Sen. Lindsey Graham: Give Donald Trump the same rights as Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton

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Sen. Lindsey Graham: Give Donald Trump the same rights as Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham introduces resolution condemning Democrats' closed-door impeachment process.

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," October 22, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All right. Welcome to “Hannity” on this busy, breaking news tonight.

We begin with the FOX News alert. We had big breaking news on multiple fronts.

Now, Senator Lindsey Graham will be here with a huge announcement tonight that he is planning to introduce and motion in the United States Senate to condemn the so-called impeachment inquiry in the House. It is corrupt, it is unconstitutional.

I have a very special message for the Senator Mitt Romney tonight. You're not going to want to miss it.

First, this is very important. We are going to break down tonight, in detail, something corrupt and dangerous to this democratic republic that we love. We will expose on this program the Democrats' top secret, their Soviet style impeachment coup attempt, and how it is an unprecedented, unconstitutional attempt to nullify the will of the American people.

The whole process is more corrupt, lacking all due process, all constitutionality and constitutional protections. It is based on utter and complete nonsense, zero violation of any law by the president, all the president is really guilty of is faithfully executing the laws of this land and fulfilling his constitutional duties. We will explain and explore this partisan Democrats attached from any objective truth. To be a Democrat, you can believe in truth, reason, common sense. This is now a lawless mob.

Now, nothing that we are witnessing is driven by facts, logic, law, constitutionality, no. A psychotic rage and hatred at all things Trump, even the mention of his name. These Democrats, their allies in the media mob, they are triggered by the mere sound of President Trump's name. They are set often triggered by the sight of a red MAGA hat on a 16-year-old innocent kid.

What we are living through and witnessing is a level of madness as a country and we better stop or we're not going to have a country, and yes, it's that serious. And on their latest effort to take this president down, the cowardly, the corrupt Adam Schiff is holding secret hearings, secret meetings, that results in secrets transcripts, all hidden from the American people, the Trump administration, the president's lawyers.

This has never happened, ever, in any previous impeachment proceeding. Now forget any and all constitutional due process, this is beyond the kangaroo court. I can't even believe it's happening in America, an attempted political coup, where you have the corrupt, the cowardly, the Shifty Schiff making all the rules as he goes, new rules, rules that were never used in the past.

Adam Schiff is a habitual liar, we know that. And as White House counsel Pat Cipollone asserted, in a brutal takedown, it is quote, designed and implemented, the inquiry in a manner that violates fundamental fairness, constitutionality, and a constitutionally mandated process. They have denied the president the right to cross-examine witnesses, to call witnesses, to receive transcripts of testimony, to have access to evidence, to have counsel present, and many other basic rights guaranteed to all Americans, guaranteed to Nixon, and guaranteed to Bill Clinton.

All of this violates the Constitution and the rule of law and every past president. Now, keep in mind, in the ‘90s, Newt Gingrich, who will join us tonight, modeled the impeachment proceeding against Bill Clinton after the way the Democrats did it against Richard Nixon. Totally the same way. It was a full vote in the House that authorized the proceedings.

The scope was defined. Rules and procedures were publicly established. We got to see it. Co-equal subpoena power granted to both parties. Subpoenas were subject to a vote of the full committee.

The president's counsel could attend all hearings and all depositions. The president's counsel had the right to present evidence, object to any evidence admitted, cross-examine witnesses, and recommend witnesses. Now, those were basic rights afforded to Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon, not President Trump.

You have the lying, the cowardly, the corrupt Schiff, well, he has something very different in mind and at this hour, the Democrats' illegitimate inquiry is becoming even more secretive. Believe this or not. Breaking tonight, Democrats are literally blocking House Republicans from even having a copy, a copy of the transcripts of the secret hearings they don't want you to watch.

Republicans wants to simply read a transcript, they have to have a Democratic minder, a staffer, babysit them. We're talking about hearings that should be held in public to start with. Now hearings that my sources, by the way, are telling me, is blowing up in corrupt Schiff's face and Democrats' face.

There is so only a few months ago that they demanded, remember, the full, the unredacted Mueller report. It all needs to be publicly available for all to see. Well, that's now changed. Everything now is in secret. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need anymore summaries. We don't anymore -- need anymore spin. We just need to see the words of the report. We need to see the work of the special counsel, period.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL, D-CALIF.: Here's what's important, is that the public sees the report contemporaneously with the president. He should not be allowed to edit. He should not be allowed to restrict or sanitize.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Mueller report should indeed be made public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to see every bit of these underlying documents and of the full Mueller report. We need every word of it to be a functioning democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: A functioning democracy.

OK. Now Democrats won't even hold a public vote? Nothing is transparent. No transcripts, no hearing, no nothing, no rights for the president, no rights for Republicans.

And no outrage from the media mob over the secrecy and how corrupt this impeachment coup attempt really is, none whatsoever. They are nothing, the mob and the media, but an extension of the Democratic Party.

So, what does the cowardly, corrupt Adam Schiff hiding? Spoiler alert: he's hiding a lot. Sources telling me, many sources, that the corrupt Schiff's star witnesses, they're not cooperating with this phony witch hunt and his narrative. One person brought in after another debunking the big lie about Donald Trump withholding funds to Ukraine.

Democrats don't want these transcripts to become public because it will destroy this phony, corrupt narrative. Instead, they want to control all of the information so they can, oh, selectively leak that one sentence that they think helps them, editorialized testimonies to win public support against the president.

Now, if you see what is going on here, it is a con job, it is run by the biggest snake in the Washington swamp, and that says a lot. Now, that's another big reason for the secrecy. Why? Well, the cowardly, corrupt Adam Schiff, he doesn't want to be exposed.

He is a fact witness in this case in his own inquiry. He has no business - - this is a total conflict of interest. Remember, his office was in contact with the non-whistle-blower whistle-blower, the hearsay whistle- blower, before they ever filed the complaint that sparked the entire inquiry. Schiff is on tape lying about that contact in a seedy communications.

Now, Schiff doesn't want this individual to testify. Why would that be? Because then the so-called non-whistle-blower would be forced to answer questions about the whistle-blower's relationship with Schiff's office.

Like, I have a few questions: when did you start communicating with Schiff's office? Did Schiff's office advise you to get an attorney? Did that attorney write any portion of the complaint? Did Schiff's office advise you to contact the I.G.? How did you get your third-party hearsay information?

And let's all remember one important fact. This is a secret investigation over a public transcript. The irony is, we don't need a hearsay non- whistle-blower whistle-blower. Trump, much to their surprise and chagrin released the entire transcript. Look at your screen.

No quid pro quo, whatsoever. Now where is the crime here? Where?

The favor -- I need a favor, has nothing to do with creepy crazy, sleepy Uncle Joe Biden, and nothing to do with a 2020 elections. Biden was mentioned in passing later in the phone call. But if you look at paragraphs that is supposedly so pertinent, the president is clearly referring to Ukrainian election interference in the 2016 election.

Look at what "Politico" outline, January 11th, 2017, they're not members of the vast right-wing conspiracy. The country Ukraine tried their best to get Hillary Clinton elected. Ukrainian government officials try to help Hillary Clinton and undermined Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide and corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter only to back away after the election and they helped Clinton's allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisors.

Now, this gets even better. As the report goes on to detail a clear example of -- yes, Ukrainian DNC collusion. An Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee met with top officials in the Ukrainian embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, Trump campaign aide Paul Manafort, and Russia, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.

Now, hang on a second. We just spent three years, the media mob, Democrats, breathlessly reporting, screaming about election interference and this is a big deal and we can have this in the country. OK. And then they should all be thanking President Trump for getting to the bottom of the DNC colluding with Ukraine to interfere in the 2016 elections to help Hillary.

By the way, it's important to remember, one more thing about the president's phone call with Ukraine. And the president said, I would like you to do us a favor. OK. That is a favor. OK, there were no strings attached. Zero quid pro quo. Doesn't exist.

Because during the call, the government of Ukraine had no idea the U.S. had temporarily delayed aid. And they still got the aid.

Plus, the aid was never attached to anything. Nothing. And that's clear in the transcripts. Especially related to sleepy creepy crazy Uncle Joe. Especially related to the 2020 election.

And let's be clear, the term "do us a favor" -- well, we all have go-to phrases. You know, I say, you know, a lot. The president uses them all the time. Kind of a verbal aside.

I can prove my point. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: She just did me a beautiful favor, keeping a beautiful Sikorsky plant open in the great state of Pennsylvania.

I'm talking to your ambassador. Jared was there, Jason Greenblatt was there, I said, fellows, do me a favor.

You're doing us a favor. It's a great job you're doing.

And they called us and they said, could you possibly make it another day? We delayed it two weeks. So, we did them a favor but they are doing us a favor but they are buying a lot of agricultural products.

I said, would you do me a favor? The remains of these great fallen heroes, can we do something? He agreed to it immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Right, big leagues for the president.

So, to recap, the term "do me a favor", that's a phrase the president uses, we've identified, hundreds of times. No conditions whatsoever. You can look at the transcript or the phone call.

No quid pro quo. Look at the transcript. No high crimes, no misdemeanor, no bribery, no treason.

But that doesn't matter to the left and their friends in the mob. They are obsessed with impeaching this president ever since you the American people shocked the world in November 2016 and I hope you shock the world again in 2020. They started with the word impeachment two days after Election Day.

By the way, the nine-month investigation into Trump Russia collusion, empty. The FBI investigation, nothing. House Intel investigation, no collisions. Bipartisan Senate investigation, 22-month Mueller witch hunt, no collusion whatsoever.

Now we have this secret Soviet-style attempted impeachment coup, it's just the latest, pathetic attempt by people that never accepted the results of the 2016 election and want to influence the next election.

And meanwhile, there is evidence of quid pro quo right in plain sight. It has nothing to do with President Trump, everything to do was sleepy, creepy, crazy Joe 30330 and his son. By the way, he's not a kid. He's 49 years old.

2015, ‘14, Biden put in charge of the Obama administration's Ukraine policy. His son Hunter thereafter got a lucrative millions of dollars Burisma Holdings contract to be on the board, which is a massive Ukrainian oil, gas and energy company, owned by a Ukrainian oligarch.

Hunter was being paid millions of dollars. No experience in Ukraine, energy, oil, gas. None. Burisma wasn't paying for his experience.

Now, could you imagine if this was Vice President Trump and Hunter was Don Jr.? What you think the media outreach would be? It would lead every news cycle forever. But once again -- well, here you have the last, nothing to do with truth, logic, basic common sense, or fairness.

Instead, they can't help. They want to take down this president that they hate because they're terrified. Guess what, the ultimate revenge if they impeached him is going to be you deciding to reelect him.

Their fears -- well, are warranted. Let's look at the brand-new Zogby polls. President leads all of his Democratic rivals in a head-to-head matchup. Except for Elizabeth Warren, they're tied. And I'm not sure that's going to be the case.

Moody's forecasting a whopping 351 electoral vote win for Trump. Good news? It won't mean anything if the Democrats are able to weaponize the impeachment process.

This is this country, an all hands on deck moment, because without due process, in total secrecy, and Democrats removing a sitting president from office or attempting, this is not how this great republic operates. This is corruption at its worst, it is constitutionally lacking in all validity.

And I don't care if you're a liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican. If you care about truth and justice and due process, you will speak out about this corruption and abuse of power.

Joining us now, the ranking member, House Intel Committee, Devin Nunes, FOX News contributor, Sara Carter.

We'll have Newt Gingrich on and we're gong to have Lindsey Graham on tonight, Congressman, and Lindsey Graham put out a fiery piece today about how corrupt this is and I'm looking at the opposite of what Newt Gingrich did for Bill Clinton. He was afforded every opportunity that they are denying Donald Trump. It is an illegitimate, unconstitutional process to me.

Your thoughts?

REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIF.: Well, I was down there most of the day and this meeting with Ambassador Taylor, and once again, it was the same thing, something leaks out to "The Washington Post," narratives are built.

But the truth is, is that in two minutes, John Ratcliffe destroyed this witness. There's no quid pro quo.

In addition, it continues to be alarming to me the lack of the understanding at the State Department, by the bureaucracy there, about how much the Ukrainians were involved opposing Donald Trump as a candidate. So, you know, just not understanding that the Democrats had paid Christopher Steele for the dossier, which he got information according to Nellie Ohr, from the Ukrainians, this is really frightening that people in the State Department wouldn't have a clue, wouldn't understand why would -- why would the president send Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine?

Well, perhaps because they dirtied him up and it would be his lawyer's responsibility to get over there to Ukraine and figure out what the dirt is to try to defend his client which then was the president of the United States going up against the Mueller witch hunt, as you say.

HANNITY: Well, Congressman, I am being told by my sources, the reason that they're doing this all behind closed doors, the opposite of what Newt Gingrich did for Clinton, the opposite with Nixon, is because every single witness has debunked this notion of a quid pro quo.

NUNES: Yes.

HANNITY: And now, you know, you're the ranking member. You can't go see even a transcript without a Democratic minder in escort, and you can't get copies but they have the copies?

NUNES: Well, I've defined it as watching a slow motion crazy train that's going into impeachment fantasyland looking for the Loch Ness monster. They are at get more and more upset with these witnesses, even though these are all supposed to be their witnesses. Remember, they are not allowing us to have any witnesses.

HANNITY: No witnesses.

NUNES: And as you mentioned today, this whole idea that now we have to have minders looking over us to review a transcript, that is unprecedented. I mean, one of my concerns now as I want to make sure that we preserve the actual audio recordings of these witnesses.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Are trying to -- are they trying to get rid of them?

NUNES: Well, look --

HANNITY: Are they trying to get rid of the tapes?

NUNES: Tradition has been, Republicans and Democrats get the tapes and get the -- and get the transcripts. Being that they're not giving us the transcripts for fear, which, you know, they say fear of leaking -- I mean, are you kidding me? These guys are the king of leaks.

It's absolutely incredible. The leaks come out all day long every day to all the mainstream media, and the media knows it, the media knows the Democrats are getting it from them, and you have the media just assembling outside the SCIF, they would be demanding to have these witch hunt done in public if it was on the other side.

HANNITY: Yes, they wanted the whole Mueller release but not this.

NUNES: Right.

HANNITY: You know, we've got to get to the issue, Sara Carter, and you can report on it. Adam Schiff is corrupt. He lied for two and a half years. He's got all the evidence, all of it, and none of it has related to Trump Russia collusion.

He's a fact witness in this case. He lied about his office and whatever the connection was to the so-called non-whistle-blower.

SARA CARTER, CONTRIBUTOR: Exactly.

HANNITY: Doesn't that -- isn't that a conflict of interest? Isn't that corruption at a pretty high level and now he doesn't want any questions asked of that person?

CARTER: Well, you're absolutely right, Sean. And this is something that a lot of people have been questioning, especially opponents in the Republican Party of Adam Schiff. We've heard Lindsey Graham say this is completely insane. It's insanity.

It's also very frightening because think about this -- we have Schiff, we have the Dems, we have them colluding with former Obama officials it appears, people like John Brennan, James Comey, who appeared to be consistently stalking President Trump and everything he does, and a phone call he makes. And every time he breathes, every time he walks or speaks to someone, and they try to change this strange narrative that there is a reason to impeach him.

First, it was something else, it was Russia. Then they could find no evidence of that. Now, it's Ukraine and now they're trying to go after him.

HANNITY: Then it was obstruction.

CARTER: Then it was obstruction. Yes.

HANNITY: Then it was spitting on the sidewalk. Then it was impeachment.

If he cured cancer, they'd impeach him for curing cancer.

CARTER: It's anything -- exactly, Sean. It's anything that he does.

So, right now, there has to has to be common sense, both in the House and in the Senate, and something actually really needs to be done and you're right, Schiff is a fact witness and the tables need to turn on the Dems and of the Republicans really need to go on the offensive.

HANNITY: All right. Thank you both.

When we come back, Lindsey Graham, a powerful letter, he will break it right here on "Hannity," exclusively, next.

(COMMRECIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

HANNITY: This is a Fox News alert.

Senator Lindsey Graham tonight introducing a new resolution condemning the House of Representatives, their closed-door, illegitimate, unconstitutional impeachment inquiry. He joins us now with more.

Senator, I'm glad to see this happen.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S.C.: Yes.

HANNITY: Censure -- every Republican that was there voted for it yesterday. Democrat shut it down.

Never before has this happened --

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: -- in an impeachment inquiry. Closed doors.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: They won't even -- they won't let a Republican read a transcript without a minder, and God forbid they get a copy of it.

GRAHAM: Yes. So, this resolution puts the Senate on record condemning the House for the future of the presidency.

We cannot allow future presidents and this president to be impeached based on an inquiry in the House that's never been voted upon that does not allow the president to confront the witnesses against him, call witnesses on his behalf and cross-examine people who are accusing him of misdeeds.

All I'm asking is give Donald Trump the same rights as Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton had when it comes to impeachment. And I'm insisting that Donald Trump be given the same rights that any American has at when you're giving a parking ticket, to confront the witnesses against you, can't be based on hearsay.

And here's the point of resolution: any impeachment vote based on this process, to me, is illegitimate, is unconstitutional, and should be dismissed in Senate without a trial.

HANNITY: OK. Now, let's walk through how that gets done.

GRAHAM: OK.

HANNITY: How do you dismiss it without a trial? All of what you are saying is true. Newt Gingrich will join us in a minute. He will explain to us --

GRAHAM: Right, uh-huh.

HANNITY: -- in detail, every consideration. Look, I'll quote you on this whole thing. Every -- you said, the cornerstone of America is jurisprudence, due process. You said the right to confront your accuser, call witnesses on your behalf, challenge the accusations against you. None of that is happening in the House of Representatives.

And where are your fellow senators? I'd like to see them sign your letter.

GRAHAM: Well, it's going to be a resolution. I hope to have a vote on it. I hope I'd get --

HANNITY: Good.

GRAHAM: -- it would be great to have 100. Can you imagine if Republicans were doing this to the Democratic president?

This whole -- this opening statement by Bill Taylor today, everybody is breathless.

Here's the question. Why does the president of Ukraine deny there's a quid pro quo? What do you know that he doesn't know? Why did the president of the Ukraine's say during the phone call, I didn't aid was suspended?

And the president of Ukraine, the alleged victim of all this, denies there was a quid pro quo, he didn't feel threatened by the president of the United States. That only happens if you can confront the witnesses against you.

This process in the House is being conducted behind closed doors, Republicans are being shut out, and if you had an inquiry vote, that allows Republicans and the president to call witnesses and to confront people accusing the president of misdeeds. That's what happened with Clinton, that's what happened with Nixon and Andrew Johnson.

This is un-American in its core. What the House of Representatives is doing is a process of political revenge. It is alien to American due process. It should be dismissed quickly in the United States Senate.

So, what would happen if they impeach the president based on this closed- door, behind-the-scenes, lack of due process inquiry? We should dismiss it without a trial, because it's illegitimate on its face. And if it is allowed to stand, there is no protection for future presidents.

HANNITY: When the president says, and we went over this in my opening monologue tonight. When the president says, can you do me a favor?

Now, we've identified hundreds of times --

GRAHAM: Yes, yes.

HANNITY: -- that is -- that happens to be one of the president's transition phrases and we have the tape.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: Can you do me a favor? Then he talks about the 2016 election interference of Ukraine confirmed by "Politico".

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: January 11, 2017. It isn't also one of his constitutional duties, his sworn oath, to faithfully execute the laws of the land? And I just heard everyone so upset about election interference with Trump and Russian, I would think they'd be on board wanting to help Trump get to the truth. But that's not the case, is it?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S.C.: Not one Democrat has suggested the President Trump is being treated unfairly when it violates every basic principle of due process. We gave about $400 million a year to the Ukraine in aid. So, here's the question, is the political article - Politico article accurate? Is somebody looking at DNC involvement with Ukraine in 2016? As they looked at Trump in Russia. Somebody needs to do that.

So, it's not unfounded for the President to be concerned about Ukrainian interference in our election if you believe the Politico article. But here's the point, we're talking about impeaching the President of the United States, destroying a mandate from the people, a political death sentence and he is not entitled to know who his accusers are. He can't call a witness on his behalf and he can't cross-examine those who are coming forward. And it's all done behind closed door with doors without public scrutiny. This is illegitimate.

HANNITY: Thank you, sir. I hope the rest of the Senate follows you. When we come back. All right, Senator Mitt Romney, very vocal about President Trump in the past few days. When we come back, I have a message for Senator Mitt Romney in a mini monologue. Also, Newt Gingrich weighs in. He actually did allow due process that he gave to Bill Clinton. Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. I feel very unfortunate tonight as I send a message to Mitt Romney Senator Romney. I personally like him. I like his kids. I like his wife Ann. And by the way, I know he would have been a much better President than Obama if he had won in 2012.

I don't know what's going on Mitt, but honestly, you're losing it. And to me, it's kind of sad to watch this, because it's sad to see that frankly you're morphing into what is only a quintessential swamp milk toast kind of weak sanctimonious Washington swamp politician. Very sad to see.

This secret creepy Twitter thing that you used to go after the President and his supporters, that's beyond my understanding. Now, I definitely understand stylistically you are polar opposites. Donald Trump likes a fight and is in the fight every second of every day. That's not you. That's not your personality. I understand that, but we all tried to support you. We backed you a thousand percent. You lost in 2012. And by the way remember as I and many others we went all in for you, as did many other of President Trump supporters. And your friends that love you now, your media friends and all the Democrats, you're great Mitt.

They were the people that were calling you racist and sexist and misogynist over and over and over again and slandering your family. It was not me; it was not Trump supporters calling you all those names. People that are praising you now, they tried to destroy you and your family back then your reputation again wasn't me, wasn't Trump supporters, I was all in. I wanted you to win.

The Left is trying to destroy this President over nothing, Mitt. Nothing. Why are you offering any support to them? Did you read the transcript? By the way, we don't need a non-whistleblower, whistleblower, hearsay whistleblower. So, one needs to ask, are you just jealous that the President is accomplishing everything pretty much you said because I interviewed you a lot, you wanted to accomplish.

And Senator, President Trump is cutting taxes. The biggest deregulation in our lifetime. He is appointing originalists to the Supreme Court. This will impact this country for generations. He's securing the border. He's protecting our Second Amendment rights. He's cutting all these new trade deals that help American farmers, manufacturers and car companies, household median income. It's the highest it has been in U.S. history. Jobless claims are the lowest they have been since 1969.

Mitt, I was eight years old. The economy now, conservative principles is firing on all cylinders including this record low unemployment for African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans and women in the workplace. We have a record number of Americans employed. These are all things that you supported when you were campaigning in 2012.

Now you say you don't like the President's style. I can accept that. I'm from New York, but I also lived in Rhode Island, California, Alabama and Georgia. I understand different states, different styles and I grew up in Long Island. I understand New York, but at this particular point in time if you want to impact change in this country, you've got to win elections. Trump, the fighter won. Mitt Romney nice guy, great family slandered and smeared lost. And you lost to the people that called you every name in the book.

Now, I don't know what your motivation is here. I assume you're trying to maybe whatever raise the level of discourse against these Democrats that treated your family that way. Now you want to join those who really would overthrow this election. We have an election in 12 months and implement Medicare for All, no private insurance, that $96 trillion Green New Deal, because in the end that's who you're helping. And why did you want the President's endorsement. Why did you want to be Secretary of State at one point?

You had no problem embracing the success of President Trump ahead of your recent election. What changed. Why are you now caving to the media mob and the Democrats that like to call you a racist, a misogynist. I don't know do you think they're going to like you now or are they just using you so they can get back their power to implement their policies that will probably destroy this country if it ever happened.

With reaction author of the brand-new book, it is an important defining book Trump versus China facing America's greatest threat. Fox News Contributor Newt Gingrich. I am sincere when I say this. I like Mitt Romney. I liked his family. They were lovely. They were nice and they destroyed this man. They said everything to destroy him. Now what everything that he said he wanted in 2012, Trump's delivering on Mr. Speaker.

NEWT GINGRICH, CONTRIBUTOR: I would be more tolerant of Mitt Romney's concerns about Trump if he was equally strong in his condemnation of the House Democrats. But it's a little strange that he doesn't seem worried by Chairman Schiff who's clearly corrupt, dishonest and maybe even crazy. He doesn't seem worried by the way Nancy Pelosi is cheating on the rules. He doesn't seem worried by the kind of star chamber on American model of secrecy, but somehow every once in a while, he shows up, says something bad about Trump, gets some press coverage.

And I think that said, I think Mitt is a smarter person than that. I think he has greater potential than that and I'm not asking him to not say how he feels about President Trump, but I am asking him to maybe give us some balance and point out the things that are wrong with Pelosi, Schiff, the House Democrats, so people can understand, this is not all occurring in isolation.

That's the - to me the biggest disappointment. The other day when Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska described what the Democrats are doing in the House as a circus clown show. I thought that was at the right level of condemnation and the right level of contempt and reinforces what Senator Lindsey Graham wants to do in passing a resolution that says look, if you don't go to a reasonable American process we are not going to take seriously whatever you pass.

HANNITY: Mr. Speaker when you were the speaker and the impeachment issue of Bill Clinton came up. If I remember correctly, you had a Full House authorization of that inquiry that you allowed the Full House at every critical step to define the scope, establish rules, establish procedures, you granted coequal subpoena power to the chair, ranking member at the committee level, you also required all subpoenas to be subject to the vote of the full committee at the request of either the chair or the ranking member, you allowed the president's counsel the right to attend all hearings, depositions.

The president's counsel had the right to present evidence, the right to object to admitting certain evidence, the right to cross-examine witnesses and the right to recommend a witness list. Am I wrong in any of those things?

GINGRICH: No, I think anybody who really wants to see the truth can go to a book by former Congressman Jim Rogan called Catching the Flag. Rogan was a young member of the Judiciary Committee. When we were faced, remember, we are forced to act by a report from an independent counsel Ken Starr that says Bill Clinton is guilty on 11 counts. And when I watched and looked at Bob Mueller's report, I waited for the word guilty. It didn't show up one time.

So, Pelosi doesn't have any kind of report for independent counsel with 11 counts of being guilty. We then looked at that and we decided Henry Hyde was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. We sent Jim Rogan up to New Jersey to sit down with Peter Rodino who had been the Chairman - the Democrat Chairman of the impeachment committee under then with Nixon and Rodino walked Rogan through how to do it, so it was fair, it was open. It was worthy of the American people. It reinforced the constitution.

We adopted every single rule that Rogan--

HANNITY: Democrats.

GINGRICH: Rodino had used in 1973.

HANNITY: Let me ask you this--

GINGRICH: It was so bipartisan that Dick Gephardt actually - the Democratic leader held a joint press conference with me on a bipartisan basis to say that we were going to print the entire report, so the American people could see it. The opposite of the way that Speaker Pelosi has done this.

HANNITY: All right. Trump versus China facing America's greatest threat bookstores. Hannity.com, Amazon.com. And we have a full interview about the book on my website, hannity.com. Mr. Speaker congratulations and thank you.

When we come back, Hunter Biden has agreed to take a paternity test after a woman claims he fathered a child. Wow, Trace Gallagher has the details. Plus remember the anonymous so-called Trump official wrote an op ed slamming the administration. The anonymous person has an anonymous book. Dan Bongino, Geraldo, straight ahead.

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HANNITY: So, the Left's hypocrisy is exposed tonight as stories emerge of while salacious scandals playing their members. And as you hear this just imagine how the liberal media would react. The mob would react if these reports were about Republicans. Trace Gallagher as the very latest from our New York newsroom tonight. Trace.

TRACE GALLAGHER, CORRESPONDENT: Sean, Democratic Congresswoman Katie Hill is clearly viewed as a rising star of the party's new progressive wing and was quickly brought into the party's leadership. Then news broke about her being in a so-called thruple, a relationship with her now estranged husband Kenny Heslep and a 22-year-old unidentified female staffer.

Hill's supporters say it was between consenting adults. But now red state has obtained text messages between Heslep and the female staffer that appeared to call into question both the power structure of the thruple and how the staffer felt the relationship was abusive. Writing to Heslep, "it was a dark time and you treated me really poorly, but I also stayed which I also have to own."

In response, Hill's estranged husband writes "don't take full responsibility for staying with people that are abusing you. That is basically victim blaming and none of it was your fault." The staffer also said she was afraid to push back against Katie Hill for fear of losing her partner and her job.

Kenny Heslep also claims Katie Hill was abusive to him and accused her of now having an affair with a male staffer. Hill denies the affair with a male staffer and told Politico, it was her estranged husband who was abusive and is now trying to humiliate her by making vindictive claims.

Now separately, an Arkansas woman now claims Hunter Biden is the father of her 14-month-old child. Biden publicly denied the child as his, but the woman says he admitted to her that he was the father in private. Hunter Biden has now agreed to take a DNA test to settle the matter. Sean.

HANNITY: OK. Trace Gallagher. Also remember that "senior Trump administration official wrote the anonymous op ed." The media went nuts over for the fake news New York Times Well, the cowardly anti-Trumpers writing a book, by the way, nobody knows who it is, and they'll go nuts with that book. Here with reaction the author of a real book, the New York Times bestseller exonerated Fox News Contributor Dan Bongino. Fox News Correspondent At Large, Geraldo Rivera.

GERALDO RIVERA, CORRESPONDENT AT LARGE: Hey, Sean.

HANNITY: Just look at the whole mess. You know there'd be a double standard. You know if it was a conflicted Republican running this impeachment witch hunt behind closed doors, not needing minders for Republicans to even look at a transcript. This is not what you followed impeachment of Clinton. Newt Gingrich did not do this to Clinton.

RIVERA: And Nixon. I remember how long I have been around. I know the President is clearly being denied his constitutional due process, it is a kangaroo court. You know instead of the President using you know racially charged analogies, he could have easily just said kangaroo court, Captain Kangaroo is Adam Schiff, it's clear. The President is being deprived his basic rights under the Constitution of the United States. It's appalling.

But on those stories that you're mentioned tonight, I just want to say that Hunter Biden said that he could have loved children scattered all over the globe. It's of no interest to us. It's not like China, it's not like Ukraine. It doesn't reflect on his father's time as vice president. This is clearly a 49-year-old whose life is a mess. You know in and out of rehab and all the rest of it. God bless him. I hope that everything goes OK for everybody and the child is raised happily and well.

But listen, hypocrisy rules. This book coming out. My goodness you know how I feel about rats and snitches and vipers and backstabbers. I didn't like the anonymous resistance fighter when it was just an op ed piece. Now it's a whole book. Imagine if you're President Trump, you go to work in the West Wing there and you see people in their heads down on the desk and you think they're doing a job. What they're really doing is waiting for any vulnerability in the President, anything they could snitch. Anything they can tattle, anything they can peddle to their friends at The Washington Post. Well the New York Times or whatever media outlet is condemning the President that day, Sean.

HANNITY: And Dan, the fact that nobody calls us out. In fact, this is allowed to go on led by a corrupt, conflicted case, witness Schiff is unbelievable to me.

DAN BONGINO, CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I mean think about what happened today, Sean. Bill Taylor in this testimony which was supposed to be revelatory. Well, what did we really find out that this so-called quid pro quo for the military aid that Taylor admitted that the Ukrainians didn't even know the military aid was held up until August? Now for the Liberals watching we have a tough time with dates, calendars and chronology.

The call was in July, which means it's a really bad attempt at extortion if you don't tell the people you're extorting them. Sean, another takeaway from this testimony today Taylor has admitted, he didn't even see a readout of the call. So again, you, me and Geraldo now have more information about the call than Bill Taylor did, because he never even saw the transcript.

And keep in mind, this is also the guy who was answered in a text by Gordon Sondland that Sondland that had spoken to the President and said, the President said, let me be crystal clear, there is no quid pro quo. Only to a liberal, does that mean there is a quid pro quo or a media tie. That's the only translation a liberal understands of no quid pro quo, which is just bizarre.

HANNITY: This is so dangerous.

RIVERA: And one cautionary note about Katie Hill if I have a chance. Be aware of information you get from abusive - allegedly abusive ex-husbands being thrown out by the spouse.

HANNITY: Listen, it just would be - all I am saying about it. I'm not getting involved in her personal life. I don't give a flying rib, but if it was a Republican, it'd be very different, Geraldo. We all know that's a fact. Big difference. Straight ahead.

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HANNITY: All right, unfortunately that's all the time we have left this evening. Remember, we, this show will always pursuit truth to the end, expect in November. Yes, finally the Inspector General report. We'll never be the rage, hate, psychotic media mob. Don't forget, DVR Hannity, so you never miss an episode and let not your heart be troubled. Laura Ingraham is next. And we'll see you back here tomorrow night.

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