Scalise turns up the heat on Attorney General Jeff Sessions

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Scalise turns up the heat on Attorney General Jeff Sessions

House majority whip explains on 'Hannity' why he wants the Department of Justice to turn over documents related to the Russia probe.

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," May 8, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: All right, Tucker, great show as always.

Welcome to 'Hannity.'

An incredible news night again tonight. We are witnessing history unfolding right before our eyes on the world stage.

President Trump just made a critical and consequential decision, announcing today that the United States will withdraw from that horribly flawed one- sided Iranian nuclear deal. America will no longer be held hostage by Iran's international blackmail and President Trump just kept a huge vital campaign promise. We're going to bring all of this down in a minute and explain why history is on the president's side.

And meanwhile, significant diplomatic progress continues to take place on the Korean peninsula tonight. The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, he is now set to hold meetings inside of North Korea ahead of the president's historic upcoming talks with Kim Jong-un.

Also tonight, more bad, bad news for the deep state Americans are now turning against Robert Mueller and is witch-hunt investigation.

Plus, we have some rare positive developments out of the Justice Department and its ongoing obstruction of Congress, and we will expose the left's ongoing war against President Trump's pick to head the CIA, her name is Gina Haspel, and we will prove tonight why she is actually an American hero.

We have all of that and more in tonight's breaking news opening monologue.

(MUSIC)
HANNITY: The mullahs of Iran, they have been put on notice. America will no longer be bowing down to their empty threats and their aggressive tactics. The days of blindly trusting and trying to bribe this rogue regime are now over, because hours ago, President Trump made the courageous decision to pull the United States out of this very flawed Iranian nuclear agreement.

Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terror. The deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and overtime reach the brink of a nuclear breakout. This disastrous deal gave this regime, and it's a regime of great terror, many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash.

Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Thank God.

Naturally, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, he responded with a threat, saying that his rogue regime, they're ready to start enriching an unlimited amount of uranium if secondary negotiations with Europe do not yield positive results. Now, this hollow extortion may have worked with Obama, but not anymore. This is a new age of diplomacy based on the concept that Reagan taught us, peace through strength. It works. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear threat. In the meantime, powerful sanctions will go into full effect. If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Of course, if Iran, if they're serious about making the world a better place, ending their nuclear ambitions and immediately halting their efforts to destroy the United States and Israel -- well, there would be no time to negotiate. Most U.S. sanctions will not be reinstated for another 90 days, oil-related sanctions will take days to come online, but let's be clear presidents from is willing and ready to negotiate -- just like he is with little rocket man.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing and able. Great things can happen for Iran and great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: It's really simple -- if Iran wants its people to prosper without the burden of U.S. sanctions, they just have to come to the table. The leaders of Iran, they are corrupt, they are immoral, they are radical. This is a rogue theocracy and they're suffering people need better.

Here's what President Trump had to say about that very subject also earlier today in this historic speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to deliver a message to the long-suffering people of Iran. The people of America stand with you. It has now been almost 40 years since this dictatorship seized power and took a proud nation hostage. Most of Iran's 80 million citizens have sadly never known an Iran that prospered in peace with its neighbors and commanded the admiration of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: And as you could imagine, many prominent Democrats, they are slamming the president's decision, including John Kerry. He, of course, has been busy trying to undermine the Trump administration by conducting potentially illegal shadow diplomacy. He said the Iran deal made our allies safer.

Meanwhile, President Obama released an incredibly boring, lengthy, long-winded holier-than-thou sanctimonious statement, calling the president's decision misguided. We'll spare you all those boring details.

This country does not need diplomatic input from a president who oversaw the collapse of the Middle East, the unfettered expansion of Russian aggression and a situation on the Korean peninsula that was totally out of control, oh, and he gave them $150 billion.

And, of course, while Democrats are complaining, America's closest ally in the Middle East, Israel, is under a daily imminent threat from Iran. They are applauding the president's decision.

Here's what the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had to say about the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTEER: Israel fully supports President Trump's bold decision today to reject the disastrous nuclear deal with the terrorist regime in Tehran. Israel has opposed the nuclear deal from the start because we said that rather than blocking Iran's path to a bomb, the deal actually paves Iran's path to an entire arsenal of nuclear bombs and this within a few years' time.

Israel thinks that President Trump did an historic move and this is why Israel thanks President Trump for his courageous leadership, his commitment to confront the terrorist regime in Tehran and his commitment to ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons, not today, not in a decade, not ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: It was just last week that Prime Minister Netanyahu who revealed Iran's secret nuclear program and its continued desire to develop a weapon system that it's capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

Still, way before Netanyahu went public with this intelligence, President Trump had long promised to scrap what a terrible deal he inherited. He kept his promised. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran. I have been in business a long time. I know deal making. And let me tell you, this deal is catastrophic, for America, for Israel and for the whole of the Middle East.

This was just prior to the signing of the Iran deal, which gave back to Iran $150 billion and gave us absolutely nothing. It will go down in history as one of the worst deals ever negotiated.

Never ever, ever in my life have I seen any transaction so incompetently negotiated as our deal with Iran and I mean never.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: The president is fulfilling that very important campaign promise. After years of bowing down to dictators, kissing the rings of despots, America is once again leading on the world stage. Peace through strength.

This is so important because if history has taught us anything, it is that appeasement never works. You may remember Neville Chamberlain. He was the British prime minister, declared peace in our time after caving in during negotiations after meeting Hitler in Munich. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN, THEN-BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem which has now been achieved is in my view only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Compare that to the great Winston Churchill, he vowed to win at all cost. He led with strength. He triumphs over evil in his time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINSTON CHURCHILL, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I would say to the house and I said to those who joined the government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.

You ask, what is our policy?

I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime.

You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory. Victory at all costs; victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be. For without victory, there is no survival.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: What an incredible order, and remember during the bombing of Britain, he went out amongst the people the entire time every day.

Then, of course, you have former President Bill Clinton, remember when he promised you that appeasing North Korea bribing them would prevent them from getting nuclear weapons. Here's what he promised the American people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: This is a good deal for the United States. North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program. South Korea and our other allies will be better protected. The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Of course, that deal we now know is an utter and complete failure. It gave North Korea cover to successfully develop their nuclear weapons.

Compare that to President Ronald Reagan. He called the Soviet Union an evil empire. He demanded that Berlin Wall come down without concessions from the West. His own advisors said, don't do this, he did it anyway.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT: There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate.

(CHEERS)

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: And the wall came down indeed. The Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War effectively ended.

Sadly, all of what we just showed you was lost on President Obama. He went out of his way to appease the mullahs in Iran, sending them boatloads of cash and other currency in what was in exchange for a simple, unverifiable promise -- oh and they continued to spin their centrifuges. Remember this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not, a comprehensive long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This deal demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change -- change that makes our country and the world safer and more secure. This deal is also in line with a tradition of American leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: It's very simple, appeasement never works. Sucking up to dictators doesn't work. Only peace through strength will work.

This is playing out right before our eyes on the Korean peninsula. Under President Trump, the United States sharpen their sanctions. They sent multiple carrier strike groups to the area. They pressured North Korea's most important ally China and the president ramped up his rhetoric, even calling Kim Jong U little rocket man.

The United States and the world is closer than it has ever been to achieving peace on the peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea. Secretary Pompeo just arrived in North Korea, where he will be conducting a series of negotiations ahead of the president's upcoming meeting. We're going to bring you any updates from these crucial talks as we get them.

But first we have some new developments from the deep state. According to a brand-new CBS News poll, more Americans now think, rightly so, Robert Mueller's witch-hunt is, in fact, politically motivated. This comes as the mainstream, destroy Trump media continues to do Mueller's bidding.

According to NewsBusters, get this, CBS, NBC spent a combined 30 seconds on the recent beat-down last Friday of the special counsel investigation from a federal judge. And meanwhile, President Trump's poll numbers, they're rising.

This despite a NewsBusters study showing that network news broadcasts in this country featured negative stories about the president 90 percent of the time. Wow. And I've told you, journalism is dead.

And breaking tonight, the Senate Intel Committee, they released its first report on Russia election interference. The big takeaway: the committee is now confirming no votes were changed by Russia during the 2016 presidential election. We'll continue to follow that story.

And meanwhile, the deep state's popularity is waning, Trump's popularity is soaring even more lawmakers are now pushing the Department of Justice to stop obstructing Congress and comply with the rule of law. The House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, they are now inching closer to holding sessions in contempt of Congress over the slow walk of the subpoenaed documents and the redactions and, of course, the claims of national security that turned out not to be true. Scalise will join us in a few minutes.

But first, Judicial Watch tonight has announced the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he may release previously redacted portions of the memo outlining the scope of the Mueller investigation, finally.

Also tonight, this is important. I want to address the so-called firestorm surrounding the president's pick to lead the CIA. Tomorrow, Gina Haspel, she is set to appear before the Senate for what will likely be a pretty contentious confirmation hearing. Democrats, the media and anyone who generally hates Donald Trump have been trashing this career CIA official, slamming her treatment of terrorists after 9/11 when we lost nearly 3,000 Americans, and some alleging she was way too tough with some of the world's most notorious killers.

I have said it before: Gina Haspel and many people who worked with her and work with her for decades -- guess what -- they say she is without a doubt an American hero. She is smart. She is diligent. She is brave.

And most importantly, her actions in the wake of 9/11 kept this country safe and brought justice to those people -- those terrorists. Look at Usama bin Laden. He's at the bottom of the sea in part because of the work like Gina Haspel.

Remember, top CIA official Jose Rodriguez right here on this program told us that the enhanced interrogation programs that Haspel conducted were vital to America's war on terror. It led to the courier which led to bin Laden. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: So, in other words, you're saying that the accusation that these enhanced interrogation techniques were used beyond what we had already -- would already been disclosed, you're saying is false number, one, and that in spite of their suggestion that they were not successful, you're saying that in fact that's not true. You were there. It was successful.

JOESE RODRIGUEZ, FORMER TOP CIA OFFICIAL: It was very successful, and for those of us who were there, it is just amazing that they could have come to this conclusion. Those of us who read the intelligence coming out of our black sites every morning and who acted on that intelligence know the value and basically it led to the destruction of the organization.

(EN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: I know I look a lot younger there but the point is taken. The Senate needs to put politics aside, confirm Haspel as soon as possible.
Joining us now with reaction, former deputy assistant to the president, FOX News national security strategist, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, NRATV contributor Dan Bongino.

We've got to start -- the president keeps making promises and keeping him. The idea that you will suck up and bribe dictators and if only we're a little nicer to the mullahs of Iran and give them $150 billion, then they'll be nice to us -- well, Prime Minister Netanyahu blew that out of the water last week and still people want to stay in this bad deal. Why, Dr. Gorka?

SEBASTIAN GORKA, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST: Because they don't listen to the past. They don't understand history.

I spent last Sunday in New York with some Holocaust survivors. Let me quote a Holocaust survivor on his lessons learned from World War II. He had a very simple message.

When a group of people repeated he calls for your destruction, sooner or later, you should take them seriously. Well guess what Iran has been doing since 1978, Sean? You don't give them pallets of cash. You don't sign a deal that really doesn't stop them acquiring nuclear weapons. You stop them from getting the weapons they wish to use against us and our friends like Israel.

The president knew this in his bones. The JCPOA Iran deal had to be killed. He just put two nine-millimeter bullets in its head.

HANNITY: You know, Dan Bongino, I don't understand how we don't learn that lessons of history. The idea that you can negotiate with despots or bribe dictators, bribe those that threaten to destroy America -- death to America, death to Israel as the case of the Iranian mullahs, and somehow money and bribery will work, didn't work in North Korea, it didn't work in this deal, it's never going to work.

And I think the only reason that Kim Jong-un is now willing to talk is because the show of military force, the president's good relationship with China, and the fact that Kim Jong-un knew he was going to lose everything.

DAN BONGINO, NRATV CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. Sean, a couple things on this, with the Iran deal first. You know, someone should inform the Iranians there was a deal, OK?

This was never a negotiation. It was a manipulation. The Iranians played the Obama administration for fools.

Sean, let me ask you a simple question, OK? Let's just say -- let's get common sense here. Let's just get dollars to doughnuts.

The Iranians prevented us from looking at military installations to inspect those military aides of installations for the production of nuclear weapons. Sean, where the heck do you think they're going to produce a nuclear weapon? The local Walmart?

Of course, they're going to do it in the military installations. I mean, this is common sense. This was never a deal. This was Obama getting played. The Iranians never had any intention of sticking to this deal and I applaud President Trump for throwing his crap deal out the window.

HANNITY: Let's talk about Gina Haspel. She will say tomorrow, I can offer you my personal commitment clearly without reservation under my leadership at the CIA, we will not restart -- restart a detention and interrogation program. I'm assuming that means we're not going to have another event like 9/11, which I think created extraordinary circumstances, Dr. Gorka.

GORKA: Nobody can make that statement. I think she's following the decisions that have been made in the United States since that time.

I have a specific view on this. I was a trained interrogator in the U.K. I'm not a massive fan of enhanced interrogation. But sometimes, when there is a ticking time bomb and when you may be saving thousands of lives, then that decision may have to be taken.

And remember, Sean, as you've told so many times to the American people, how many people were under enhanced interrogation in America?

HANNITY: That's right.

GORKA: Three. Three. We're not talking about -- this isn't some kind of labor camp where we're just willy-nilly using this. The worst of the worst were compelled to give up information that save lives, that's the end of the story.

HANNITY: Last word, Dan Bongino.

BONGINO: Yes, I agree with Sebastian. I'm not a huge fan of enhanced interrogation. So, the problem is getting a precise definition. Some of the definitions the left wanted out there, standing for a long period of time, sleep deprivation, that sounds like a long day in the Secret Service where I used to work.

HANNITY: Yes.

BONGINO: So, you know, liberals give us all a break and let's define exactly what we're talking about.

HANNITY: All right. Thank you both. A lot of breaking news tonight.

When we come back, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, he is now turning up the heat, rightly so, against the Attorney General Jeff Sessions, finally.

Also, Joe diGenova, Gregg Jarrett and so much more tonight as 'Hannity' continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: This is a Fox News alert. Our own Martha MacCallum is in the Fox election headquarters as a race call in the great state of Ohio.

Martha, what's going on?

MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: We sure do, Sean. Thanks a lot.

The FOX News decision desk can now project that Ohio Congressman Jim Renacci, who was endorsed by President Trump, will indeed defeat businessman Mike Gibbons in the Buckeye State's Republican Senate primary, so this means that Renacci will now move on to November and he will challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown come the fall.

We are also, of course, Sean watching and waiting for the outcome in that West Virginia Republican state primaries. Still too early to call there. Forty-three percent of the vote in. Morrissey is in the lead, Jenkins is in second, and Blankenship in third at this moment.

But as I said, still waiting for more to come in. So, as soon as we get it, we'll be right back with you.

HANNITY: Well, what percentage of the vote is in the Western Virginia?

MACCALLUM: Forty-three percent.

HANNITY: OK.

MACCALLUM: But some of the southern areas are still outstanding, so they are -- it's just too soon to call.

HANNITY: All right. Martha, thank you. Don't miss "The Story" every night at 7:00 p.m. here on the Fox News Channel.

MACCALLUM: Thanks, Sean.

HANNITY: Also tonight, the number of lawmakers turning the heat on the Attorney General Jeff Sessions to turn over documents related to the phony Russia probe continues to climb. Don't ask now. He's one of the list of lawmakers that are jumping in, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

Congressman Scalise joins us now.

Congressman, good to see you. I know you're in better health. I am very thankful as well as many other people are.

You won't come right out and say it's time, why?

REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA., HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: Well, first, Sean, thank you for the prayers and the support, I appreciate it. Getting better every day.

But, look, I support Chairman Nunes and what he's doing because what he's been doing is uncovering the truth and frankly there's a lot of things we've already found that raise serious questions about what the FBI has done and possibly abusing the FISA court. There's more that we need to get information on.

And, look, the FBI stonewalling, I don't know why justice is trying to hide information, but we're going to use every tool we have to get the facts out and ultimately continue this investigation, Sean.

HANNITY: Yes. Well, we know that Rod Rosenstein, for example, begged Paul Ryan not to release the information that ultimately became the Nunes memo, up to the final hour, after there'd been a subpoenaed a long time. We have slow-walking. We have redactions. We have claims of national security that turn out to be false and erroneous.

SCALISE: Right.

HANNITY: Congress has a constitutional role of oversight. They have a right to these documents.

I know the attorney general is recused, but this is Congress's role and they are not providing them the information that they legitimately deserve.

SCALISE: Right. Congress's role is this function that we've been actually carrying out, the Oversight Committee and if you look at what Chairman Nunes and his intelligence committee have been doing, they've already uncovered a lot of things that raise real serious concerns about abuses of the FISA court, but there's still more that we're doing in this investigation.

And Chairman Nunes ought to have every tool and use every tool to get this information and we're going to get this, Sean. One way or the other, the FBI and the Department of Justice are going to have to comply.

But think about this question, Sean. We've already raised serious questions about bad apples at the FBI. The FBI ought to be working with us to root these people out. Why would they do things like this? They sent this document -- this was one of the documents they sent over, practically the entire page is redacted. This is ridiculous.

So, we're going to continue working and doing our job to get this information and Chairman Nunes has been doing a great job and his committee and uncovering more.

But think about this, Sean, this shows you where the media wants to go with this. All day, they want to talk about Russia and unrelated things. The economy just this week posted new record numbers. We got the lowest unemployment right now since almost 20 years ago.

We have the right track. Wrong is always an indicator of what is going to happen in elections. We cross 50 percent, we're at 57 percent right now where Americans think we are on the right track.

HANNITY: Congressman, if I had you back in a month then they're still playing this game, will you demand, will you support contempt?

SCALISE: Absolutely. Whatever Chairman Nunes thinks is the right course of action to get the facts out. I strongly support.

HANNITY: All right.

SCALISE: Because we are going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.

HANNITY: All right. Congressman, we're glad you're feeling better. Welcome back.

SCALISE: Thanks, Sean.

HANNITY: And joining us now, the author of the upcoming book, "The Russia Hoax, The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump," Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett, also with us former U.S. attorney, Joe DiGenova.

Full disclosure, Joe has done legal work for me in the past. He has been off my Christmas party, we have broken bread together. And we actually drank together, shots, and everything.

All right. Joe, let me start with you. Because this is too important. Slow walking, reductions, lies about national security interests that are proven false. Like for example, what they redacted in the name of national security and that was Jim Comey's embarrassment last week. As it relates to the FBI is saying General Flynn never lie. That's a big deal. He served his country for 35 years.

JOE DIGENOVA, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: What's clear to me, Sean, is what Congressman Scalise just said to you was very important. He said he would support contempt against Rod Rosenstein, and if necessary, the attorney general.

Because what is true now is that all of the redactions thus far that we have seen, the things that have been blanked out, have been things that are embarrassing to the FBI and the Department of Justice under Barack Obama.

This has to stop right now. I don't know what's driving Mr. Rosenstein, except that he is a classic at careerist. He believes that nobody in the Department of Justice can do -- no one there can do wrong. That of course is an absurd way to run a monster agency with the FBI.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Joe, look how conflicted -- Joe, look how conflicted. He is witness number one why Comey should have been fired. We know that he signed off on one of the FISA subsequent applications, to spy on the Trump campaign.

DIGENOVA: Not only that, Sean, not only that. If the theory is correct, that when the president fired James Comey, he obstructed justice, then Mr. Rosenstein, who signs a memo, recommending the firing, is a co-conspirator. So not only is he a witness, he's a co-conspirator.

HANNITY: You know, I've been -- I've been very disappointed in the attorney general, Gregg Jarrett.

DIGENOVA: You should be.

HANNITY: I should be because he has a role here. This is about separation of power, Gregg. Co-equal branches of government. Congress has constitutional oversight, and they are stonewalling and obstructing. How long can they get away with this? And why doesn't he step up and say enough. Hand it over?

GREGG JARRETT, LEGAL ANALYST, FOX NEWS: When the people we entrusted to enforce the law end up breaking the law, it's time to clean house. And that means that Jeff Sessions and Rod Rosenstein, contempt is a good start.

We are allowing the FBI and the Department of Justice to redact to the documents they kept secret in order to cover up their own misconduct. And as you pointed out last Friday, perfect example, they were covering up for James Comey and his lies.

They were also covering up for Robert Mueller because by virtue of those documents finally released, we now know that Mueller is prosecuting an innocent man, who FBI agents found told the truth, and yet, Mueller has charged him with lying. This is all a recipe for corruption.

HANNITY: I want to ask both of you, short answer if you can only because for the constraints of time. How many people -- we'll start with you, Gregg, are now in serious significant legal jeopardy? Because I heard Rod Rosenstein -- Rosenstein has some big problems ahead of him.

JARRETT: All of the people who have now either been fired or who have been forced to resign, that includes Sally Yates, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, James Rybicki, James Baker, Lisa Page, we are still waiting for the demise of Peter Strzok, but that should be imminent. So all of these people are under investigation, I suspect by the I.G. and are in legal jeopardy.

HANNITY: All right, Joe, same question.

DIGENOVA: I concur with that number. And I would say that Rod Rosenstein is in serious jeopardy of contempt. I think he should be held in contempt. I believe his arrogant statement that he was being extorted by Congress, because they were demanding oversight of documents is so outrageous that he no longer should serve as deputy attorney general.

HANNITY: And with that beat down by the judge on Friday, this has not been a good week for Robert Mueller and his witch hunt. Joe, Gregg, thank you.

When we come back, Ed Henry with some breaking news out of Washington. The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is now arrived in North Korea. We'll have a report and also update you on the primary elections.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: A lot of big news coming out of Washington tonight, including Democrats now reacting to the president's decision to, yes, withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran.

Also, as we speak, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo he is now in North Korea.

Joining us live from the White House, Fox News chief national correspondent, our own Ed Henry. No shortage of it -- this is really historic news. This is big news tonight.

ED HENRY, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, FOX NEWS: Sean, it really is, and President Trump said today that this is not just about ripping apart key plans in the Obama platform, it's about sending a message around the world to America's enemies, that unlike that red line that was not enforced in Syria, that America now keeps his word.

As you noted, Democrats reacting as well, and charging that the president is actually undermining allies like the French president, who of course was just recently here at the While House lobbying to salvage the Iran deal, while also emboldening the Iranian president who today said he'll now negotiate with America's European allies on his own. And if that doesn't work, Tehran is going to start enriching uranium more than ever before.

Well, the president fired back that if Iran goes down that road, it will face bigger problems, clearly hinting at the potential for U.S. military action on top of the tough U.S. sanctions that will start back up in the next 90 days now that we are out of the deal.

Now former President Barack Obama and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer among the Democrats who blasted the move, but the whole reason the current White House can terminate this is that the Obama administration acted unilaterally and failed to get a vote in the Senate on all of this, and in fact, many senior Democrats like Schumer actually use spoke out against the Iran nuclear deal in 2015. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The deal doesn't end Iran's nuclear program, it preserves it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll be honest, I was skeptical going in. There is nothing that I read last night that alleviates my skepticism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm disappointed in this deal for all of the reasons that have been brought up.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D—N.Y.: I will support the motion of disapproval against this agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Meanwhile, as you noted, the president secretly sent the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea for the second time in recent weeks.

Schumer charged today that pulling out of the Iran deal will make it harder to get North Korea to give up its nuclear program. But national security advisor John Bolton and others here at the White House insist the hands of both Pompeo and the president have been strengthened by pulling out of the Iran deal.

Meanwhile, the president hoping to get confirmation for another key member of his member. You see her there CIA nominee Gina Haspel will face a tough hearing tomorrow as Democrats plan to press her on enhanced terror techniques.

Today on Fox and Friends the sister of a pilot killed in the 9/11 terror attacks she is glad that Haspel was actually tough on terrorists. She added the interrogations were lawful, and if Barack Obama had nominated Haspel to be the first female CIA director, she would have gotten through on an easy boat, rather than the hard road the president is now facing, Sean.

HANNITY: All right. Ed Henry at the White House. A lot of breaking news tonight. Joining us now, retired CIA senior intelligence officer Fox News contributor Daniel Hoffman. Welcome to the family, Daniel. We appreciate you being here.

DANIEL HOFFMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, FOX NEWS: Thank you.

HANNITY: Let's -- I have never understood the mentality that says we are going to give Iranian mullahs that chants death to America and death to Israel, and ferment terror around the world and fund terror around the world and kill Americans in Iraq, $150 billion, and say pretty please with sugar on top, don't build a nuclear weapon.

HOFFMAN: Yes. Well, the president made no secret about his concern about the deal, his disdain for the deal during the campaign he's followed through. And there's three really serious concerns that we all had about it, the first that it never addressed Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile development. That there were sunset causes that Iran in 15 years, they could have a breakout for nuclear weapons.

And then that we provided Iran with serious sanctions relief over $100 billion that they could continue to sponsor state terrorism. So the question now is, how do our allies respond and whether we can go forward with supplemental agreement to address those very important issues.

And I think in some ways, frankly, it strengthens our hands in North Korea because we're demonstrating that we are serious about a real deal, and we are going to hold North Korea accountable for a deal that suits our national security interest.

HANNITY: Yes. There is this submerging alliance that we have talked about that I think that anybody would have talked about it several months ago with the United States, with Israel, with Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, and Jordan, and the Emirates, all against the Iran hegemony. That is a massive opportunity for peace in the Middle East is that we not seen in a long time. Probably going back before the U.N. partition plan in 1948.

HOFFMAN: Well, yes, and I think that two reasons why we've seen that are Syria and Yemen. We've got proxy wars going on in both of those failed states. And in each case the Iranian are supporting elements in those countries, which are obviously very much against the Saudis, and the rest of the Gulf States, as well as Israel.

And I think that is only -- those tensions, particularly in Syria and Yemen, have just heightened the discord, and made it that much more clear to all of us. We need to bond together to stop Iran's efforts in the region.

HANNITY: All right. Mr. Hoffman, thank you for being with us. And by the way, John Kerry, what he did by literally going rogue. His own diplomacy is just a disgraceful as we discussed last night.

All right, more coming tonight. Our deep state investigation. Also, the obstruction of the Department of Justice. Victoria Toensing, Sara Carter, they're next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: According to a new CBS News poll, 53 percent of you, the American people, now believe this Russia investigation is in fact politically motivated.

Here with reaction, Fox News contributor, investigative reporter Sara Carter, and attorney, she is with Victoria Toensing and DiGenova. Victoria is with us. Good to see you both.

I think what's really important, as we go forward and look at all of this, Steve Scalise and Kevin McCarthy, Sara, are now getting on board and saying they will support Devin Nunes, and also the freedom caucus which has been supporting Devin Nunes, it sounds to me a contempt of Congress order is forthcoming.

SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It is. And they mean business. I know talking to people on the Hill that they will move forward with this. They believe that Attorney General Jeff Sessions will turn over those documents, so before a contempt order can be given.

And Sean, I want to say something else about the current statistics. Fifty three percent of Americans now see this as this was politically motivated. Imagine if CNN, MSNBC, all of the other news outlets were actually reporting the truth, it would be something like 83 percent of Americans because they are not being well informed.

And I think it's very important now that Congress continue to fight, continue to get the information out there, and not allow the DOJ and the FBI to hide behind this national security apparatus that they keep throwing up. Because every time we've seen something unredacted, it did not affect our national security, and that's a fact.

HANNITY: You know, and when you go back to Friday, Victoria, look, you have been in this business a long time for a judge to be so strong and so powerful against Mueller's team led in that case by Andrew Weissmann in the courtroom that day, and for him to talk about, this is really not about Paul Manafort and bank fraud in 2005, this is really about getting information on Donald Trump and trying to Paul Manafort to sing. And he may compose. And to put the screws to Paul Manafort.

I have never witnessed anything like that even the great Antonin Scalia. You know, stinging defense did not rise to that level.

VICTORIA TOENSING, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY: Just for the record though, Sean, I've done some legal work for you, and I went to your Christmas party, so let's get that out there.

HANNITY: Geez. I said to DiGenova and Toensing, yes, you came as a pair, you're pair.

TOENSING: All right. No, that judge is just the tip of the iceberg, Sean. I think that's what bothers me about this poll is the other 52 percent still think that the president should cooperate and talk to Mueller.

Now, listen up 52 percent, this isn't the way it's played. This is not kumbaya and everyone hugs. This is serious business. Let's just talk about the practical reasons why the president shouldn't do it. We can talk about the constitutional reasons at another time.

But practically, look at the team. It's after him. You were just a talking about the judges saying things about their tactics. Sean, this team is comprised of the bigots against Donald Trump. Andrew Weissmann who you mentioned, well, he was overturned 9, zero by the Supreme Court for his prosecutorial tactics. He was at Hillary Rodham Clinton's victory party the night of the election.

Most of them have donated to Democrats, the latest hire by Mueller has donated to Democrats. Not one, not one has donated to republicans.

Now, here is what this team can do. They can talk to Donald Trump, and he can say such and such happened the night of the Comey dinner, and then they talk to James Comey, and he says no, that didn't happen. Guess, guess just who that team is going to accuse of committing perjury, guess which one? You know -- you know what's going to happen.

And look what they've done to Michael Flynn. When these agents came back and said they didn't think he showed that he had any--

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: hang on.

TOENSING: -- lying.

HANNITY: If I can interrupt you for one second, we go to Fox News election headquarters. We have Martha MacCallum standing by, ready to make an important call--

MARTHA MACCALLUM, HOST, FOX NEWS: Yes.

HANNITY: -- and the ever important race for the West Virginia Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. And the president weighed in on this, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Yes, he certainly did. And we've all been watching this West Virginia race very closely. It was very interesting. And the decision just came now, project a winner in the West Virginia Republican Senate primary. State Attorney General Patrick Morrissey will beat Congressman Evan Jenkins and former coal executive Don Blankenship who comes in a distant third.

We've got 71 percent of the vote in here. And he is just barely below 20 percent. So, obviously, this is a victory for President Trump. He literally called to block voting for Don Blankenship. He said it do not vote for him. He cannot beat the incumbent Senator Manchin in November.

Patrick Morrisey was known as the more conservative, most conservative person in this race. They all tried to be as Trumpy as they could, Sean, but Patrick Morrisey is the one who emerges as a winner in this West Virginia race this evening, Sean. Back to you.

HANNITY: All right. Martha MacCallum in Fox News election headquarters. We are out of time for Sara and Victoria. I apologize.

When we come back to, we have our video of the day. Nancy Pelosi, a scary preview of what it would be like if she won in the midterms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. So you won't believe what Nancy Pelosi said she will do if Democrats win back the House in November. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have a new ad that they put out after you said you thought you were going to win the majority that says the title was all at stake. It said that you would like to institute a single payer health care program and cancel, raise taxes I think they mean, rollback the tax cuts that they passed this year. Is that, what do you think of that?

NANCY PELOSI, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MINORITY LEADER: Well, the second part there is accurate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: OK. They'll take your money away. All right. That's all the time we have left for this evening. The show is not the destroy-Trump media. We will always be fair and balanced. Thanks for being with us. We hope you never forget to set your DVR. You'll never miss an episode. Let not your heart be troubled. I forgot my football tonight.

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