EXPLETIVE DELETED)-holer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we are not all created equal. At least not if you are born in, as the president put it, a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) hole country.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: The word house instead of hole. As in (EXPLETIVE DELETED) countries, not (EXPLETIVE DELETED) countries.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess he is a (EXPLETIVE DELETED)-holer.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: Fake news CNN, now known as a ssh-hole network, they have been so obsessed, we could've played that montage for a full hour or longer.
And, of course, the media's echo chamber didn't stop there. They have been obsessed from day one, the day he came down the escalator, the so-called "news gatherers", widely speculating about and obsessing about the president's mental health. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN: President Trump's fitness for office is the top story in the country. Reporters and some lawmakers are openly talking about the president's mental stability, his health, his competency.
JOE SCARBOROUGH, MSNBC: One of the people closest to Donald Trump in the campaign saying he's got early stage of dementia. He repeats the same stories over and over again. His father had it, and it's getting worse, and not a single person who works for him doesn't know he has early signs of dementia.
KATY TUR, NBC: Can you assess the president's mental fitness for office?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The president appeared to slur his words while giving an address. Did you look into what the cause of that might've been at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you ruling out things like early onset Alzheimer's? Are you looking at dementia-like symptoms?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On what basis would you, and this is just a philosophical question, advise the Cabinet, if the president is unable to discharge his duties?
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: They move from crisis to crisis, hysteria, hysteria, hysteria. Then they move on to the next one. Then it became Stormy, Stormy, Stormy, all the time. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
APRIL RYAN, CNN: This could be the last nail in the coffin. Stormy Daniels is causing stormy weather.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN: Porn star Stormy Daniels claims President Trump broke the law, had her bullied.
LEMON: Does Stormy Daniels have the president's number? It sure seems that way.
TAPPER: President Trump might have met his match with Stormy Daniels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How is Stormy weathering this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stormy speaks!
WOLF BLITZER, CNN: We are hearing quite a bit from Stormy Daniels.
LEMON: Stormy, in her own words, isn't going anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stormy Daniels has a good lawyer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Porn star Stormy Daniels was telling the truth.
LEMON: Stormy Daniels is on a tear.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: Every second, every day, hysteria, crisis, crisis, hysteria. Just another way to trash the president and discredit we, smelly Walmart people that cling to our gods, guns, bibles, religion and, you know, we are all irredeemable deplorables.
And, of course, their favorite topic, when all else fails, let's go back to Russia, Russia, Russia. Almost two years of this nonsense. It's like a moth drawn to a flame, they cannot help themselves.
The past 48 hours is one more example. Take a look.
All right. And always, the media bolsters this rhetoric by trotting out pro-Obama, pro-Hillary Clinton, former deep state officials to thrash Trump, all in an attempt to legitimize their hyperbole. That includes the disgraced fired FBI director, James Comey. Remember, he doesn't watch this show, or even really know who I am, he said that on his book tour.
Well, we all know Jim Comey is a liar. He said this in an interview with ABC7 in New York's Bill Ritter. And then, by the way, he attacked me and Tucker just yesterday. But I thought he never watched.
And yesterday he tweeted, quote: This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the founders design that ambition must counteract ambition. Well, all who believe in this country's values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don't matter right now. History has its eyes on us.
Yes, Jim, we've been watching you. In other words, Republicans won't turn their backs on the leader of their party, President Trump, so it's time to vote all of them out because Jim Comey doesn't want the investigation to continue. We're going to have a full montage of all these high-ranking former deep state officials trashing Trump later in the show.
But why would he ever trust political hacks in the intel community that abuse their power? It's first important to call out what is a blatant double standard. Despite what you see and hear from this bubble media echo chamber, President Trump and his peace through strength Russia policy has been so incredibly tougher than that of Obama, who they worshiped and adored in the media.
In an interview today, once again, the president reaffirming America's commitment to combat Russia's hostile actions. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF GLOR, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: You say you agree with U.S. intelligence agents that Russia meddled in the election in 2016.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yes, I've said that before, Jeff. I've said that numerous times before. And I would say that that is true, yes.
GLOR: But you haven't condemned Putin, specifically. Do you hold him personally responsible?
TRUMP: Well, I would, because he is in charge of the country, just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country. So, certainly, as the leader of a country, you have to hold him responsible, yes.
GLOR: What would you say to him?
TRUMP: Very strong on the fact that we can't have meddling, we can't have any of that.
Now, look, we are also living in a grown-up world, really a strong statement -- you know, President Obama supposedly made a strong statement, nobody heard it. What they did here is the statement that he made to Putin's very close friend, and that statement was not acceptable. Didn't get very much play relatively speaking, but that said, it was not acceptable.
But I let him know we can't have this. We are not going to have it, and that's the way it's going to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Yes, the president is right. Vladimir Putin is a hostile actor. Russia is a hostile regime.
What you saw, by the way, is something he has said over and over again, although your media is acting like this is the first time. It's not the first time that he talks about their interference, and their meddling.
As a matter fact, he has said it over and over again. It's true, and facts matter. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: As far as hacking, I think it was Russia, but I think we also got hacked by other countries and other people. And I can say that, you know, when we lost 22 million names and everything else that was hacked recently, they didn't make a big deal out of that. That was something that was extraordinary, that was probably China. We have much hacking going on.
Well, I think it was Russia and I think it could've been other people and other countries. It could've been a lot of people interfering. I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries. It was Russia, and I think it was probably others, also.
The Russians had no impact on our votes whatsoever. But, certainly, there was meddling and probably there was meddling from other countries and maybe other individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: You mean he said it all before? They never reported that.
All right. Look at his actions, by the way. Look at his policies, in this particular case, in dealing with Russia. Just look at it.
After taking office, President Trump authorized the lethal arms deal with Ukraine in order to deter Russia's aggressive actions in the region. Why didn't Obama do that? That's a move against the wishes of Vladimir.
And compare that to Obama in 2009, he actually killed a plan that would have armed our Eastern European allies with missile defense systems. Could've prevented all of that. A move praised by Putin as correct and brave. No hysteria over Obama's relationship with Putin, I'll have more flexibility in my next term.
First month in office, President Trump extended broad economic sanctions against Putin, against Russia. More recently, he issued new stinging sanctions against multiple Putin-linked Russian oligarchs and companies. Compare that to Obama's first year in office where they embarrassingly, you know, tried to reset Russian relationships with a big present and everything. It didn't work out.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I wanted to present you with a little gift, which represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying, that is, we want to reset our relationship. So, we will do it together.
(LAUGHTER)
SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Thank you very much.
CLINTON: You are very welcome. We worked hard to get the right Russia word. Did we get it?
LAVROV: You got it wrong.
CLINTON: I got it wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: It looks like a nuclear firing button. Where was the media five- alarm fire over that embarrassing love fest that never worked out, by the way?
And don't forget when Obama did literally nothing to counteract Putin's involvement in Syria. It was Donald Trump who launched air strikes against the Assad regime, authorized the counteract on Russian soldiers on the ground in Syria resulting in hundreds of Russian casualties. Obama drew a redline, then they crossed over it, and he did nothing.
The media is hysterical over the president's, well, so-called friendly relationship with Putin. Compared to Obama's?
OK. On last night's program, the great one, Mark Levin, put all this hysteria in great perspective. It's worth repeating. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LEVIN, RADIO HOST: In 1945, at the Yalta Conference, Franklin Roosevelt sold out half of Europe to Stalin. He repeatedly praised Stalin. In 1961, JFK met with Khrushchev. JFK told a friend of his that he was rolled over, that he came across weak, that it was pretty disastrous, his meeting with Khrushchev. In 1975, Gerald Ford in Helsinki with Brezhnev, 35 other countries, recognized the territorial sovereignty of the Soviet Union, which included the captive nations of Eastern Europe. In 1979, Jimmy Carter placed a big, wet kiss on Brezhnev's cheek in Vienna.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: So, like we have been saying for months, since Donald Trump came down the escalator, since he said he is running for president, what we're seeing from the left and their allies in the media is nothing more than a huge, massive, blatant political tactic. Now, this is especially true as we now gear up for the 2018 midterms.
I'm telling you, the Democratic Party -- they have no plan, no solutions to improve the country, to help the people of this country. Instead, their agenda is purely political. They just want their power back.
They want their crumbs back, the tax cuts. They want to impeach Donald Trump, but don't say it. They want to keep Obamacare, keep your doctor, plan and pay less, that didn't work out. They don't want Judge Kavanaugh to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, and, of course, they want open borders.
But their political tactics are all too blatant. No solutions. Recently, House Democrats even authorizing a bill to abolish ICE. They want to show how in favor of open borders they really are. Even top House Democrat, Keith Ellison, even claiming today that our borders are "an injustice." really?
And the Democrat's new rising star in New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, even vowed to occupy ICE offices and borders everywhere. I'm not making this up. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I believe the moral character of the United States is at stake. So, for me, it wasn't a question of whether I should go down there. We have to have a rapid response, I think every day that we go on, especially a day when something that heinous happens, we have to occupy all of it. We need to occupy every airport, we need to occupy every border, we need to occupy every ICE office until those kids are back with their parents, period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And meanwhile, earlier, so during a House resolution determining congressional support for ICE, well, 133 Democrats went all-in Obama and just voted present. As you can see, Democrats are happy to play politics with your border security. They don't want their actions written down on paper as official record. They know they are wrong, they know it's politically at odds with the American people, but they want to play politics because this is all about them getting their power back at all costs.
Now, without a doubt, 2018 is now the single most important midterm election in our lifetime. Democrats, the media, their allies in the deep state, they are going to get more hysterical, all in their continuing efforts to delegitimize the president, and your agenda, and your vote, and your support for the president.
We know this game, it's too familiar, their tactics. We all know the truth. The United States is seeing the best GDP growth we've seen since before Obama. We now have historically low unemployment rates all across the board, 14 state records with women in the workforce, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans. Literally, the U.S. pulled out of the horrible Iranian deal that Obama got us in because of his weakness.
Yes, he is the only president to promise Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel and keep it. He is leading with peace through strength all over the world. The left wants to go back to what? The old days of weakness? Appeasement?
Thirteen million more Americans on food stamps? Eight million more in poverty. Really? We want to go back to doubling the debt. We want to go back to economic -- the only president to ever hit 3 percent GDP in his life? Are you kidding me?
We now went from the lowest labor participation in history to the highest. I mean, with each passing day, this country is improving on all fronts. We know that the agenda is succeeding, with or without the support of these elites in the media. These corrupt, biased, abusively biased, hysterical reporters that are agenda-driven. This isn't news anymore. It's fake news.
Here with reaction, Fox News contributor, investigative Sara Carter, the author of "Why We Fight," Fox News national security strategist, Dr. Sebastian Gorka.
You know, add to that, Sara, this is their playbook. They have their five agenda items, and to get there, they are going to do what they always do with the support of the media. Republicans are racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic. They want dirty air and water. They want children to die. And they want to throw grandma over the cliff.
So, it's all the same thing. Nothing is going to improve the lives of the American people.
Here is my question, does the shrill, so-called "fake news," not so-called, it is fake news, so-called news, does it -- does it win the day? Do they have an ability to sway the American people with these stories that they gin up the way they do?
SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I certainly think they expect the American public. They affect our discourse when they write these type of stories, when they produce these types of pieces that we know are false narratives, based on, you know, what the establishment wants out there.
Sean, all you have to do is look at how James Comey, former FBI Director James Comey, Brennan, put Hayden in there, these are establishment RINOs as well as people on the left that are working contrary to the American people and the American agenda.
Look at what Comey said today. He came out and said, well, if you don't vote Democrat, I mean, if you are an American, you've got to vote Democrat. What kind of person says this?
The FBI director should be ashamed of himself. He should be ashamed that he ran the bureau culturally into the ground. That agents have suffered because of the way he handled things.
Director Brennan did the same thing, calling President Trump treasonous. I mean, it's just false and on its face. But instead, Brennan is bordering sedition. So, these are problems --
HANNITY: These are true -- because I have sources telling me that Brennan was actually spreading the phony dossier.
CARTER: I have been in contact and I wanted to let you know, I've been in contact with Brennan's people. I have spoken with them today. I was told that Brennan is standing by his word that he did not know anything about the content of the dossier until December, 2016.
Now, he did hear about the dossier, according to people that I've spoken with, and I find it hard to believe that although reporters all over Washington, D.C. knew about this dossier, that the CIA director knew nothing about it.
HANNITY: Yes, the CIA didn't. Not so sure.
CARTER: So I have to stick with what I've been told. But that's --
HANNITY: I think we are going to find the CIA director that is so radical and political now, Dr. Gorka, that he was radical and political during the campaign, as well. That becomes a big problem for him, doesn't it?
DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST: I think Sara's point, Sean, is incredibly important. Never, never in the history of the FBI has a director been fired for cause, and then within a year, he is making public statements about who Americans should vote for in the next election.
Never before, ever, since the CIA was created after World War II have we had a former CIA director make seditious statements in calling the president a traitor publicly. This is absolutely outrageous.
These people should --
HANNITY: I think he is feeling the heat. Oh, I think he's up to his eyeballs in this deep state garbage. I think the media has been played by him and his radical views, voting communist, never left him.
(CROSSTALK)
GORKA: Yes, I mean, think of it, 1976, 19 -- you vote for the communist party in 1976? That's just 14 years after the Cuban missile crisis. That's the height of the Cold War.
HANNITY: All right. Last word, Sara. Yes, Sara, last word.
CARTER: Well, Sean, this is why it's so important that the oversight committees be allowed to continue conducting their investigation, that the Department of Justice turn over the documentation that was requested so that the American people actually know what happened here. This is extraordinarily dangerous to the republic and to our country and to the foundation our country was built on. We've got to know the truth.
GORKA: The most important question, why did Crossfire Hurricane start? That's the most important question. Who started it?
HANNITY: All right, guys. Good question.
When we come back, Congressman Steve Scalise has very strong feelings. Also, Gregg Jarrett. And a lot more breaking news straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. On Monday, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise took to Twitter to defend President Trump.
And Congressman Scalise wrote, President Donald Trump went into this meeting with Putin from a position of American strength to combat Russian aggression. But it's important to remember how Russia was allowed to get to this point. He then gave a timeline of all of Obama administration's failures with Russia, starting with a reset.
He joins us now, the House majority whip, Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise.
Why don't you just go through this, because I didn't want to put it in my HANNITY history lesson because I thought you did a good job, but I did show Hillary with that silly reset button of hers.
REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA., HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: And don't forget the cackle.
Sean, great to be back with you.
Look, there were so many different things that Barack Obama did when he was president. You know, he mocked Mitt Romney in that 2012 debate saying, you know, the '80s want their foreign policy back when Romney said Russia is a big threat.
The redline was probably one of those glaring points where he truly did go backwards in terms of strength, when he literally put that redline and said, Syria, you know, you've got to do these things, don't gas your own people, and, of course, after Syria gassed their own people, he sat back and let it go.
When the Ukraine -- I mean, you're talking about good friends of ours, allies of America were being invaded, President Obama sat by and did nothing. And Ukrainians, by the way, were asking the Obama administration, not for boots on the ground, but just for weapons to defend themselves. And he turned his back on them.
President Trump, by the way, in contrast, gave the Ukrainian missiles, gave them the ability to stand up to Russia. President Trump has stood up to Russia on a number of fronts. Obviously, that was one, expelling diplomats, President Trump increased sanctions, he worked with us in Congress to increase sanctions against Russia.
So, there's a big contrast between President Obama just ignoring --
HANNITY: Well, it's just like the president said it many times, yes, Russia did it. Yes, they meddled. Yes, they interfered.
It's sort of like, the left, if you're not backing up the Brinks truck and trying to bribe some kind of despot or dictator, if you're not making meaningless lines in the sand that you never have any intention of backing up, if you show weakness and if you appease, they like that.
Donald Trump didn't give a dime.
SCALISE: Keep in mind, Sean -- yes, keep in mind the meddling, the actual meddling in the election happened under President Obama's watch.
HANNITY: Exactly.
SCALISE: He was president. There is evidence that he knew something that was going on, he just didn't do anything because they thought Hillary was going to win.
So, you look at what President Trump has done, he's acknowledged there was meddling. We, by the way, and Chairman Nunes and his committee have done a great job, you pointed out, but Devin Nunes and his committee showed there was meddling, but there was no collusion between either campaign, and the meddling didn't have anything to do to change the outcome of the election.
We should still pursue it, and we are, but the meddling itself actually happened under Barack Obama's watch.
HANNITY: All right. Congressman, glad we have a few strong Republicans there who are willing to actually tell truth and give a proper history. Thank you for being one of them.
Here now for more reaction, the author of, yes, it's out Monday, "The Russian Hoax: Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump." It comes out Monday, Fox News Legal Analyst, Gregg Jarrett.
You know, one of the things that we're watching is a lot of these people that are most critical, the Comey's, the Brennan's, and the, you know, all of these people, Clappers that are now paid, you know, in their case it all happened under their watch, didn't it?
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: It did. Absolutely. And you know, this notion that President Trump has been soft on Putin and Russia is belied by the facts. He has increased debilitating sanctions against Russia, and Putin fivefold in the short 18 months since he's taken office, far more than Obama did in eight years.
He has targeted their energy industry, their defense industry, his inner circle, Putin's inner circle, frozen assets, close down diplomatic properties, and expelled numerous Russian diplomats.
He is applying pressure--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: But Gregg--
JARRETT -- at the right time against a military and strategic adversary, and at the same time, he sees the bigger picture. He's extending an olive branch to try to diffuse long-term tensions with an adversary that has nuclear weapons aimed at us.
HANNITY: Clear Hillary Clinton, she committed felonies instead of Donald Trump, frame Donald Trump. That whole Russian phony dossier she paid for, foreign national, funneled money. Literally, the bulk of the FISA applications to spy on the Trump campaign. That's all Russian liars.
JARRETT: Yes.
HANNITY: That's all that she paid for. Why is -- how is it possible the media can feign such outrage here, and ignore the biggest abuse of power in an attempt to literally impact a presidential election, clearly against the will of the American people?
JARRETT: Because the media were constant apologists for Hillary Clinton, and they hate Donald Trump. They are visceral scorn, an unabashed hatred is apparent for all to see every day.
The great irony, as you point out, is that it was Hillary Clinton who was colluding with foreign nationals and paying money in a political campaign which is a crime, yet she is not investigated. Trump didn't do that, and yet, he is the subject of a dilating investigation to try to destroy his presidency.
HANNITY: All right. The book is out Monday, Amazon.com, Hannity.com. Gregg Jarrett, great work. This will be the defining book on the whole issue. It will blow rightly lays it all out for the American people. Highly researched, footnoted.
All right. Still to come, the great Joe DiGenova and Monica Crowley. And House intelligence committee chairman, Devin Nunes says the Democrats, the DOJ is delaying hoping the Democrats win, and then they won't have to tell us the truth. We will get to that straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. President Trump's reluctance to trust the quote, "intel community" becomes easier to understand when you do consider the bosses of our intel agencies. Not his intel, the ones before him. They've been out to destroy him since day one, and since they left, since before he got elected, and after he got elected. Watch what we mean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER UNITED STATES DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: He is aiding and abetting our arch adversary, and has failed, in my mind, to live up to his constitutional obligations and responsibilities.
JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER UNITED STATES CIA DIRECTOR: What Mr. Trump did yesterday was to betray the men and women of the FBI, the CIA, NSA, and others. And to betray the American public. And that's why I use the terms that this is nothing short of treasonous because it is a betrayal of the nation. He is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do we see a shadow government come out and say, we cannot side with the government whether it's the cabinet or the Senate. I think that's the biggest question.
LEON PANETTA, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: This president basically coddled Mr. Putin. And it was clear that he was intimidated by that situation. Whether the Russians have something on this president or not, no one really knows. But, the way he behaves, there is a clear signal that the Russians have something on him.
MICHAEL HAYDEN, FORMER CIA & NSA DIRECTOR: That's the scene where families were separated. Now look, I know we're not Nazi Germany, all right? But there is a commonality there, and a fear on my part.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: If that's not enough to make the point, remember when Senator Chuckie Schumer actually said, don't ever mess with the intel community. Like never mess with them.
MADDOW: Taking these shots this antagonism--
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y.: Yes.
MADDOW: -- this taunting to the intelligence community.
SCHUMER: Let me tell you. If you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday from getting back at you. So even for a practical, supposedly hard-nosed businessman, he is being really dumb to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right. Here with reaction, former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Joe DiGenova, conservative columnist, Monica Crowley. You know, I told you, Joe, a while back, when you say bad cops, these were bad cops, because 99 percent of cops are good cops that do a lot of good, and that goes for the CIA and the intel community.
Now I look at a guy like Brennan, it happened on his watch, I think he probably knew all about the dossier. His involvement in this is going to be very interesting. Do we really want to live in a country where the Senate leader on the Democratic side says you better not ever say anything bad about the intel community? Because they'll -- they'll get you.
JOE DIGENOVA, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY, COLUMBIA: Sean, I want to talk about two people. We only have so much time. John Brennan and Leon Panetta. John Brennan is a traitor, and I'll tell you why. He is the real traitor. What he did and what he has had recently about the president of the United States is despicable.
He is personally responsible for the leaking of unmasked information, he was responsible for the sharing of false information to U.S. intelligence sources to get FISA warrants. He is personally responsible for the sharing of false information with American intelligence agencies, and he, I challenge him to a debate at the national press club for one hour, two hours, three hours about his role in the entire pre-election.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: How about on this show for now, one hour one on one?
DIGENOVA: And about Leon Panetta. Leon Panetta he should be ashamed of himself after what he did in Benghazi when he kissed Hillary Clinton's fanny, refused to allow forces to come to the rescue of people and now he says, he says that he thinks the Russians may have something on the president to compromise him? Shame on Leon Panetta, may he rot in hell.
HANNITY: Wow. Monica?
MONICA CROWLEY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: From what I'm hearing, Sean, we are still in the early days of the investigation into the internal domestic internal targeting of Donald Trump and his associates and the campaign. These are the early days, Sean.
And what we may find out is that the root of all evil may have gone through James Comey, may have gone through James Clapper, may have gone through John Brennan, may have gone all the way up to Barack Obama, or all of the above. We don't know yet.
But what we do know is that they were trying to inoculate these agencies like the FBI, the NSA, the CIA by comments like Chuck Schumer's saying, they're sacrosanct. You cannot -- you can't go after them.
Well, we are not supposed to be able to go after them because they are supposed to be above politics and this kind of corruption--
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: All right. Let me go back to Joe.
CROWLEY: -- and we now know they weren't.
HANNITY: Joe, this conspiracy -- you are right. How dare they--
(CROSSTALK)
DIGENOVA: You bet.
HANNITY: -- we just laid out all the evidence, how much tougher Trump has been on Russia than Obama.
DIGENOVA: Right. Not even close. And you know what? Well, you know what? There's another guy, Michael Hayden. The guy who never put his big boy pants on ever when he was DCI. You talk about a guy who kowtowed to Congress, couldn't handle the pressure, he looked for any political port in a storm.
But when it comes to the worst, it's Brennan. When you go back and you look at everything that happened in 2016 and 2017, especially during the transition between the election and the inauguration, at the center of this conspiracy is John Brennan. John Brennan is a thug.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: But wait, let me ask you this.
DIGENOVA: He is a liar, and he is a traitor.
HANNITY: If they -- if they advance a phony conspiracy theory about--
DIGENOVA: You bet.
HANNITY: -- about the president of the United States that has been tougher on Putin than Obama ever was.
DIGENOVA: You bet.
HANNITY: The damage, no, this is important that he has something on Trump, you are really onto something that's very profound. The damage that they are doing to this country by doing so, and they irresponsibly throw out reckless conspiracies--
DIGENOVA: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: And you know what, Sean?
DIGENOVA: Exactly, Sean.
CROWLEY: I mean, I think those are their preemptive strikes. But I think there is something else going on. When you look at the documents delays, and all of the legal stonewalling, DOJ intelligence agencies, number one, they are trying to hide incriminating evidence. Right?
Number two, they think they may very well win in November. Democrats might control the House, and therefore, they can permanently eliminate any evidence of their wrongdoing. And three, it may very well be that they are trying to run out the statute of limitations on the Clintons, on FBI wrongdoings, may be of wrongdoing on behalf of the intelligence agencies.
DIGENOVA: You bet.
CROWLEY: They are trying to run out the clock so we won't be able to go after them and prosecute them.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Absolutely. Devin Nunes--
(CROSSTALK)
DIGENOVA: And you know who is going to help them do it? Rod Rosenstein. He is an evil man accompanied by an attorney general who is totally incompetent and asleep at the wheel.
HANNITY: Wow. Powerful. Let's think about this. CIA agents, Schumer saying don't mess with them. They get you six days on Sunday.
DIGENOVA: You bet.
HANNITY: This is not the United States trying to influence the presidential election, favoring somebody who committed felonies, keeping her in the game, then turning their sites on the other candidate, then using a phony Russian dossier, none of this is right.
And if we don't fix it, we are beyond Venezuela, this is now propaganda that would rival Pravda--
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Most dangerous scandal in U.S. history, Sean.
HANNITY: -- and the former Soviet Union. All right, guys.
CROWLEY: Most dangerous.
HANNITY: We'll have you both back. Important, important discussions we're having.
When we come back, the House intel committee chairman, Devin Nunes says, yes, they are trying to run out the clock and hope the Democrats get elected.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. The House intel committee chairman, Devin Nunes, he blasted the Justice Department yesterday during an interview, claiming that some within the DOJ, they're hoping the Republicans will actually lose the House on the midterm elections.
He also said that if there was evidence of the Russians were colluding with the Trump campaign in 2016, Congress would've been briefed on it at the time, which they were not.
Now remember, it was Chairman Nunes back in 2014 he sounded the alarm about Russia's malicious intent to cause chaos around the world and yes, in our very own elections.
Here now is the House intel committee chair, Devin Nunes. So with all this talk about meddling and interference it happened at least in '08, it happened in 2012, you warned the Obama administration very publicly in 2014, and now we're supposed to act surprised that it all happened, although, you know, it was under Barack Obama's watch, not Donald Trump.
REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIF.: Yes, Sean. Look, I think I warned them not just in 2014, but very specifically in 2016 where I called it the largest intelligence errors since 9/11, our failure to understand Putin's plans and intentions.
And remember, by that time, we have seen the Russians actively involved in many elections around the globe. They were actively trying to interfere in elections in Eastern Europe, and some of the former Soviet states.
So this was nothing new at all, and what I am most upset about in this whole situation of many things, but when you go back to that time period is how they were able to ignore the warnings that we were sending from the House intelligence committee. And then lo and behold, after they lost the election, they first tried to blame fake news and when that didn't work, they switched into this whole concept of Russia.
HANNITY: So this is a big point, too, is that if there was any collusion, certainly you would've known about it at the time. And if anything had come up between now and then, you would have seen that as you have seen almost everything.
So the question is, why is the witch hunt going on? And how do you look at the Mueller indictments then of these 12 Russians that are the equivalent of our CIA operatives, they are never coming to America, there's never going to be a trial, Mueller, you know, indicted these bot companies thinking they would never respond, now he is asking the judge in that case if they could literally not turn over any documents, in other words, that there won't be any disclosure that doesn't accurate.
(CROSSTALK)
NUNES: And remember, and remember, so it's not just about the warnings that I gave into 2014, '15, and '16. It is also a fact that a year and a half ago, the House intelligence committee had more than what's in the Mueller indictment of the 12 Russian officers. OK?
So we had more information than that. Now we put it in our report in March, it was in our report that was made public in April, it's heavily redacted, remember, by the Department of Justice and FBI. But we had all this information.
And so, you know, the thing that I brought up, is I just find the timing of this to be very hard to believe. Right?
HANNITY: yes.
NUNES: You might give them the benefit of the doubt, but why does this always happen? Every time something happens on one side where we find out a new revelation about what appears to be real problems in the FBI and DOJ with this investigation, then all of a sudden, they drop an indictment. It happens time and time again. And this one is really bad.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: So this is what I want to ask you, do you think they are trying to literally, as you said, you believe the FBI and DOJ they're are obstructing in terms of doing what is their -- what your authority constitutionally is oversight, and they have been obstructing the entire way.
And now there is talk about actually impeaching Rod Rosenstein, and there is talk about holding these people in contempt. And you say they're really doing this hoping that Dems take over Congress and that it all ends then?
NUNES: It's the oldest trick in the book. So, many of the bureaucracies here in Washington know how to way out Congress. They know to try to plan meetings on a Friday when they know there are no votes, or on a Monday when there's not votes. They vote -- you know that's the times they want to get things.
They wait, they know that Congress is going to l adjourn next week. And so, the more that they delay for no reason, we are waiting on many documents, as you know, we are getting very slow snail paste cooperation that is clearly designed to wait until next week when Congress adjourns.
Now I have news for them. They are still going to have to come in and give the depositions, they may think they are not going to, but they are going to be coming in and to get depositions throughout the summer.
And that is part of the 42 names that I sent to Chairman Gowdy and Chairman Goodlatte so I have every expectation that there will be many opportunities for these 42 individuals to come to Congress, even though they have tried to wait us out.
I think they would love to see Republicans lose. And I say that, and I don't want -- I hate to say that, but I have to believe that the Department of Justice and FBI, the people at leadership, they are banking on a loss by the Republicans in the fall.
Which is why people have to understand how important it is going to be to get out and vote in this election to ensure that members of Congress will return that are actively involved to ensure -- because of the Democrats get control, they are going to drop all of this investigation. They are not going to do anything on this investigation.
HANNITY: Sure. They will cover up the whole -- the biggest, this is about literally trying to steal a presidential election. Those top it all. I hope you do hold them in contempt, and if it means impeachment, then that must be done.
Otherwise, no congressional subpoena will ever have any teeth to it, ever. It will be the end of it. Mr. Chairman, thank you for being with us.
When we come back, our video of the day you do not want to miss, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Following President Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin, conspiracy TV MSNBC, they sent a reporter to Wisconsin to interview Trump supporters about their thoughts on the meeting and the liberal outrage. I don't think this is what they expected though. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of backlash going on now especially when he said well, I said I did and I didn't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of people weren't happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. But I'm totally in support of him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why? And why are you still supporting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he's an entrepreneur. He's a businessman, working-class person's presidents. He is trying to make this country great again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you support the president?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you continue to support him despite this week?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not one bit worried about the rest of the world. They are not worried about us. So, you know, I'm not worried one bit about what the rest of the world thinks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: You know what? They have one playbook. The left. Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic. They want dirty air, water killed granny, kill the kids. And Trump is horrible. He's more horrible than yesterday and the day before. They've overreached.
All right. We'll always be fair and balanced. We're not the destroy-Trump media. Let not your heart be troubled. It's time. Ingraham taking over.
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