Woman who knew Kavanaugh in high school speaks out

close

Video

Woman who knew Kavanaugh in high school speaks out

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces allegations of sexual misconduct; women who worked with or know Kavanaugh respond on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

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

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: Good evening. I'm Laura Ingraham and this is "The Ingraham Angle." Hurricane Florence is sweeping through the Carolinas. We're going to keep you updated with critical reports throughout the hour.

And now Democrats scrambling with their 11th hour smears against Brett Kavanaugh.

Plus, new explosive Page-Strzok texts blow the lid open on a media FBI loop that looks like it was meant to take Trump out from the beginning. Oh, that's a shock.

And Maxine Waters compares Trump's immigration policy to -- you guessed it -- slavery. All that head, and of course the "Friday Follies" with Raymond Arroyo so stick around for that. But first, let go right to Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan who is in North -- Topsail Beach in North Carolina. Steve, what do you see?

STEVE HARRIGAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Laura, outside of the camera lights and police lights, much of this part of the coast of North Carolina is in the dark. More than 500,000 North Carolinians without electric power, many in homes that have been damaged by the winds, damaged by flooding.

That means they have no air conditioning, no TV, no cell phone service, and some of them are in life-threatening conditions. Now, the rescues have begun already. People coming from around the country, swift boat rescue teams from at least 19 states here. That's one of the remarkable things about these storms. It really brings out the volunteers from all over.

The police chief here said they are going to set out at first light to see some areas they have not yet seen. We have finally gotten a break after 30 hours from that pounding rain and wind. That wind, strong enough to damage houses along the coast.

Not major structural damage, but bits and pieces. Some part of roofs, balconies, things like that blown off making the roads very treacherous for travel. But they will start out tomorrow morning to try and help those people as those floodwaters continue to rise here across the state. Laura, back to you.

INGRAHAM: All right, Steve, thanks so much. Stay safe. And now let's get to Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal who is in Wilmington, North Carolina. Rick?

RICK LEVENTHAL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: And Laura, I just want to update Steve's numbers. There are now roughly 800,000 customers across North Carolina without power including as far as we can tell, everyone here in Wilmington. Wrightsville Beach was in the dark as well where we were for the last few days.

And the water there today rose to the highest it's ever been, almost five feet above high tide. So the roads there were completely flooded for hours today and a lot of homes put at risk. We drove from there into a neighborhood just on the other side of the intracoastal and saw dozens of trees that have toppled.

A lot of branches down and big old trees, some of them 50 years-old or more that were blocking roads. They weren't letting anyone in except residents and tree companies because they need to clear all that debris out of the way. The roads, treacherous, many flooded areas and the traffic lights are all out.

We saw state troopers (ph) in a lot of intersectiones because there is no traffic light working in this part of North Carolina and they expect things to continue get worse. The trees coming down, it is a bigger problem that people might realize. A tree fell on a house here in Wilmington earlier today and killed a woman and her infant child and the husband was also injured.

He was taken to the hospital. But two of the five dead were from a tree coming down and someone else died when they were trying to plug in a generator and plug in an extension cord. So a lot of the hazards come, Laura, as you know after the hurricane passes. But, by the way, it's still storming out here.

We had a band (ph) come through minutes ago that was almost as ferocious as the hurricane itself. So, they are expecting more of these bands to come through as night comes on and the rain to continue for two or three more days. So the flooding hazards will continue for a while here.

INGRAHAM: Thanks so much, Rick. Rick and Steve, two of the hardest working reporters out there covering Hurricane Florence. And we will continue to bring you live updates from North Carolina throughout the hour.

Meanwhile, the MeToo movement has become, let's face it, a powerful force as victims have come forward to make accusations against those who they say abused them. We have seen this in Hollywood, major figures taken out, the media, major figures taken out, politics, ditto.

Firsthand accounts backed up by witnesses have led to some of the accused admit their guilt in the end, which brings us to the latest charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Now, in this case, no one has come forward and witnesses dispute the charge.

But The New Yorker is reporting allegations of an unnamed woman who claims that Kavanaugh, while in high school tried to force himself upon her. Now, Kavanaugh is vehemently denying it took place in high school or at any time. And the only other corroborating witness has no recollection of it whatsoever.

So what are we left with? A nearly four decades old anonymous charge released late in the game. Now, remember we told you late last night that Senator Dianne Feinstein had a letter containing allegations back in July related to this. Well, she chose to sit on it. So she let Brett Kavanaugh go through a series of Senate meetings, three days' worth of seemingly unending testimony on the Senate Judiciary Committee and answer 263 pages worth of follow up questions.

But now, at the last minute, the Democrats drop this bombshell on him and some of this media people just lap it up. It's all eerily reminiscent of what the Democrats did to my old boss, Clarence Thomas, 25 plus years ago after a leaked FBI memo they reopened his confirmation proceeding so they could basically publicly humiliate Thomas and his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARENCE THOMAS, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: How would any member on this committee, any person in this room or any person in this country would like sleaze said about him or her in this fashion? Or this dirt dredged up and this gossip and these lies displayed in this manner? How would any person like it? The Supreme Court is not worth it. No job is worth it. I am not here for that. I am here for my name, my family, my life, and my integrity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: The Kavanaugh case has an all too familiar taint, doesn't it? Detailed legitimate concerns should be dealt with in the FBI background check process or then followed up at, of course, in the public hearings. Not in this 11th hour media circus.

Joining us now with reaction is Meghan McCaleb. She is one of 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school who wrote a letter supporting him. Helgi Walker, worked with Brett Kavanaugh in the White House Counsel's Office, Porter Wilkinson is a former clerk for Judge Kavanaugh.

Helgi, let's start with you. Of the entire panel, you have known Brett Kavanaugh the longest. And, I am livid about what they are doing to him. I can imagine you are as well. Your reaction?

HELGI WALKER, WORKED WITH JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Laura, you and I have been friends with Judge Kavanaugh. We used to call him Brett for 25 years. I have also worked with him in the White House Counsel's Office side by side every day. He treated me like a serious lawyer, like his equal, like his teammate in every fashion.

He took me seriously. He debated issues with me. This is a man who treats women with the utmost respect, courtesy. He is a complete gentleman. He is a kind and a gentle and a decent person. And it make me upset too, Laura, that somebody who is willing to be on the Supreme Court who we are fortunate to have a person of those qualification be willing to serve to be smeared like this at the very last minute.

It was such an obvious attempt to try to stop him or at least tarnish him in some way because some people just can't accept the fact that he is so well-qualified --

INGRAHAM: Oh, he's going to be confirmed.

WALKER: -- and that he is going to be on the Supreme Court.

INGRAHAM: Meghan, I want to go to you because there has been some whispering around Washington about this letter, the 65 classmates who signed this letter in support of Judge Kavanaugh. And it was said that this letter had been written long ago. Is that the case because I know you signed it? I just want to clear that up once and for all.

MEGHAN MCCALEB, SIGNED LETTER IN KAVANAUGH DEFENSE: No. That is absolutely not the case. We got wind of this his yesterday from my husband who received a call from a reporter with those allegations. And we couldn't believe it. Absolutely couldn't believe it. I have known Brett since I was a freshman in high school and we knew we had to rally around him.

INGRAHAM: So have you known him since high school. You have known him longer than we have. And if anything in his character indicate behavior such as that is alleged today, again, by an anonymous person in a letter that Feinstein sat on since July. Anything in his background or character?

MCCALEB: Absolutely nothing. He always treated us -- girls with respect always. And it was simple to find 65 women to sign that letter from five different high schools. Everybody jumped on board and was happy to sign it on his behalf. And they all saw it and agreed with it.

INGRAHAM: I have to say, I think this is a big embarrassment for the MeToo movement. There are legitimate claims that have been raised and voiced and people put their names behind those claims and accusations even if they are long ago.

This is someone who refuses to give her name for whatever reason and it ends up in the hands of Dianne Feinstein and never released. Porter, I have to ask you about this. What about those circumstances. Dianne Feinstein doing this in this way.

PORTER WILKINSON, FORMER KAVANAUGH LAW CLERK: Well, I'm not a political commentator and so I don't have a lot to say about the way that Dianne Feinstein have handled this besides for the fact that I believe that she takes the concerns of women seriously. And if she thought that there was a serious credible allegation here, that she would have come forth sooner and said something and during the FBI background check or the hearing.

INGRAHAM: Tell us about Judge Kavanaugh the boss.

WILKINSON: I was a law clerk to Judge Kavanaugh in 2007 and 2008 and I worked closely with him day in and day out, helping him prepare for cases and decide cases. And he is unfailingly kind and respectful. A man of the highest character, unassailable integrity, and these allegations are (inaudible) inconsistent with the man that I have known well for over a decade.

INGRAHAM: You know what's amazing ladies, is that there was a tweet from Obama's top guy, Brian Fallon, the campaign or is it Hillary's campaign, excuse me. And he tweeted this out today in response to this Emily Singer (ph) tweet. Emily Singer tweeted, "Makes the whole bring in the daughter's basketball team and talk about how great a coach he was look even more transparent."

And then Fallon tweets back, "And his emphasis on hiring women clerks." I would like you to respond to that so, in other words, he hired female clerks for 12 years in anticipation of being nominated to the Supreme Court. Porter?

WILKINSON: Laura, I'm not alone in my assessment of Judge Kavanaugh. I think you know that women from every phase of his life have written letters to the Senate Judiciary Committee supporting his nomination. Every single one of his female clerks who was not prohibited from signing a letter based on their current employment vouched for his character, his integrity, the fact that it is because of him that they are succeeding in their careers.

INGRAHAM: There is an moment in an interview I did with Justice Thomas last November so, we just started THE INGRAHAM ANGLE, about whether this whole process and what he went through, again, an 11th hour hit, leaked FBI memo that was already investigated by the FBI and dismissed accusation by Anita Hill. And this is what he said. Let' watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Twenty-eight years ago you went through the worst confirmation spectacle in history. Was it worth it?

THOMAS: I think we are called to do certain things. I don't think anyone would choose to go through unpleasantness, but if it has to be that to do what is right then so be it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAN: Helgi.

WALKER: Well, I clerked for Justice Thomas like you did, Laura, and we're part of that special family and it's just so disappointing that the confirmation process and the Senate Judiciary Committee has sunk so low. We could be having a conversation about the constitution. We could be having a conversation about the 300 opinions that Judge Kavanaugh has written. We could be talking about the future of our country.

Instead, we are talking about trash, smut, anonymous allegations and even Justice Ginsburg yesterday, a liberal icon, a fighter for women's rights, respected by so many people across the aisle said, the confirmation process, the way it is now is wrong. So, if liberals don't believe Justice Ginsburg then I don't know who they will listen to.

INGRAHAM: Meghan, have you been in touch with Judge Kavanaugh? How is he doing? How is his family doing throughout this process? It certainly was rough in that confirmation hearing especially when they had the planned protests and you have the, you know, all the usual suspects disrupting the proceedings for so long.

MCCABE: You know, I saw them at the hearings and they are doing as well as to be expected.

INGRAHAM: Well, there was one moment last night and I want you I guys to respond, maybe Helgi. This is Lawrence O'Donnell raising this issue, this allegation. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, MSNBC HOST: The fact that the senator and the congresswoman issued statements about it today and took the step -- Senator Feinstein took the step to the FBI, is where we are now and we do not know where we're going to be tomorrow.

RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC HOST: No, this is, I mean, we overuse the word unprecedented for Supreme Court nominations even with the Clarence Thomas background. This is absolutely unprecedented.

O'DONNELL: It really is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: (inaudible) just so pathetic. I'm sorry. Even at "Morning Joe" this morning had to say, this is kind of -- I mean, even they were -- they can't stand Trump at "Morning Joe." Even they were saying come on, guys. This is -- you have made a mockery of the senate confirmation process for the Supreme Court. We have all these incredibly impressive women.

Porter who is not a political person, decided to come on and put her name out there tonight. Obviously Meghan, did you out same thing. Helgi you have better things to do, but you are out here to stand against unfairness.

WALKER: And I would like American women to know that all the women on this set today are accomplished impressive women excluding myself who have things to say and we all think he is great. And would you take the word of people who have known him for 25 years or would you listen to this ridiculous last-minute character assassination.

INGRAHAM: All of you, thank you so much for joining us tonight, Porter, Helgi and Meghan. And what an embarrassment for the media. First, this desperate attempt to smear Kavanaugh, then they reported a story about a U.S. ambassador early this morning that turns out to be totally false. The New York Times hit piece indicated that Nikki Haley had spent nearly $53,000, indicated, on curtains in her residence in New York.

Except, guess what? It wasn't Trump's State Department. It was Obama's. So The Times is now walking back that story. Like, if you are going to do a hit job, don't fall flat on your face my friends. Joining me now with reaction is Howie Kurtz, the host of "Media Buzz" which airs Sundays here on FNC.

Howie, how are you? Big news night for a Friday night and we have to hit this Nikki Haley thing first because this seems reminiscent of the Ben Carson spending too much money and Scott Pruitt flying around on (inaudible) and now it's Nikki Haley. Something didn't just -- it didn't ring true to me when I heard it. What really happened?

HOWARD KURTZ, FOX NEWS HOST: One of the worst headlines I have ever seen in the New York Times or any other newspaper trying to paint Nikki Haley some kind of out of control, Scott Pruitt spending tens of thousands of dollars on unnecessary luxuries.

Except when you read down to the fourth paragraph of the story, it says that she had nothing to do with this purchase of these $50,000 curtains. It was the Obama State Department as you say. And the editors now say, well gee, we created unfair impression and we should not have focused on Nikki Haley.

What was missing is two things. One is the story should have been obliterated, blown up, digitally erased because it has no longer has any reason to be and there should be an apology from the paper to Nikki Haley.

INGRAHAM: Yes. I mean, I saw that there was an editor's note. Who reads an editor's note? That's like way down at the bottom of the story. I mean, that's it? They are able to do that at the New York Times, assail her character, which essentially is what it was, and then add a little blitz at the end?

KURTZ: Well, at least there was some acknowledgment of all the criticism with the editor. I just don't think the editor know it went far enough. Not only was it a bad headline, when you say that it was unfair to famous as a Nikki Haley expenditure then the story simply has no reason --

INGRAHAM: But Howie, they should be publishing above the fold in tomorrow's paper a print edition if they want to gain a shred of credibility back because the New York Slimes -- I'm sorry -- it's what they are now, is proving themselves to be another extension of the DNC. That's all it is. DNC, Obama, Hillary -- whatever it is.

If the old gray lady, you know, should be red-faced with shame after -- just that one piece. I got to ask you about this Ronan Farrow getting this memo though today and again, it's the same letter that Dianne Feinstein gets. He gets it, then he goes on TV and starts talking about it. Well, he won the Pulitzer Prize. He has a lot of credibility in reporting these issues.

Obviously, Weinstein, and what NBC did to stop that story and other cases like it. But I was kind of surprised that he decided to kind of like go on television and talk about this given how thin and how old and how uncorroborated this particular allegation is.

KURTZ: Yes. Well before Ronan Farrow did that today, I think most of the media were sort of cautious about what had all the earmarks of a late hit. I mean, mysterious letter, anonymous accuser who had something that may allegedly have happened when Brett Kavanaugh was 17 years old.

But Ronan Farrow, because of his credibility I reporting on Harvey Weinstein and Les Moonves, sort of gave the rest of the media cover to now go on TV and (inaudible) -- he did not interview this woman. He got a hold of the memo and you know --

INGRAHAM: Big deal.

KURTZ: I admire his reporting but I think it's fair to point out that he worked for the Obama state department.

INGRAHAM: Again, I will say, what he did on the other stories, that's called shoe leather reporting. This is taking a little gift wrapped up from Dianne Feinstein and going on television and say, OK, everybody else, you are clear. You have cover to go off and talk about this as if it is something that happened, you know, five years ago in his office over there at the D.C. Circuit.

I'm telling you this is insult to real assault cases and real sexual harassment. Women who've been victimized should see this for what it is. A pure political attack, late hit on a great man. I really appreciate it. Go ahead, last word.

KURTZ: We just don't know the details because the accuser is anonymous and unlike Anita Hill at least, testified and was cross-examined. The media need to be extraordinarily careful, Laura, about not being used in an 11th hour smear.

INGRAHAM: I appreciate it, Howie Kurtz.

And Paul Manafort has accepted a plea deal with the special counsel Bob Mueller and Trump haters celebrating. Joe DiGenova explains why they might want to save the confetti.

Plus, some explosive new texts between Strzok and Page. All that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: All he had to do is look at the plea. The plea is the crimes that have to do with Manafort's past. No involvement with President Trump. No involvement with the campaign. No involvement with Russia. And, by the way, there is also no evidence of obstruction. There have been four guilty pleas now. And they are completely irrelevant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: That was Rudy Giuliani moments ago with Sean Hannity shredding the narrative of the resistance after Paul Manafort agreed to plead guilty in a deal with special counsel Bob Mueller today. And despite the media proclamations all day long, we still don't know that Manafort is cooperating with Mueller's team against President Trump.

Joining me now to break it all down, Joe DiGenova, is a former U.S. attorney in Washington, and Kendall Coffey, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Gentlemen, great to see both of you. Joe, you said earlier today, I believe, that this is a Potemkin village. This is a mirage. Tell our viewers why that is.

JOE DIGENOVA, FOMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, this was done for the benefit of Mr. Mueller and the benefit of Mr. Manafort. It accomplishes absolutely nothing. It has nothing to do with Mr. Mueller's mandate. It prevents Mr. Manafort from getting consecutive time. It also prevents Mr. Mueller from having to go through a trial and waste resources.

And it also permits Mr. Manafort to cooperate in the ongoing investigation by Mueller of Tony Podesta and of others including Gregory Craig, formerly of the law firm Skadden Arps. So all in all, I would say the walls are closing in but not on the president.

INGRAHAM: Kendall, I want to go to you because Alan Dershowitz called this a big deal today. He said, you know, basically this was not great news for the administration. He also then discussed the issue of a possible pardon and the timing of a pardon for Paul Manafort. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL PROFESOR: I think once he agrees to cooperate, he has to cooperate about everything. There is no such thing as partial cooperation. The question is did he cooperate too late? Would he have been better off cooperating before his first trial?

I think he was perhaps hoping for a pardon. And then the question comes up, did the president act too late if he was going to pardon, he would have been much better off pardoning early rather than waiting until he has already cooperated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Kendall, your thoughts on the pardon issue and overall development today with the Manafort plea.

KENDALL COFFEY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, it doesn't look like a pardon is going to happen. Manafort may have waited for one hopefully and then decided he had to throw in the towel. But I don't agree that this is a major, major event. Manafort really have no choice after he lost the first trial.

And if indeed he had the goods on the president, don't you think he would have been cooperating a long time ago if he that kind of leverage? If we look at this set of criminal charges and compare it to Michael Cohen -- now the Michael Cohen charges did try to take an aim at the president. This doesn't do anything like that.

And in fact, if you look at the charges, rather than suggesting collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, it suggests collusion between Manafort and Democrats with respect to the apparently allegedly illegal efforts to lobby on behalf of Ukrainian government forces.

INGRAHAM: Yes. And before we get to the Strzok-Page text, Joe, you mentioned briefly Greg Craig, former Obama White House counsel for the first year of the administration. He is now -- I guess they are weighing federal charges against him in the Southern District of New York as unregistered foreign agent and against his old law firm, Skadden Arps, which full disclosure, I worked for 20 years ago.

But, that's an interesting development for people who haven't been following this. They are sucking up perhaps the Podesta, sucking up Greg Craig. Again, none of it related to Trump but it is related to the idea of working on behalf of foreign countries and not disclosing it. So, where is the collusion there?

DIGENOVA: Well, there is none for President Trump and his campaign. There is plenty there for the Democrats, not only the derivation of the dossier and the working with Russian officials to generate it through Christopher Steele. But it was obvious and that's why Podesta, Tony Podesta, had to close his lobbying form because they had never registered as foreign agents.

And that case was turned over and it's now quite evident that the southern district of New York is investigating both Gregory Craig for his role in the undisclosed Ukraine work from the United States and Mr. Podesta. This is all good quite good for the president because it makes his point quite beautifully and I must say, with some fashion.

This is where the rubber meets the road. There never has been any evidence of collusion by the president of the United States and his campaign and actually the plea by Manafort today simply underscores that.

INGRAHAM: Yes. And it's not clear that Manafort is cooperating on Trump. He could be cooperating on the Greg Craig-Podesta issue instead. I want to move on though to another big story. Tonight, more explosive texts just released between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. And it includes this exchange, check it out, from December 19th, 2016 rigth after the election.

Strzok text Page the following, "It will make your head spin to realize how many stories we played a personal role in." Page responds, "Sheesh, this has been quite a year" and forwards a link to the New York Times most read stories of 2016. Kendall, what does this tell you about the paramour's involvement with the media in setting a narrative against Trump and his associates?

COFFEY: Yes, deeper and worse than we thought. We already thought it was pretty bad. They talked about stopping the Trump candidacy, now they are orchestrating a media campaign. And by the way, throwing some things in there, how they're going to maybe setup some pretexts for interviews, coordinating ongoing leaks, obviously aimed at the Trump administration.

So this is a serious thing. And what is going to be difficult is trying to understand and nail down how much influence did they have on others who were involved. They were high ranking people. They were involved in critical periods during all of this, but where is the influence end and how do we diagnose just how much of a taint there is on this?

INGRAHAM: And Lindsey Graham, of course, has called for a second special counsel, Joe DiGenova. Jeff Sessions, you know, god bless him. Rod Rosenstein -- like this is screaming investigation. We have the inspector general investigation ongoing, but this needs a Justice Department regular process investigation or a special counsel. This is ridiculous.

Setting up a pretext for interviews of Trump officials based on leaks that they planted in the media. So it's like this -- it's this feedback loop in order to get the Trump folks. This is -- they call Trump and autocrat? This is maddening.

DIGENOVA: As I've been saying for two years, there was a brazen plot to illegally exonerate Hillary Clinton in the email case, and then if she lost to frame Donald Trump. And that is exactly what these texts are about. Whether or not Mr. Strzok and Lisa Page and others are indicted is certainly a question people can debate. But let me just say, I know there was a grand jury underway. Testimony is being taken about Strzok, Page, McCabe, and others involved in this case, and the reason we know it is that James Baker, the former general counsel at the FBI has turned states' evidence and is fully cooperated with the inspector general and with the federal grand jury. I can assure you, Mr. Comey has been very silent in recent weeks, and the reason is very simple. He knows he's going to be indicted.

INGRAHAM: Wow, pretty explosive on a Friday night. Joe and Kendall, thanks so much.

And up next, some appalling comments from Chelsea Clinton about abortion, and the reboot that Les Moonves should be most worried about. Our Friday Follies segment with Raymond Arroyo coming up.

And we'll head back to North Carolina for a live update on Florence's incredibly destructive path. Don't move.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: Tropical storm Florence is currently inundating the Carolinas with unprecedented rainfall, wreaking havoc across the region, power outages in the hundreds of thousands. For more let's go to Fox News correspondent Leland Vittert. Leland, last time we talked was this morning on radio, but last night you had made very, very close friends with a beautiful tall, lanky lamppost. So what does tonight bring, Leland?

(LAUGHTER)

LELAND VITTERT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, my savior the lamppost is over there. Thank you very much, Mr. Lamppost. You saved me last night. Boy, what a difference 24 hours makes. You probably wouldn't want to go for romantic stroll here in Morehead, North Carolina. But it's not that terrible out. You still have the rain coming down. We've had 24 inches so far here. And that's going to be really the story of Florence.

There is wind damage clearly over on Atlantic Beach. There's roofs blown off, there's stores destroyed, but not utter devastation sometimes that you see with really huge, huge powerful hurricanes. This is going to be a flooding hurricane, which means it's going to take another couple of days to figure out just how bad this is. Already talked to the captain of one of the boats that's normally here. He said there are parts now that his friends can't get to, that no one can get to, that are completely cut off and destroyed as the floodwaters continue to rise.

He said, though, the most important thing about people here is that they come together as a community. All of these are small communities. He said we don't ask for help. We don't need it. We just get it done. And coming up, there is going to be a lot to get done, Laura.

INGRAHAM: Leland, please stay safe out there. And it's good to see you tonight, and great work all throughout this hurricane, which means, look, it's Friday. And what does that mean? It's time for Friday's Follies.

Chelsea Clinton may need to atone after some remarks about abortions that she just made. Chelsea Clinton is in a little bit of hot water because she made a remark about an issue which is a little rough.

RAYMOND ARROYO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: And religion, which is the problem.

INGRAHAM: Yes. Well, for answers we are joined by "New York Times" bestselling author of the "Will Wilder" series, Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo. Raymond, Chelsea was on Sirius XM radio today and made some alarming remarks. What's going on?

ARROYO: Yes, she did. Listen to this, Laura. This is a town hall meeting, a left of center one. She's clearly setting herself up for a political run. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHELSEA CLINTON, DAUGHTER OF BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON: When I think about all of the statistics that are painful of what women are confronting today in our country and what even more women confronted pre-Roe, we just can't go back to that. I think that's unconscionable to me. And also, and I'm sure this will unleash another wave of hate in my direction, but as a deeply religious person it's also un-Christian to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: So it's un-Christian to stop people from having abortions. Now, look, no matter where you stand on this issue, and it is a deeply hurtful issue for a lot of people and a wrenching one, to suggest that people who defend life are somehow acting in an un-Christian manner, the men and women who through their religion believe their religion compels them to protect innocent life, these are remarks that I think people are going to be outraged.

INGRAHAM: And she says it's going to unleash hate. No, it doesn't unleash hate. It's disbelief. You can disagree about this issue, but it's almost -- you are questioning the Christian beliefs of those who believe it's right to protect the most vulnerable.

ARROYO: And you will remember a month ago, she said abortion actually contributed $3.5 trillion in the economy because all the mothers who went into the workplace because they were free of their children.

INGRAHAM: How about those millions of babies who weren't born.

ARROYO: Right, who weren't contributing to the economy. All of this reminded me of Nancy Pelosi, who you'll remember, the theologian in 2008 had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: And as ardent practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is that over the centuries the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And senator -- Saint Augustine said at three months. You don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Saint Augustine considered abortion evil violence and said it was deeply immoral. So Nancy Pelosi, she's many things. She can whip up votes. Theologian --

INGRAHAM: Move over St. Thomas Aquinas, because Nancy Pelosi is in town.

ARROYO: Laura, as you know, Les Moonves was ejected from CBS after six more women came forward accusing him of abuse. And the CBS board is investigating to see how big a severance package he'll get. His wife Julie Chen appeared finally on "Big Brother," a show she has hosted for 18 years. Here she is last night as she closed out the hour. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIE CHEN MOOVES: I'm Julie Chen Moonves. Good night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: It's the first time she has ever identified as Julie Chen Moonves as a sign of support for her husband.

INGRAHAM: I thought Les was going to pop out of that door. That would have been more fun. Hi, I'm back.

ARROYO: Had the cameras of "Big Brother" been in the CBS hallways we might have really had a show on our hands.

INGRAHAM: It was the finale.

ARROYO: That was the finale of that for the season. But other women at CBS from days past are now coming forward, like Linda Bloodworth Thomason who was responsible for "Designing Women." She has a harrowing account where she says he ended her career and killed many shows with women in the lead. She wrote one thing in The Hollywood Reporter, this is kind of terrifying, of a major actress. She said "Coming off the cancellation of her iconic detective show, the star began pitching a new one. He informed her that she was too old to be on the network. He began to cry and stood up to go. He stood up, took her by the shoulders, telling her, I can't get you leave like this. She reacted, suddenly touched, then he shoved his tongue down her throat. I know this happened because the star is the person who told me." It is believed that that star is probably Angela Lansbury who was getting 40 million viewers a week when her show was cancelled.

INGRAHAM: Linda Bloodworth Thomason, good friends of the Clintons, remember.

ARROYO: Now "Designing Women" is coming back, so is "Murphy Brown." But there's one reboot that I can promise you Les Moonves will not want to see again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: I think it will be "Murder She Does" if Lansbury comes back, and it will be Les Moonves on the other end of that one. So you won't be seeing that reboot.

INGRAHAM: Julie Chen Moonves.

ARROYO: Julie Chen Moonves.

INGRAHAM: Thanks, Raymond.

And just when we think we have heard it all, Maxine Waters comes out with a new charge against the Trump administration. It may make your head explode, just in time for the weekend. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: By now you might have thought that Maxine Waters tank of insults against President Trump has run empty. But check out her latest diatribe from a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS, D-CALIFORNIA: In these United States with a president the likes of Donald Trump, I've never seen it in my life. I think he's the most deplorable, the most despicable human being I've ever encountered. I believe there has been collusion, and I'm just waiting on Mueller and our special counsel to get those documents.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Joining us now with reaction is Horace Cooper, cofounder of Project 21, along with civil rights attorney Leo Terrell. Horace, let's start with you. Maxine Waters is the toast of the town. If you are someone who wants to impeach Trump and you're anti-Trump, Maxine Waters is kind of -- she is what Ruth Bader Ginsburg is to the Supreme Court. She has the cool factor right now. But what is this latest rant?

HORACE COOPER, COFOUNDER, PROJECT 21: It demonstrates everybody's time in the sun ultimately results in them looking foolish. Her trivializing chattel slavery from the 18th and 19th century and comparing it to what happens when people come to this country illegally is unbelievably over the top, unnecessarily overheated rhetoric. And it's painful to hear her say something like this and not be condemned by others.

INGRAHAM: Leo, so you know what we are talking about here. This is the actual quote of what Maxine Waters said. She said "I know it's right to fight against separation of mothers and fathers and families because of what happened to us in slavery. They sold us at the auction block. They sent the father to one plantation, they sent the children to other plantations. They separated us." So Leo is detaining illegal aliens akin to slavery now? That's where we are?

LEO TERRELL, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I think it's an excellent analogy, and I will tell you one thing. When illegal aliens come to this country, some are coming for asylum seeking help. And what you are ignoring and what Horace is ignoring and is trivializing, what's happening. Separation of families that took place in slavery is taking place right now. The whole world condemned Trump in separating these families right now. Let me finish. In both of these issues, in both of these issues you're talking about victims without any type of recourse or redress. I think it's an excellent analysis and it magnifies the horrible situation. One last point, Ivanka and Melania felt the same way about Trump separating these families. It's horrific. Its' horrific.

INGRAHAM: That's fine. And I think a lot of people didn't like that at all. But it's a different question. And I'm trying to examine this dispassionately, really, because everybody knows where I stand on immigration. Do criminals get separated from their children?

TERRELL: All the time.

INGRAHAM: Every day of the week, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, people from all different walks of life. If you commit a crime, sometimes you commit a crime it's not a felony, maybe it's a serious misdemeanor. But if you can't put up the bail, you actually do time. And if you do time and have you kids, you are not with the kids because the kids can't be jailed with you nor should they be. So the idea that that is somehow slavery when we didn't bring them to the United States -- bringing someone unlawfully to your country to use them for labor, that is hideous and that is human subjugation. To have penalties for people who violate our laws, I don't see how that is in this case akin to slavery, one of the worse sins in human history.

TERRELL: Respectfully, Laura, you just glossed over every illegal alien that comes in the country. And I think you know, respectfully, they come here for a different reason.

INGRAHAM: We don't know. That's not what the law says. The law does not say if you come here and you have three children, and you want to get job in L.A., then it's OK. That's not what the law says. If the law said that, then I would agree with you.

Horace, I don't want to short change you here, but on this issue, I think Maxine Waters, as popular as she is among some on the left, I think there a lot of regular folks say I didn't like that policy, maybe, I felt terrible for those children. But that's -- I don't know, that's just taking it way too far.

COOPER: Absolutely. And by the way, for folks who use the race card for every single option to now turn around and say it can be just as casually used for people who come to this country and, by the way, a few of them do come for asylum. But the overwhelming majority come here voluntarily to work. They seek to engage in labor, and they do so unlawfully. For those people to be treated the same as someone grabbed, kidnapped, put on a ship, and brought here and forced to work over their own will, this whole country, we fought a civil war over this. That's how serious that wars. This trivial, it trivializes that.

INGRAHAM: Leo?

TERRELL: I think Maxine Waters has the credibility to make this analogy. And more important, thank you for acknowledging some of these illegals who come over here for asylum. Also they are forced to come over here. They're exploited. So let's be very clear, every illegal alien that comes --

(LAUGHTER)

TERRELL: They're exploited. You can laugh all you want, but they're exploited. You know that for a fact.

COOPER: Then don't come.

TERRELL: It's horrific.

INGRAHAM: Exploited, by whom are they exploited? The drug cartels or the human traffickers or the employers here who want to seek to keep wages low? They are exploited, I agree with you. But that's not slavery. You made a candidate to violate another country's sovereignty by crossing our border, and whatever country you go to and do that, there are going to be penalties, are there not, Leo?

TERRELL: What crimes did the children commit, Laura and Horace? What crimes did the children commit?

INGRAHAM: We're not talking about the children.

COOPER: Let's just admit it was over the top and she shouldn't have said it. Let's just a say it, admit that.

INGRAHAM: All right, guys, thank you so much.

TERRELL: I will tell you right now I think it's a great position.

INGRAHAM: OK, well, thanks so much, guys.

Speaking of fearmongers, Barack Obama hit the trail this week again to hit Trump. But what he is claiming about Trump in U.S. history doesn't really add up. Shocking. Reagan biographer and historian Craig Shirley will be here next to tell us why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: The Barack Obama comeback tour made its latest stop in Cleveland yesterday. And the former president let loose with some fan-favorite rips.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: People are stressed and they are anxious, and it seems as if all the chatter and anger on television doesn't match up with their lives, and it frays our civic trust, and it make people feel the game is rigged, that nobody is looking out for them. And historically, in those kinds of conditions, that's ripe for opportunists who try to exploit America's history and division, racial, ethnic, religious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Oh, we're back. I wonder who is he talking about? But presidential historian and Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley says Obama has it all wrong. He joins us now. Craig, great to see you. How are you? Obama says this is -- they are scaring people out there, and it's par for the course. They are opportunists.

CRAIG SHIRLEY, REAGAN BIOGRAPHER: He needs to study history. We've been stressed out many, many times in our 230 years. We're less stressed out now than we have been since the cold war, the Great Depression, the Civil War, the American Revolution. We have been stressed out many, many times. Now with the defeat of ISIS and a growing economy I'd way we're less stressed out now than we have been in our history, at least since the 1950s.

INGRAHAM: He made another point in this speech that I want to play about what a healthy democracy, in other words, a democracy -- represented democracy represented Trump is not healthy. But in a healthy democracy he said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: In a healthy democracy where everybody is participating and paying attention and listening and voting, people of goodwill in both parties, they call out the bigots and the fearmongers.

When there is a vacuum in our democracy, when we don't vote, when we take our basic rights for granted, other voices fill the void.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Craig?

SHIRLEY: It's meaningless. It's nothing. What is a healthy democracy? I have never heard of an unhealthy democracy. First of all, we're not a democracy. We are a republic. He needs to get that straight. But listening to him speak and listening to what he had to say is just without meaning. It's just vapid.

INGRAHAM: So more people should vote. He says, when you are participating and paying attention and listening, in other words, the people who elected Trump were not paying attention, were not listening. He kind of throws in people of goodwill in both parties. Again, it's a different way of saying deplorables, is it not?

SHIRLEY: Yes, exactly. But the fact is that a nonvote is a vote. People choose not to vote is, in fact, a vote. Voters should not be compulsory --

INGRAHAM: How do you mean that? Explain that?

SHIRLEY: They've decided that they don't have a stake in the system, or they are happy with the way things are, or for whatever reason is that they make an active decision not to go vote.

INGRAHAM: So the idea that everybody is throwing out the vote, or it doesn't count. It is a free will. This is not Saddam Hussein, 99 percent of the people voted.

SHIRLEY: But he is attacking the essence of conservatism which is free will. He arguing for compulsory TV watching, compulsory newspaper reading, compulsory voting? What is he talking about?

INGRAHAM: Just for fun. This is a golden oldy, the smart guy about history. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: It is just wonderful to be back in Oregon, and over the last 15 months we have traveled to every corner of the United States. I have now been 57 states --

Pilots and air crews around the world, Navy corpsmen on the ground in Afghanistan.

There's a lot of -- I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

SHIRLEY: Those are funny. But the funny thing is that he didn't make that mistake once on corpsmen. He did it repeatedly. Nobody went to him, Mr. President, it's corpsman.

INGRAHAM: Again, he is the brilliant one. Trump is just fumbling along. OK, Craig, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

Up next, the last bite.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: Time now for the last bite. Take a look at this beaut. This was on the New Jersey transit earlier today. OK, the guy is shaving. And I mean shaving with shaving cream. They just need to bring a plastic bag or a bottle and just go to the bathroom there while they're sitting there, too. This is ridiculous. Oh, my gosh.

Everybody in the storm's path, please stay safe. Shannon Bream and the "Fox News @ Night" team.

END

Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.