Sen. Graham slams Nancy Pelosi for being 'absurd, petty, and shameful'

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Sen. Graham slams Nancy Pelosi for being 'absurd, petty, and shameful'

President Trump fires back after Pelosi rescinds State of the Union invite; reaction from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," January 23, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: There's always something.

Welcome to “Hannity.”

This is a huge news night. For the first time in history, a sitting U.S. president has been disinvited from delivering the State of the Union Address from the House chambers.

In a letter, Speaker Pelosi wrote that she would not authorize the president's speech in the House until the government reopened. This is unprecedented political ploy, obvious for what it is. And it comes just days after speaker Pelosi falsely claimed that the shutdown related to security concerns that that would delay the joint address. That was a lie. And Pelosi's newest letter makes zero reference to security, only a demand to reopen the government, only on her terms. So, that just proves it's a cheap political ploy.

Now, unfortunately, for Speaker Pelosi, we do have something called the Constitution. And there is Article II, Section 3, U.S. Constitution, it requires the president to deliver the State of the Union, as you can see up there from time to time. In coming days, the president will make this constitutionally important speech whether or not Nancy Pelosi decides to attend or whether or not she grants access to the House chamber.

And, of course, Nancy Pelosi doesn't really care when or if the government reopened. A matter of fact, she could care less about the furloughed government workers not getting paid. She sure as hell doesn't care about the epidemic of crime, violence, drugs pouring across what is our unsecured southern border, human trafficking, gang-related crimes. Ninety percent of America's heroin supply comes across that border. Nancy apparently doesn't care. She won't even talk to the president.

We have 300 dead Americans every week because of heroin. There's an opioid crisis that we can fix in large part by getting rid of the heroin. Nancy doesn't seem to care. Now, this deadly poison fentanyl also pouring across in record amounts on our southern border. Nancy apparently doesn't care. That's why Nancy Pelosi calls this real life, every day death and destruction a, quote, manufactured crisis.

That's why she took a nice long luxury vacation to Hawaii during Christmas. The president, he remained in the White House, urging Democrats to come on over and negotiate. That's why Pelosi and Schumer rejected a meeting with the vice president over the weekend and instead they sent low level aides to the shutdown negotiations. That's why dozens of Pelosi's colleagues hopped on a private jet, tons of carbon emissions, for an all-expense paid tropical vacation to Puerto Rico, complements, of course, of K Street lobbyists.

Well, the president he remained in Washington the entire time, only leaving briefly to visit our troops in Iraq and monitor the crisis at our southern border. And that's why Pelosi tried to take another week-long, government paid, taxpayer paid international trip at the height of the shutdown, which would have guaranteed furloughed employees don't get a penny while Trump urged her to stay home and come to the negotiating table.

That's why Pelosi rejected the president's good faith compromise. He provided what the Democrats for years have said they wanted, a solution for DACA recipients, so-called Dreamers. She rejected it before he even read the offer.

And tomorrow, Senate Republicans -- they will hold a vote on that compromise while Senate Democrats are pushing a bill that offers nothing.

And earlier, President Trump offered this insight. Radical, extreme left wing lawmakers are now pulling the strings in what is the new radical leftist Democratic socialist party. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The State of the Union speech has been canceled by Nancy Pelosi because she doesn't want to hear the truth. She doesn't want the American public to hear what's going on. And she's afraid of the truth. And the super left Democrats, the radical Democrats, what's going on in that party is shocking.

It's too bad with Nancy Pelosi what she's done. It's radical. Democrats - - they've become a radicalized party -- they really have. They've become a radicalized party.

I actually think they've become a very dangerous party for this country. If you listen to what they're saying, what they're doing, I think they've become a very dangerous -- a very, very dangerous party for this country.

We are not going to allow the radical left to control our borders. Because if they do, you will see crime, you will see drugs, you will see human trafficking like you've never seen ever in the history of our country. You will never see anything like what you would see. So, we will never let the radical left control our borders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: The president's correct. And still as we speak, the Democrats have an opportunity to secure the border, provide a solution for DACA, Dreamers. Now, think about this for a second.

Can you really say to Angel moms and dads that lost their kids to illegal immigrants in this country that this is a manufactured crisis? Can you look into the eyes of parents that lost their kids from heroin overdoses and say this is a manufactured crisis? Now, they refuse to come to the table. The president can and likely will declare a national emergency and fund the border wall without their consent.

Now, for the president, this is obviously about life and death, fulfilling his constitutional pledge which is to protect and defend the country as commander in chief. Just a few short years ago, remember Democrats, oh, under Obama, they sounded like Trump about the border. They say they care about DACA, Dreamers, furloughed employees.

Their actions show that is absolutely false and not true. For them, this isn't about anything but power. Not principle.

Also, how refreshing. Think for a moment that we actually elected a president that is willing to fight hard to protect the country to keep it safe, to keep a promise. Don't we always say we want politicians to keep their words, stand on principle, keep promises, fight for the things that they believe in?

We're now witnessing all of that unfold every day. That is good and that is something we haven't seen in a lot of politicians. Now, this is not going to be easy. We're now witnessing what is an implosion of the Democratic Party. Pelosi, Schumer, other long-time Democrats have completely lost control and now that party has been taken over by extreme, radical Democratic socialists.

A group of people that really wake up in the morning and they just hate President Trump. That's what's important. Not DACA, not Dreamers, not furloughed employees. They hate Trump. And they want to dramatically reshape what is a free market economy which is the envy of the world.

They want to cater to the most extreme elements of their own base. This comes as we witness horrific effects of socialism in real time. And the South American country of Venezuela, their economy, socialist, well, it's totally collapsed.

The country is descending into chaos. And today, protests throughout the streets of Caracas, and an opposition leader has now declared himself the interim president. The socialist dictator is refusing to give up any power even after his socialist policies caused his country to really become, well, a living hell hole.

Three million Venezuelans have now fled their home country because of poverty and hunger. Look at this -- hyper inflation has reached 80,000 percent. The entire country once ran out of toilet paper. Venezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves, one of -- one time, the wealthiest in Latin America. It is now the perfect poster child for socialism.

But that's stopping Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from pushing these same policies right here at home, by the way, after predicting that the world is going to end in 12 years if we didn't let the government force green energy down our throats. You think I'm kidding? No, I didn't make this up.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y.: Millennials and Gen Z and all these folks that come after us are looking up and we're like, the world is going to end in 12 years if we don't address climate change and your biggest issue is --

(APPLAUSE)

Your biggest issue is how are we going to pay for it? And like this is the war -- this is our World War II.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Better make that bucket list. Twelve years, that's all we got left. And she recently called the American dream, yes, he called it immoral, called for oppressive taxes on private businesses and wealthy individuals. Oh, the top 20 percent of Americans pay almost all of the taxes already.

And she actively supports the nationalization of the health care industry, the energy industry, just like Venezuela, and recently bashing Americans who are, quote, living in excess. I thought that was the American dream.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OCASIO-CORTEZ: So after you make $10 million in one year, your dollars after that start to get progressively taxed at a much higher rate. And really what that is is that it's the tax interpretation of one answer to the question of how much is -- how -- at what level are we really just living excess and what kind of society do we want to live in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: So, let's empower the government to confiscate it all. Better hide your nice thing because here come the excess police.

Speaking of which, the congresswoman's new policy advisor changed his Twitter handle to, quote, every billionaire is a policy failure. Wow. He even vowed to convince his boss that 70 percent top tax rate is too low and he would talk her up to 90 percent. After state taxes, nobody's going to work.

In the twisted world, what is now the radical socialist Democratic Party, apparently making money and being successful is evil. Venezuela is a heaven on earth opportunity for us.

We recently sent our Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones to Ocasio-Cortez's district, to see what her constituents actually think about these socialist fantasies. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE JONES, CONTRIBUTOR: She believe we should tax the rich 70 percent. So 70 percent of what they make should go back to Uncle Sam. Do you agree with her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure, why not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am all for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too low.

JONES: Too low? What would you suggest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ninety percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely, they make so much money. Tax them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Seventy percent nationally, 10 percent New York, four percent city. Add property sales taxes and you get to keep nothing.

We're going to have a full package coming up later in the show.

But, first, we need to address the far less baseless smears at the students at Covington Catholic High School, again, shut down today, despite being called for spreading lie after lied.

For example, a now deleted tweet, radical Congresswoman Omar actually accused the students of taunting the Black Hebrew Israelites, yes, that's right, the same radical, anti-white, anti-gay, anti-Jewish, anti-Asian, radical hate group that were hurling one racist and incendiary remark at the students after another.

And we have the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the religion of America. That's "Make America Great "again. A bunch of child molesting (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like your damn Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at these dusty (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crackers with that racist garbage on.. Look at these dirty (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crackers. Crickets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bunch of future school shooters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You crackers got some damn never. That's why everybody hates your (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest terrorist on the face of this earth is the pale face man, woman, and child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Now, after Congresswoman Omar and so many others on the left rushed to judgment and persecuted a group of teens based on little to no evidence, no investigation, no due process, no presumptions of innocence, many are still showing very little remorse and even using this saga to continue their attacks against the president's supporters, even if you support the president.

God forbid you wear a "Make America Great Again" hat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like forget Donald Trump for a moment and just think about the symbol of that red hat. When I see the "Make America Great Again" hat now, Chris, I am triggered. I'm so triggered.

But this "Make America Great Again" hat is just as maddening and frustrating and triggering for me to look at as a KKK hood. Like that is the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would tell you this --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- that his policies represent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Call it colorful language, but, you know, isn't that inflaming the situation? Is that helpful? Likening someone to the head of the KKK?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES, D-N.Y.: Well, I think as I just pointed out, I do not believe that the president is a card-carrying member of the KKK, but he has resided over and engaged in directly a series of racially insensitive remarks. We cannot whitewash that. We cannot hide it. And on King Day, we should be able to have that candid discussion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Do these people have any shame? Any conscience? Any moral compass? Any principles?

Their only goal is to destroy the president, hate the president, anyone who supports the president, even if you're a kid at all costs, regardless of facts, regardless of what truth and reality is. To many in the media, they seem all too comfortable, this rush to judgment over and over and over again.

And remember, first the media reported the students surrounded Phillips. That never happened. Videotape shows that in fact there was an indigenous peoples rally as well. He approached them. Phillips accused the students of initiating taunts against the Black Hebrew Israelites we have on tape saying all those things.

And we now know that's not true. Despite this story being exposed, that's not stopping Mr. Phillips. Just hours after his now infamous encounter with the Covington students, he let a group of protesters to the steps of a Washington, D.C., cathedral. And according to multiple reports, a new video out tonight, Phillips attempted to disrupt mass before being halted by security. That sound like someone who wants to unify, bridge differences? That's what he claimed.

Now, remember, fake news has real consequences. Richard Jewell, Duke Lacrosse, UVA, Ferguson, Missouri, Justice Kavanaugh, Cambridge police. You know what, rushing to judgment, dangerous. It ruins people's lives.

Covington was forced to close its doors amid a wave of death threats. That was earlier today, and a bomb threat today. And the student at the center of this attack, Nick Sandmann, talked to NBC's Savannah Guthrie to reflect on all the hate. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK SANDMANN, COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: They started shouting a bunch of homophobic, racist, derogatory comments at us.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: What kinds of things did you hear them say?

SANDMANN: I heard them call us incest kids, bigots. They called us (EXPLETIVE DELETED based off one expression which I wasn't but people assumed that's what I am. They've gone from there to titling me and labeling me as a racist person, someone that's disrespectful which they've had to assume so many things to get there with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: There's nothing I have seen that Sandmann has anything to apologize for. What? They walked up to him. He stood there calmly, peacefully, said he was trying to smile as a 64-year-old man approached the teen playing the drum, as you can see in the video. Well, to the media, he became an instant villain. And we all know why.

But here's a message to the left and their partners in the fake news media. The face of bullying, hate, smear, slander, no, it's not wearing a red hat that says let's make this wonderful country of ours great again. You know, when are you all going to take a look in the mirror, take ownership of the lies, the division, the rush to judgment and chaos that you so willingly seem to sow? Your hatred for this president, we saw it with the "BuzzFeed" article.

If it's true, then spend hours and hours and hours speculating about something you have not vetted. It goes so deep you're literally willing to write the story first. No investigation, no interviews, and try to plug the facts in later to fit your already conceived narrative, destroying innocent lives in the process. This is sick. It's shameful, it's dangerous -- unfortunately, not surprising.

Now, thankfully, President Trump, he's standing strong against this media, coming to the defense of the students, he tweeted out, quote: Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of fake news and how evil it can be. They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for good. Maybe even bring people together. It started off unpleasant but can end in a dream.

On this program, we don't want to ruin people's lives, we don't want to rush to judgment. Or, you know, play the media's blame game. Rush to judgment, race to conclusions to score cheap political points. Due process, the presumption of innocence, fairness to all people, it's actually paramount to the survival of this great constitutional republic that so many sacrificed, bled, and died for.

It's part of what makes America great in the first place, the greatest place the world has known with more hope, for opportunity, more prosperity than we've seen elsewhere.

All right. We'll have a lot more later in the program. Joining us now with reaction to our top story, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is with us.

Kevin, let's start with the speaker of the House, let's start with the U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 3, and your thoughts and interpretations.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY, R-CALIF., HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Well, you're right, Article II, Section 3 actually says the president has to come and present to Congress. Since 1913, Woodrow Wilson, there's been 83 presidents, 83 times that they -- not presidents, a number of times they came there to present to Congress. The speaker of the House invited President Trump on January 3rd when we were sworn in. She also said that should be a town hall, a place where we can have debates and others.

I truly believe history will mark this as a low point for the speaker of the house, for that office, to disinvite this president. That's why tomorrow, Sean, I am bringing forth to the floor a privileged resolution disapproving of the actions of the speaker.

HANNITY: Explain what the privilege resolution does, because that gives you the opportunity to get an up and down vote.

MCCARTHY: It gives everybody an opportunity to vote for this. So, those Democrat freshmen who do not like the action of what this speaker is taking -- because I've heard it numerous times, I've heard from senior members of the Democrats, the chair of Agriculture Committee, he said give Trump the money. The Arms Services chair says, walls work. Even the number two Steny Hoyer believes in having a barrier or a wall.

So, what Speaker Pelosi is doing is almost acting like a dictator. By bringing a privilege resolution allows a vote on the floor to disapprove of this action, because I believe that no other time in America it is more important now to have the president, the senators, the House members, Republican and Democrats alike, all in one place talking about where America's at today and where we can go in the future.

This is bigger than just our country. The world watches the State of the Union. And you know what's most concerning to me? Since 1934, there has not been a State of the Union past February 2nd.

She is putting politics before people and she's running it almost like a dictatorship.

HANNITY: Let me put up on the screen for our audience once again, the Constitution, and what it actually says. This is Article II, Section 3, you know, meaning the president shall come from time to time to give Congress information to the State of the Union, recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient and he may on extraordinary occasions convene both houses or either of them, one or the other, and in a case of disagreement between them, the respect to the time of adjournment. He may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper and he shall receive ambassadors and senators.

Sounds like the president can go to the Senate. Sounds like the president may even constitutionally -- and I'll let the scholars battle that out -- have the ability to do this anyway.

MCCARTHY: Yes. Since 1913, Woodrow Wilson came in person. There's been 83 times sinks then that has taken place. Now, Speaker Pelosi is trying to change history. Now, we have to have a vote to make sure both houses come together.

So I introduced that resolution today where people can join on that bill to actually, the resolution and move it forward. If Speaker Pelosi will deny the vote of the American people -- deny the American people to hear from their president, and what's most concerning to me, look at what history has done.

When we were in the power in the House, did we ever disinvite Barack Obama? No.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Let me ask you one last question, because the president stayed back, no vacation. They went on vacation. They've been on junkets, lobbyists paid, private jets, interesting, and excursions that Hillary wanted to take.

But the president almost daily has invited them to negotiate. Now, if she cared about DACA Dreamers, which would be a huge concession by the president, and the president offers to meet with them, and they continue to send aides or not show up, what are you to do in that case? How do you have a deal with somebody that won't even talk to you?

MCCARTHY: That's the difficulty here, because if you're really asking what we voted on the floor today was to pay those 800,000 workers right now and all the Democrats but ten voted no.

Nancy Pelosi has the record for speaking the longest on the floor last year. And it was about DACA. But she comes out against the president's proposal, which is reasonable, which finds common ground. Build the wall, take care of the DACA kids. All for what? Something for everybody which I think America is looking for.

It's only the president who is leading and trying to end this shutdown when the speaker's totally acting a total different way.

HANNITY: All right. Thank you, Kevin McCarthy, for being with us. We'll watch this very closely.

When we come back -- he's also a lawyer -- Senator Lindsey Graham on Nancy Pelosi's State of the Union stunt.

Plus, the growing radicalism of the Democratic Party and what they stand for or don't stand for, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. So, Speaker Pelosi's State of the Union stunt isn't the only left wing fiasco on Capitol Hill. Far left, inexperienced freshmen Democrats have been given key spots on House committee. Now, "Politico" reporting, quote: The House Oversight Committee is adding a group of progressive flame throwers to its ranks, including, Congresswoman, the new star of the Democratic Party and leader, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and yes, Congresswoman Tlaib.

Now, as a reminder here, here are a few of the recent controversial comments they have made, the leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB, D-MICH.: To all of my residents (ph) who have gone to the civil rights movement will continue (INAUDIBLE) everything. Don't you ever let anybody take away your roots, culture, who you are.

When your son looks at you and says, mama, look, you won, bullies don't win. And I said, baby, they don't, because we're going to go in there and we're going to impeach the mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

OCASIO-CORTEZ: You look at these figures and we say, oh, unemployment is low, everything is fine, right? Well, unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs.

There's a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually and semantically correct than about being morally right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right. Here now with reaction is South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.

Senator, good to see you. By the way, the world is ending in 12 years.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S.C.: Yes, that's what I hear.

HANNITY: A lot of issues here. How could anybody look in the eye of a parent that lost a kid from a heroin overdose and not say -- or say that this is manufactured, or look in the face of an Angel Mom or Dad, same issue there, and not even be willing to talk about the issue with the president but it's life and death, safety and security and --

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: -- then put out all of these demands? It makes it impossible.

GRAHAM: Well, what you don't have is clips of Democratic senators saying this because they know it's a death blow to the party. President Trump made a brilliant political move and good for the country to go to the middle, wall plus DACA plus TPS. I've had more Democratic senators talk to me in the last two days than talk to me in the last 30 days. The harder Nancy Pelosi goes left and the more Trump goes to the middle, we're going to get this thing solved.

HANNITY: Well, tomorrow, I can see Chuck Schumer lining up all the Democrats to vote --

GRAHAM: Yes.

HANNITY: -- against that compromise plan.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: And again, TPA, DACA, Dreamers --

GRAHAM: Right, right.

HANNITY: --- and by the way the house wanting to pay the furloughed employees, Republicans. No Democrats supporting that either. So, I guess that was a lie also.

GRAHAM: Well, what's going to happen, you'll have the vote tomorrow on President's plan that will get almost all Republicans, very few Democrats. We'll have Schumer's proposal that I'll vote against, then the hard work starts.

We had a meeting today with about eight Democrats and about eight Republicans and you know, Nancy Pelosi's become a nightmare for the Democratic Party. She seems unreasonable, she seems to have a dislike for the President that is hurting the country and this idea of not letting the President speak is really over playing your hand.

So I want to let your listers know that there's a reaction to this far left rhetoric in the Senate by more mainstream Democrats that I think will eventually allow us to get the wall funded and do some things for the DACA recipients and TPS recipients.

There's a deal in the making and the more extreme Nancy Pelosi gets, the more likely we'll have a deal.

HANNITY: It can't include Amnesty, you're going to lose every conservative supporter of the President. And it's not included, the President was pretty clear about that.

GRAHAM: It won't, I promise you, it will not.

HANNITY: Okay, it seems like Nancy Pelosi is intimidated and afraid of this new radical, extreme element.

GRAHAM: Yes, I think so.

HANNITY: I think she fears that she will lose her position as Speaker very quickly. What is your take in interpretation on the constitution article 2 section 3.

GRAHAM: Well, I think the President has a lot of power. I mean she can disinvite him to the House but come to the Senate, Mr. President. There's plenty of places the President can choose to deliver the State of the Union but here's the question for America, what kind of Union do you want?

Do you want a country that looks more like Venezuela and less like America? If you do for all these hard left people, they're going to take you to the land where the government taxes everything in its power, they control every decision in life and you'll see Venezuela come here.

This is what this whole election is going to be about in 2020. Do we go further left and become a like Venezuela? Or do we want to come to America that all of us want us to be? So if I'm a Democrat, these people are defining my party in a way that gives it a very limited future in America in my view.

So the President to me obviously and I agree with him, views this as life and death, safety and security of the American people, stopping the heroin - 90 percent of the heroin coming into this country from coming across the border, fentanyl, he's about life and that seems like a principled strong position.

Also part of his, when he pledges to faithfully serve and protect the constitution, that means it's people, he's the Commander-in-Chief as per the constitution. What is the democratic position? They don't want DACA, they don't seem to care about furloughed employees, they don't seem to care about dreamers.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: What is this - what is this fight about then for them?

GRAHAM: They want Trump to fail more than they want the country to win. A dollar for the wall, does that makes sense in light of the caravans that have been coming? A broken border is more dangerous to the country than a partial government shutdown. In their world there is no ICE, you get a dollar for the wall and the border patrol agents are gassing children, not defending the country from an onslaught.

So my view is that Democrats in the Senate are going to become more reasonable as these people define extreme positions. The President made a very smart move by putting on the table relief for DACA recipients, TPS recipients which the Democrats have been for, for decades.

Now let's see what kind of Democratic Party we've got. Do we have a Democratic Party that hates Trump so much they will say no to 1.1 million people having a better life or will we have some Democratic senators and some Democratic House members joined with the President and me to solve this problem? Time will tell.

HANNITY: Look, the President it seems, he does have other options. When we're dealing with drugs--

GRAHAM: Yes, he does.

HANNITY: --gangs, cartels, human trafficking, drug trafficking, real radical elements. So that's only the 2 percent. I believe the other 98 percent don't respect our laws but they come here for a better life for themselves and their families. I believe that having been down there a lot. So then the question is when the President goes alone, National Emergency, what happens next?

GRAHAM: Well, if I were him, I would use my power as Commander-in-Chief to build that wall because he promised to build it. Every Democrat has voted for Wall funding except when President Trump became President. But here's the way to go, I think.

If I were the President, I would ask Nancy Pelosi if the Bill passes the Senate that has Wall funding, protection for DACA and TPS, would you take it up in the House? If she says yes, I would open the government for 3 weeks, let the Senate see if we can reach a deal and if we can't, I would use the emergency powers as the Commander-in-Chief to bring this debacle to an end.

HANNITY: I'm not sure if he gives up as leverage but if he's prepared to do the National Emergency, that means he's committed one way or the other to getting this done.

GRAHAM: Yes, one way or the other.

HANNITY: Senator, good to see you, thanks for being with us. When we come back, the unrelenting left influencing all the media coverage of the Covington controversy. Joe Concha, Monica Crowley, here with analysis. Also an exclusive report, we sent our cameras and Lawrence Jones into Ocasio- Cortez's district to talk to her constituents about her radical views. We got that special explosive tape straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right now, NBC's Savannah Guthrie is facing heat from both sides following her interview with Covington High School student, Nicholas Sandmann and with liberals accusing her of being too soft on the teenager while the right chided her for asking if he was the one that needed to apologize.

But of course it's really hate Trump media that's more on hands than ever. Just look at what failed GOP strategist turned fake news side show, Rick Wilson had to say on MSNBC Conspiracy TV this week about White House adviser Stephen Miller. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK WILSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The Democrats offered him $25 billion for a wall if they would do DACA and President and Miller decided that wasn't going to be what he wanted and there's - there's something deeply wrong with Stephen Miller, I think we can all acknowledge that and you know maybe someday, he'll have a relationship with a live human woman and this guy will- something will straighten it--

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: More love from the left over it. NBC news, I guess that's the type of insightful analysis we've come to expect but joining us now with reaction, Washington Times Columnist Monica Crowley. Media reporter for The Hill, Joe Concha is with us. Monica your reaction.

MONICA CROWLEY, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON TIMES: Well, look, no Republican President can ever expect consistently even headed coverage but Donald Trump is no normal Republican President. He represents an existential threat to the establishment media and frankly to those folks with entrenched interest in seeing their corrupt status quo continue, Sean.

Therefore he must be destroyed and the establishment media are hand maidens to making sure that that happens, that's why any kind of incident like the Covington school where the kids were wearing MAGA hats and so on. This is all collateral damage for them. They continue to go with a completely false and disproven narrative.

In fact to this very day in some media outlets cases, on that story simply because they've got a double down not just against this President who they've got to - they're committed to destroy but also everybody and everything that supports him and or his agenda.

HANNITY: You know, it seems, we saw the manufactured crisis, politicians at it on the left and the media echoed the exact same phrase, no originality to come up with a new phrase. For the President it really seems to be about principle.

Safety, security of the American people and life and death, we're losing lives because that border is open, Joe. So the question is where does the media - how do they come down here in the end because the American people seem to like the President that's fighting hard to keep promises and being principled.

JOE CONCHA, MEDIA REPORTER, THE HILL: Yes, I think we focus far too much on rhetoric and not as much on results, right? The sizzle instead of the steak and I think when President Trump leaves the stage, it's going to be like the 2008 financial crisis where it's going to go right off the cliff and you're going to see a lot more layoffs than like the 15 percent of employee layoffs that we saw today at BuzzFeed for instance.

So a lot of places are going to struggle without the central character in their casting but look, UPI used to have saying as, it used to be get it first but first, get it right. That used to be the standard that a lot of media places embrace but that's all changed now, Sean because of social media which is a unfiltered medium with no editor, no checks and balances.

Then you'll say, well, who gets their news from social media? You know that two-thirds of Americans get their news from social media, that's according to PEW and what you have is news organizations reacting to what's trending and what's going viral and when there's a negative connotation towards an administration or an ideology, forget about it.

Then it goes off the ledge because in this case, think of the trifecta that news organizations embraced here, Covington kids, all right, Catholic white privilege wearing Trump MAGA hats, taunting an elder native American except they weren't taunting and he approached them, except that they said he was a Vietnam veteran.

No, he's not a Vietnam veteran and when you watch the video in full instead of the heavily edited version, you see the completely different version of what was first reported which was like The New York Times, "Boys in Make America Great Again hats mob native elder at march."

So all that said, when it's all said and done, there needs to be accountability. We see it once in a while with people that are expendable but until people start getting fired, suspended or reprimanded, you are not going to see any changes because it's like speeding.

A cop pulls you over and says, hey, I'll give you a warning. You're going to keep doing it so until there are actual consequences for people that make mistakes and that includes on Twitter, you're going to see this over and over and over again.

HANNITY: They rush to judgment every big case, they do it all the time. Kavanaugh, recent example. Duke Lacrosse, it goes back years. Ferguson Baltimore, Freddie Gray, Cambridge police.

CROWLEY: And Joe used the word mistakes and sometimes there are honest mistakes that are made, we all make them but I think increasingly, what we're seeing is that these aren't mistakes, these are deliberate smears of anybody who goes against their agenda or happens to support Donald Trump.

They accuse these kids of bigotry but the bigotry was on their part because even when they knew the narrative is false, I mean, they had a knee jerk reaction right away but even once they knew the narrative was false and clearly disproven, they continued to go with it, Sean.

So we've seen a complete corruption of the establishment media, you've said it's been dead for a long time but what's different in the Trump era, it's a level of intensity and activism on the part of the mainstream media and it's very dangerous.

HANNITY: And they're not looking at what's in the best interest of the American people, that is a huge mistake.

CROWLEY: Well, that's the last thing on their minds.

HANNITY: All right, thank you both. All right, when we come back, we actually sent our own Lawrence Jones into and apparently Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is watching this show now. We sent him into her district to see what they really think about her radical policies and we'll show you what she just tweeted out. Next, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right, we sent Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's district in New York City to see what her constituents think of her and her policy, by the way AOC is watching, we're going to prove it in a minute. Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE JONES, EDITOR IN CHIEF, CAMPUS REFORM: Your local representative is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, do you support her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, she looks very real to me, authentic and like she actually cares about us so yes, I do support her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's amazing, she's a Rockstar, she's standing up for people instead of corporations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I voted for her, I think she's amazing.

JONES: You think she's doing a good job?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's doing a great job. I like how she's shaking it up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's an excellent representative and she care more about middle class people.

JONES: So she said that it's more important to be morally right than factually right, do you agree with that statement?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overall yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ooh. That's a slippery slope, it's a little - it's a little difficult to justify that in every situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's important to be morally right if we can get our facts straight then great but we make mistakes.

JONES: She also said that ICE has become a big problem and we should get rid of ICE, do you support this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do, I really agree with all of her policies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can improve ICE.

JONES: Improve ICE?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can make changes that can go to improve the system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it should be abolished but I think that policies need to be revised.

JONES: She believes we should tax the rich 70 percent so 70 percent of what they make should go back to Uncle Sam. Do you agree with her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure, why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm all for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too low.

JONES: Too low? So what would you suggest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 90 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the counter argument is that it's going to drive them away and drive away big business but honestly, it doesn't look like the economy is working for everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely, they make so much money, that's some. I do not feel bad. [BEEP] I voted for Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: We have some good news tonight. We'd like to welcome Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, she's watching the show apparently, tweeting about our opening monologue tonight, look at that. She took a frame-grab, screengrab of our show and wrote, "I'm tempted to frame this and put it on my desk."

Now Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, I will go to Washington, I will sign it as many copies as you want. Then we'll spend the hour, we'll talk about the issues in a very polite way. Mark Levin invited you on his show. Anyway joining us now with more Fox News contributor, Campus Reform Editor-in- Chief Lawrence Jones and our favorite liberal who thinks that the world is going to end like Ocasio-Cortez in 12 years, Jessica Tarlov.

All right, let's talk about your trip.

JONES: Yes, so they're advocating for wealth redistribution in that district and I don't think a lot of them really understand what the 1 percent is, they believe in taxing people up to 90 percent. It's a failed policy. Look, I see why she got elected because these people actually believe it in her.

I don't think reasonable Democrats like my friend Jessica Tarlov--

HANNITY: 74 percent that would vote for her if she was old enough to run for President.

JONES: Yes, I think average day Americans look, she's inspirational, she has a great Twitter following and she is a people's person.

HANNITY: We share something. We have something in common with her. I was a bartender.

JONES: Right so I mean, she has a great story, people like her. Look, for a lot of people it's not about policies, it's about the ability to connect with voters, she has that strength just like President Trump has that strength.

But I think when it goes down to the nitty gritty, I think a lot of the mainstream Democrats are going to try to go after her because a lot of people don't believe in this nonsense.

HANNITY: I think this just puts the Democratic Party in a very tough position. You think - if I am offered, would I not be nice to her?

JESSICA TARLOV, CONTRIBUTOR: You absolutely would be and I think she should take you up on that and take the hour on primetime TV.

HANNITY: And I'll sign it and she can put it on her desk.

TARLOV: But I'd just say, as for her, voters they are clearly thankful to have someone who is actively representing then, who went out there went door to door to get their support and didn't ignore them as it seems Joe Crowley did and that's why he ended up losing that seat.

Her point about the tax rate, we're being honest here, she's talking about a marginal tax rate for people earning over $10 million per year, that worked until Ronald Reagan came into office. No one had a problem with that.

HANNITY: 70 percent to 20 percent, he dropped the top marginal rate and we created 21.5 million new jobs, the longest period of peacetime economic growth and it was because of the tax drop from 70 to 20. Here's my question to you though.

TARLOV: Trickle down doesn't work.

HANNITY: Do you believe that the world is ending in 12 years and when the star of the Democratic Party says that - I'm glad she's watching, you can come in studio?

TARLOV: I'd--

HANNITY: What?

TARLOV: Well, first of all, I would say that the star the Democratic Party is Nancy Pelosi.

HANNITY: Come on.

TARLOV: Who I don't know if she's watching but if you are, I'm a huge fan.

HANNITY: I think she's afraid of AOC.

TARLOV: I think - listen, I think that it was smart to put her on the Oversight Committee, there have been (Inaudible) on that committee.

JONES: That was so she can get a vote.

TARLOV: Darrel Issa, Mark Meadows, Trey Gowdy--

HANNITY: -- to use the power of subpoena as a retribution?

TARLOV: AOC uses hyperbole--

HANNITY: Hyperbole?

TARLOV: --to make her point.

HANNITY: Well, so she doesn't believe that the world is ending in 12 years?

TARLOV: No, I don't think - in 12 years, the world will still be here and she will probably still be in Congress affecting--

JONES: Well, she probably doesn't believe in facts, it's important to be morally right than factually correct.

TARLOV: If you believe in facts, is climate change real?

JONES: Well, I mean - yes, you respond to changes, yes.

TARLOV: Lawrence, come on, don't be a denier. No, not because of the weather.

JONES: But are we responsible for all elements? That's the big question. She throws down these blanket statements.

TARLOV: Don't be a denier.

JONES: I didn't say--

HANNITY: Answer the question.

JONES: Yes, does the climate change? Yes, it's changed.

TARLOV: No, guys let's be--

HANNITY: There's a history.

TARLOV: Is it a hoax or is it real? Are you on the side of science or are you on the side of ridiculousness.

HANNITY: Nice trick question. I'm waiting for the world to end in 12 years.

TARLOV: I said no 12 years.

HANNITY: The earth has a fever.

TARLOV: Guys, don't be deniers, you know that it's real and it's--

HANNITY: Either way, it's Lawrence's world. All right, straight ahead, special segment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: So we asked our viewers to let us know which mainstream media outlet you think is the most corrupt. One of you tweeted, "I can't say that anyone is worse than the other. They're all bad."

All right, so what we'll do is every night, we're going to ask questions and you can respond. Where should President Trump deliver the State of the Union address? Tweet your answer, hashtag at #SeanHannity, and we will be putting them on the air more and more as the days go forward.

Let not your heart be troubled. Busy news night. Laura Ingraham, standing by in Washington.

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