'Hannity' on Biden and NATO

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Hannity: Biden and NATO must stop cowering to Putin

'Hannity' host reacts to Putin's threats of nuclear war as his invasion of Ukraine stalls.

This is a rush transcript of "Hannity" on March 23, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: And welcome to HANNITY again.

We begin tonight with the FOX News alert. The founder of Project Veritas, James O'Keefe is now accusing Biden's Department of Justice of serious misconduct following a questionable raid at O'Keefe's home and office. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES O'KEEFE, PROJECTVERITAS.COM: Project Veritas has just obtained documents showing the SDNY was spying on Project Veritas journalists well before the FBI raided the homes of our journalists last November, secretly reading our emails concealing that from the court in our case against the SDNY.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: We've got the full tape of the raid. We'll play it for you. James O'Keefe will join us in just a moment with more details.

Also tonight, the great one Mark Levin, he will weigh in on Ukraine and, of course, the Supreme Court nomination. The hearings going on in D.C.

But first again, tonight, we turn to Ukraine where, against all odds, the city of Mariupol is refusing to surrender. Encircled by Russian forces, they're cut off from food, water, power with weeks of nothing but in -- look at -- look at this, it's been leveled, indiscriminate shelling. The suffering is unimaginable.

Look at your screen. This is Mariupol, every single building is a blown out shell. A once booming European metropolis, home to half a million people has pretty much now been reduced to rubble. We don't know how many civilians are still alive, but we do know that dead men, women and children are being buried in mass graves, even as we speak. And those lucky enough to still be alive, they're without food and water and clean facilities and medical care. They're hopelessly trapped, effectively held hostage by Russian forces. You have no problem firing on innocent, unarmed civilians. That would be hell on earth what you're looking at.

Now, this is Vladimir Putin's legacy, all this innocent blood, women, men, children, that's on his hands. This is literally evil in our own time. How much more suffering does Joe Biden, do our NATO allies need to see before they give Ukraine, they're not looking for boots on the ground nor should we give it to them, but they're looking for the weaponry so they can beat back Vladimir Putin and his forces? They need more.

The American people, however, never underestimate them, they get it. Look at this brand new poll just released by FOX News, an overwhelming majority of you the American people want the U.S. to do more to help Ukraine, including a majority of Democrats and Republicans.

Now, the same poll shows a whopping of Americans are in favor of sending weapons to Ukraine, only 42 percent approve of Biden's response. Now, why do you think that is? Because Biden has, as usual, been dragging his feet, undecisive, afraid of Vladimir the whole time, all while the Ukrainian people are fighting for their lives.

Now, you the American people clearly support what I have been saying and that is the Reagan and the Trump doctrines, peace through strength -- provide the weapons so Ukraine can win and not one American boot on the ground. For all you people lying about my position, not one American boot on the ground.

Ukraine, no, it's not a perfect country, but guess what? Vladimir Putin invaded a sovereign country, he was not provoked in any way. Ukraine is not carpet bombing cities. Vladimir Putin is. Ukraine is not killing innocent women and children Vladimir Putin is. Ukraine is not pursuing their territorial ambitions if they even have them, but Vladimir Putin is.

And Putin keeps threatening, oh, I may use nukes or other weapons of mass destruction, biological, chemical weapons now Putin is the guy that has nuclear weapons pointed at, oh, this city, New York City, Washington, D.C., and other states in the United States and not Ukraine. And like most bullies, Putin will only respond to strength.

So, Biden needs to stop bubbling and fizzing every time Vladimir makes a threat like a potential cyberattack or chemical weapons attack or a nuclear attack. We already knew before this ever happened that he had that capability.

What Biden needs to do is start preparing for any and every worst case scenario and he needs to let Putin know himself in no uncertain terms that his threats do not scare us. He is the one that needs to be worried, not us. Because if he chooses to go that route, which is separate and apart from what's happening in Ukraine guess what America and NATO must unleash hell on Russia.

There's no other answer. He will decide if that happens, not us. He will start it we'll have no option but to finish it.

Does anybody want this? No, God forbid. Pray for the best but always be prepared for the worst.

Now, the U.S. has the most powerful military, the most powerful economy on the face of the Earth. Our capabilities are unmatched. We have the capacity to ruin Putin's world forever and we should not be cowering in fear the way Joe is.

Right now, Joe is in Europe and two things that should be happening likely will not be happening. One, Joe must reaffirm our commitment to supply Ukraine and as fast as possible with whatever supplies they need that would be Javelin missiles. Stinger missiles, air defense systems, drones and, yes, the MiG fighter jets that Joe Biden personally vetoed.

Let Poland, Joe, give Ukraine the planes. You can stay out of it, let Poland do what Poland wants to do. They're living right next to Ukraine. They may be next.

And number two, it is time for the Western world to now completely cut Russia off financially in every way possible. The way to win this conflict is to defeat Vladimir Putin economically. I've said that from day one.

That means importing no more Russian oil or gas until Putin is gone and those troops are pulled back and they go back home to Russia. And that means every NATO ally, every Western European country they need to stop all Russian energy imports.

No more Iranian nuclear deals negotiated by Russia. Stop talking to the murdering dictator thug in Venezuela, Joe. Why on earth would we give cash and other currency to mullahs in Iran that chant death to America and a deal that's brokered by Russia? Are you that dumb? Are you that stupid? Do you not see what's happening?

Why would we loosen restrictions on Iran's nuclear program? They are the number one state sponsor terror, Joe. You get the presidential daily briefings every day, I don't. But we know that to be the truth. They have a sick, twisted, ugly ideology.

They hate us. They hate Israel. How does any of that make any sense?

So, tonight, Joe also needs to send a very clear warning to Belarus. That is the -- this European -- Eastern European country ruled by one of Putin's puppets and now there are mixed reports about whether or not they are amassing soldiers and military equipment to join the invasion of Ukraine.

Now, Belarus needs to know if they send soldiers into Ukraine, the consequences for them should be dire but let's see if Europe, NATO, Western European countries have the backbone.

The end goal of all of this is stop Putin and Russia's advance and prevent World War III. We don't want World War III. We don't want to be dragged into World War III. We want our American treasure to stay right here at home. Remember, an attack on one NATO country, Article 5, is an attack on all countries.

If Putin fails in Ukraine, he'll never be able to wage war in the Baltics or Poland or any other NATO country. This is not a difficult concept to understand, unless, of course, you're Joe Biden and you don't know that today is Wednesday.

Now, the war in Ukraine is not -- is right now at a very critical juncture. Putin has his eyes on the historic port city Odessa, and that's not stopping the city's residents from preparing for the worst while remaining calm. Take a look at this video. They're preparing to be invaded. They're playing one of Jon Bon Jovi's anthem songs. "It's Our Life", now or never. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

HANNITY: It's their lives and look at what they're doing. The Ukrainians are fighting back. They're showing amazing resiliency. The Ukrainian people have shown incredible courage. They have shown valor. They have shown so much a willingness to fight and defend their own country.

Joe, give them the weapons. No American boots on the ground. Use the Reagan and Trump doctrines. For once, make a foreign policy decision that makes sense, Joe.

Joe, wake up. It's Wednesday. I know you're tired. You traveled.

By the way, this strategy is currently working, and now with his invasion stalled, meaning Putin's, many top Russian officials are going missing in action, including Russia's top minister of defense. He's not been seen apparently for 12 days.

Here with more, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.

I will say this. The Reagan doctrine worked in Afghanistan and Nicaragua. The Trump doctrine is a little different because the weaponry is way more sophisticated and modern technology allows buttons to be pushed from anywhere in the U.S. and we can hit any target we want with pinpoint accuracy, and that's how he beat the caliphate, took out Soleimani and Baghdadi.

But the Reagan doctrine is working here, but I think we need to ratchet up the weapons of defense that Ukraine needs.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Right. Well, here's what's not working, the Biden doctrine, which is to withdraw completely from Afghanistan, leave the place abandoned, give up Bagram Air Base, and allow the Taliban to be back in power 29 years after 9/11 with ISIS and al Qaeda growing in strength inside of Afghanistan.

Here's what's not working: he is not deterring Putin from destroying the great people of the Ukraine. God bless Ukraine and damn Putin to hell.

And he is not deterring China for being provocative in Asia and he's about to do a deal with a religious Nazi called the ayatollah.

This NATO summit can be a disaster. It can be a resounding success depending on what happens. If NATO will tell Putin with clarity, if you use chemical weapons, we will establish a no-fly zone. If you explode a nuclear device inside of Ukraine, we'll consider that attack on NATO itself because the radiation will flow throughout Europe.

And tell China right now before it's too late that if you keep giving aid to Putin, we will sanction you and here are the sanctions.

HANNITY: Okay. So I want to know specifically, now, what bothers me is this is in -- in our NATO allies backyard and I want them to do more and step up faster. But we also have to lead the way.

By the way, I actually agree with Rand Paul, I think at some point down the line, Ukraine should pay us back for every weapon we give them, find a way to pass back, but we don't need payment up front.

But without those weapons, they cannot defend their country. It seems like they're barely hanging on by a thread here but they're on the precipice potentially of pushing Putin not only back but out of their country.

GRAHAM: Well, they're taking back territory on the ground. The big vulnerability for the Ukrainians is that the Russians dominate the skies. Where are the S-300s? This is day 28. Biden told us two weeks three weeks before the invasion is going to happen. Why didn't you start flowing weapons into Ukraine before the invasion?

Now, 28 days later, they still don't have the MiGs that Poland's willing to transfer. They still don't have the S-300 system that can knock down a bomber. So Biden has not been all in.

He assumed that Putin would win in the Ukraine would lose, and he can't embrace the idea that Ukraine can win. I embrace it.

I disagree with Rand Paul. You know, the Ukrainian people have paid back the whole freaking world by standing up to this thug Putin and standing up for democracy against a dictator. They have sacrificed. They have lost their cities. They have lost their children. So they don't owe me a damn thing.

Here's what we owe them: everything we can give them we should give them. If there's chemical weapons dropped on these brave people by Putin, we should declare no-fly zone because that's the breach of every protocol in the world.

And if he explodes a nuclear device inside a Ukraine to scare the world off, we should consider that an attack on NATO because it would infect all of Europe. So let's get tough with this guy.

If NATO is not clear about what we will do regarding chemical weapons and the use of nuclear weapons, this summit will be a failure.

HANNITY: You know, I got to tell you, it's not that difficult. It's not that hard. Stinger missiles turned the tide and the mujahidin defeated the former Soviet Union at a time when nobody thought they could be defeated.

The Nicaraguan freedom Contras, they made incredible gains against the Sandinistas and Ortega.

At this point in time, it seems like the weaponry is critical and if it's not given in a timely matter, what's happening at Mariupol is only the beginning to Ukraine in my view. Last word?

GRAHAM: Ukraine can win. Biden doesn't believe they can win. He always thought Putin would roll over the Ukraine. Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people threw a wrinkle in the Biden plan.

I smell a sellout. I smell pressure on Zelenskyy to basically do some kind of deal to give half his country to Putin. That would make me sick to my stomach.

Here's the last word: let's do more when it comes to controlling disguise in Ukraine by giving the Ukrainians ability to do it. And NATO needs to stand up to Putin and tell him what will happen if you use chemical weapons, or a nuclear weapon. And we need to tell China, if you help Putin, you do so at your own peril.

HANNITY: I watched your exchange with Judge Johnson -- Jackson rather earlier today, and it was rather heated. I'm gathering -- guessing that as of now, you're a no on that confirmation. Am I correct?

GRAHAM: Stand by.

HANNITY: Senator, did you hear the question?

GRAHAM: You'll be the first to know. Yeah, you'll be the first to know. Stay tuned.

HANNITY: I'm guessing from that exchange, I'm pretty good at my guess is, it sounds like you're a no based on that exchange today. Are you at least leaning heavily enough to just say that?

GRAHAM: Let's put it this way. I think I know why Demand Justice saw her in such a favorable light after two days of these hearings. Stay tuned.

HANNITY: All right. I'll put you in the no column. Senator Graham, thank you for being with us.

All right. Tonight, gas prices -- I mean, this is awful at horrific levels. Look at this. It's over $6 a gallon on average in southern California, just as Donald Trump predicted. Wow.

Now, keep in mind, that doesn't mean just higher prices at the pump. That means higher prices to heat and cool your home and for every product you buy at every store you go to.

And as "The Wall Street Journal" put it, quote, this trickles down to everything even your potato salad. And don't forget, whatever you buy is shipped in a truck, they use diesel and guess what? Much of it is made in a factory or farm that now faces rising energy costs. And by the way, look at the price of fertilizer, it's through the roof. By the way that that price also is wrapped in plastic, oh that too is made with oil.

But according to Biden's Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, we just need to suck it up because the climate can't wait she said. So she's basically shoving her middle finger in the face of all of you every single American saying, F you, climate change is more important than your financial life struggles. And today, because of these failed policies, economic and energy, well, 64 percent of Americans right now are living paycheck to paycheck and then we get a lecture by this out of touch jackass that doesn't know Jack Adam Schiff about real life.

And according to her, a green energy transformation could lead to peace in our time. The entire administration is this -- is this locked into this climate alarmist religious cult. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, ENERGY SECRETARY: The climate is not going to wait on our efforts to confront autocrats. Both crises need addressing now, as Minister Ryan has said, this clean energy transition could be the peace project of our time. But peace always comes after struggle, so let's give this peace project the focus and the commitment and the resources of a wartime effort, our Marshall Plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Here with reaction, former Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

Rick, I would imagine if you were still energy secretary, you wouldn't be doing a deal with Iran. You wouldn't be begging OPEC to produce more oil, and you wouldn't be considering importing oil from Iran or Venezuela, but I'm just guessing.

RICK PERRY, FORMER ENERGY SECRETARY: A year and -- a year and a half ago, we wouldn't need to do any of those things. America was leading the world in the production of energy. We were doing what Donald Trump had asked us to do.

And we were making Europe safer. We had the Iranians on their knees. The Chinese were paying attention to us very respectfully I might add, and Russia wasn't about to take on the United States. All of that changed in a very short period of time, Sean, and what the secretary of energy is talking about here -- yeah -- it's a piece of something, all right? It's a piece of junk.

The idea that you're going to bring America to its knees in this effort to chase after this issue of the climate when they won't face the facts, American clean energy was reducing the emissions in the world and we could continue to be doing that, we could have been replacing Indian coal with American natural gas. We could have been replacing old coal plants in Europe with American natural gas. That would have been making a real difference on the emissions, not to even mention what could be happening out there if the administration would embrace small moderate reactors.

HANNITY: So, Joe is willing to -- Joe's willing to allow a 40-year inflation high, just costing the average family according to Penn Wharton anywhere between 3,500 or 5 grand a year, the highest gas prices we've ever had, compromise on national security and begged the world's worst countries to do deals with us. That's his policy?

PERRY: Yeah. Sean, it's amazing to me that we've got the answer right here in front of us. These people are, you know, it's like two kids and one of them just can't say I was wrong, when the fact of the matter is everybody knows they were wrong with their energy policy, they know that America has the ability to not only stabilize the world out there because of our abundance of energy, but we had the -- we had the ability to go into Europe.

We had the ability to send a clear message to Russia is we're not going to put up with your nonsense Putin and he was paying attention at that particular point in time because he knew we had him literally over a barrel. So to speak and this president let him up he's making deals with the Iranians then he goes and begs these countries that don't like us to give us their fuel. Craziness.

HANNITY: We need you back. We need the adults back.

Governor, Secretary, thank you for being with us.

Straight ahead, breaking news out of Ukraine, Greg Palkot on the ground. He will give us a full report.

Another contentious day on the Hill for Biden's Supreme Court nominee and that's Ketanji Brown Jackson. Senator Josh Hawley and the great one Mark Levin all coming up, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: This is a FOX News alert. Four major developments on the ground in Ukraine at this hour, we go to FOX's own Greg Palkot.

Greg, what's the latest tonight?

GREG PALKOT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Sean, we are nearly one month into this war and incredibly, the Ukrainian forces are at the very least holding their ground against a much bigger Russian foe. Defense officials are saying Ukraine is beating back Russian gains in several Kyiv suburbs, holding off Russia's challenge of the capital.

All told and this is according to NATO, as many as 40,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, injured, captured or are missing. If that is true, Sean, that is one-fifth of the total combat force of Russia. Ukrainian forces are hanging in there in the embattled port city of Mariupol, but just a hundred thousand people are left there, 90 percent of the city destroyed. The targeting of civilians by Russians there and in many other cities across this country leading the U.S. on Wednesday to formally assess that Russia has committed war crimes.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy hanging in there too, telling this time via video link Japan's parliament about the danger of Russia possibly resorting to tactical nuclear weapon. There are also fears among many officials, including in Washington of Moscow resorting to chemical or biological weapons.

And as for Russian President Putin himself, it looks like there's a little bit of trouble in the corridors of Kremlin right now. We've already reported that intelligence officials are getting the ax for their bad information. Now, their reports on Wednesday, a top economic adviser to Putin has left -- quit -- left the country and we haven't seen the defense chief of that country in public in two weeks, Sean.

Obviously, what you've been reporting, President Biden in Brussels on Thursday meeting with NATO, the G7, E.U., trying to find a way out of this.

Back to you.

HANNITY: All right. Greg Palkot, please stay safe. Thank you for that report.

Now, the third day of Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson took place on Capitol Hill. Judge Jackson was once again pressed on her record surrounding allegations of being very lenient and lenient sentencing for child porn offenders.

Here's an exchange with Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): The government asked for enhancements related to prepubescent children, related to the nature of these images. You say, I'm not going to apply it. But what you're telling me is I guess that you don't have a policy objection? I mean, why -- why didn't you apply the enhancements as they were asked for?

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Senator, I've answered this question many times from many senators who've asked me. So I'll stand on what I've already said.

HAWLEY: So you have nothing to add about why these crimes -- why these images in your view do not signal an especially heinous or egregious child pornography offense?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Here with reaction, Senator Josh Hawley.

Senator, one interesting part of that exchange, you asked Judge Jackson why she actually in one case apologized to convicted a convicted pedophile at sentencing. Why would you ever apologize to a convicted pedophile and you're still not given the maximum sentence to or even the recommended sentence or what the prosecutors wanted?

HAWLEY: Yeah, in fact, what she gave that convicted criminal, Sean, was three months. Three months. He was eligible for up to 10 years in prison, she gave him three months and she apologized to him.

I mean, listen, we've had now over 20 hours of questioning in the Judiciary Committee and I think her record is pretty clear when it comes to crime and especially crimes against children. This is somebody who apologizes to the criminals. This is someone who has handed out one lenient sentence after another, especially when it comes to these child sex crimes, and frankly, this is somebody who I just can't support.

HANNITY: For people that maybe didn't have time all day to watch the hearings on this particular issue, which you brought to the nation's attention first, there are a number of factors in play here. And one is the recommendation of the prosecutors that got guilty convi -- got convictions in these cases that she wouldn't listen to the prosecutor's recommendation for sentencing, nor would she go along with federal guidelines -- guidelines for sentencing, and she was extraordinarily lenient in almost every case. I didn't see a case where she wasn't.

HAWLEY: Yeah, 100 percent of the time, Sean. I mean, that's the deal. She has had multiple -- just to take one set of crimes, multiple child porn crime offenses, and in every single case that she has had of child porn offenses, she sentenced below what the prosecutor wanted, she's sentenced below what the national guidelines are, every time, 100 percent of the time, and she just can't explain it.

I mean, we tried to ask her day after day, hour after hour. She has no explanation for it and I think the American people watching this are saying, listen, I want somebody who's going to protect children, who's going to be tough on child criminals, people who go after children and not apologize to them.

I mean, why would she apologize to the criminal, I just don't understand it.

HANNITY: She gave a speech at Michigan's law school. And in that speech, she seemed to support the 1619 Project and critical race theory. But listening to her answers to you and others on the committee, you would think that you know she never said those things to those students in the law school.

HAWLEY: Yeah, she said that she didn't know anything about critical race theory, despite the fact that she has praised it and said that it's part of what she does in sentencing. I mean, listen, it's just -- this is a person who is a leftist.

And, you know, that's fine. Those are her views. I mean, she comes by them honestly. They're just not ones that I agree with.

And I can just tell you, I can't vote for somebody on the U.S. Supreme Court who's going to apologize to criminals, who is not going to be tough when you need to be tough in order to protect children, and I just -- you've got to be able when the time comes to say: listen, if you are a child predator, you are going to jail for a long time. And that's something she just hasn't been willing to do.

HANNITY: How is it that she says that every judge she believes has a hidden agenda? That struck me as particularly odd. I'd like to think that we have an independent judiciary that believed in separation of powers, co- equal branches of government and that would uphold the law of the land based on our Constitution, not go by, you know, whatever their hidden agenda is. Have you figured out her hidden agenda?

HAWLEY: Well, I think that her agenda is based on her beliefs and I think her beliefs are pretty clear. She thinks that the criminal justice system is too hard on criminals, and she thinks in particular that those who commit child sex offenses, child porn offenders, that the criminal justice system's too hard on them. That's why she apologizes to them. That's why she 100 percent of the time sentences -- sentences them less than the prosecution wants or the guidelines.

And you know, I just think at the end of the day, Sean, every senator now is going to have to make a decision, because every senator is going to have to vote on this and put their dime down, and I for one am going to vote no.

HANNITY: I think that's the proper vote for any Republican. I'm sure Mitt Romney will vote yes and apparently even Lisa Murkowski in an election year, oddly, will probably vote no. We'll see though.

Anyway, Senator, thank you for being with us. Appreciate your time.

We have brand new polls showing the American people are skeptical of Joe Biden's response to the war in Ukraine. They have advice for Joe and then we'll get commentary from the great one Mark Levin.

Plus this is a truly alarming. Project Veritas says the Biden DOJ was spying on their communications for months and we got video of their raid of James O'Keefe's home and office, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Of course, as I've been saying, the Biden-Harris agenda is failing on every front, at home and abroad. I can't think of one single thing they've done that is successful and has better the lives of the American people. They're refusing to hold bad actors across the globe accountable. They're refusing to confront growing aggression, not only from Russia but China and Iran. Now, they're sucking up to the mullahs in Iran and the dictator in Venezuela.

We have brand new FOX polling out today that shows Americans are skeptical of Biden's strategy. Only 42 percent of Americans approve of Biden's Ukraine response, a whopping 76 percent approve of President Zelenskyy's handling of the Russian invasion, 63 percent of you the American people say the U.S. should be doing more to fight Russia, 78 percent of Americans favor sending military equipment to Ukraine.

Here with reaction, he is the host of the number one show Sunday nights, 8:00 p.m., "Life, Liberty and Levin", also nationally syndicated radio host, I call him the great one.

You know, Mark, I've been talking a lot to this audience and my radio audience, and you served in the Reagan administration. You know the Reagan doctrine as well as anybody and by talking about the Reagan doctrine and the Trump doctrine, not the Obama doctrine and not the Biden doctrine. No boots on the ground, send them the military equipment they need. Where are you on this?

MARK LEVIN, HOST OF "LIFE, LIBERTY & LEVIN": Well, I'm with you and the vast majority of the American people apparently are too. There is a small percentage of people out there, I call them Putinoids or pacifists isolationists who don't necessarily regurgitate Putin's talking points and trash the Ukrainians, but who are truly misguided in my view. And that's right, there's the radical interventionists and I'm not that either.

But let's get to the bottom line here. We Americans despise Putin. Why do we despise him? Because he's a living genocidal monster. He's unleashed his war machine against little babies, children and women, unprovoked. That's why we despise him.

And it's not the first time. He's done it in Syria where he's contributed to slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people. He's done it in other parts of the world.

This is a maniac. This guy was KGB. He used to be in charge of East Germany where I'm sure he did other things.

He murdered his way to the top. He's assassinated people left and right. His biggest political opponent got another nine years yesterday. They threw him in prison. You don't hear that talked about much by the Putin wing.

And so, now, if you are really repulsed and you think something should be done by the world or the United States, and I don't mean something stupid, but something done to effectively address this or address it as best we can to try and contain what could become a mass of war, you're a warmonger or maybe you're a neocon or maybe you're part of the federal contractors or God knows what other what other things you're accused of.

This isn't Libya. It's not Afghanistan. It's not Iraq. It's not Vietnam. It's Russia and we know what Putin wants to do. He wrote about it in July - - July, last summer, read it. It's 5,000-words long. It's long.

He obviously had help writing it, but he's made it abundantly clear. It's not just Ukraine, it's Poland. It's not just Poland, it's Hungary. It's not just Hungary, it's Romania. He's essentially said that.

Now, why is it that the leaders in those countries, all of whom are rather conservative some of them you would say or even right wing agree with you and me -- not the Putin wing of the media and the Republican Party in the Democratic Party. And if people are tired of being called that, then stop acting like it.

If you have a rational foreign policy that suggests that we close our eyes to this, that we become ostriches and put our heads in the sand, that we have nothing to do with this, then explain your foreign policy. I find many of the people who are making excuses here or making that case as best as they can which is very weak were also against Donald Trump when he took out Soleimani. Soleimani responsible for so many that men and women have lost limbs and had head injuries and you see Tunnel to Towers, Wounded Warriors and so many others.

That same Putin who was slaughtering Syrians with chemical attacks, did Donald Trump stand for that? Not for one minute. And he attacked that airport. He killed a lot of Russians at the same time.

So these people are not America First, Donald Trump supporters. They're certainly not Reaganites, peace through strength. I don't know what they are. More Buchananites I suppose.

And this argument that if we don't secure our border, we can't assist our allies is one of the dumbest arguments I've ever heard. How about we secure our border and assist our allies?

Joe Biden is doing enormous damage to this country, not just to other countries. He's going to sign a deal with Iran illegally, illegally because he needs to go back to Congress that will ensure they are armed with ICBMs with nuclear warheads that can hit our country. Nobody's talking about this. This is a big deal.

We had peace breaking out of the Middle East under Trump and Netanyahu. Now, we have these weak leaders who are bending over backwards to help the Iranians? Can you believe this?

And you cannot separate Russia from China. How do we know that? They've said so. China's watching this. They're chomping at the bit to invade Taiwan.

So what are we supposed to do when they invade Taiwan, pretend they're not doing it? What are we supposed to do when Iran's attacking its neighbors? Pretend that they're not doing it?

Do people really think the Pacific and the Atlantic are going to protect us from hypersonic missiles and nuclear missiles? I mean, we've got to pay attention to this. We should be muscling up the United States military. We should be providing the Ukrainians with whatever they need to contain that war, to contain it and to keep it there.

And, of course, we're moving forces into the eastern part of NATO. What are we stupid? We've been behind NATO through Republican and Democrat presidents of all kinds.

NATO's there to try and prevent a world war. That's why they're there, and a lot of us have ancestors who fought over that territory. So it's not a matter of we've got to focus on domestic versus foreign. We've got to focus on all of it.

One quick thing I know you need to go. This nominee to the Supreme Court is the most radical nominee in American history. She's for critical race theory. She's for transgenderism as a movement.

She was -- she was weak on sentencing child porn perverts. She is the worst of the worst. She smiles. She's a nice lady. It's a historic appointment. She needs to be defeated. That's it.

HANNITY: That's why we call you the great one. Great interview with Bibi, by the way last week. Thank you, Mark Levin.

"Life, Liberty and Levin" every Sunday, 8:00 p.m. number one show on Sunday night, right here on FOX.

Up next, Project Veritas claims the Feds secretly surveilled their communications for months, even the ACLU is speaking out about the dangerous precedent that all of the sets. James O'Keefe shows us live and we'll show you the raid by the FBI, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Disturbing developments tonight surrounding the Biden DOJ's efforts to spy on journalists and attacked the First Amendment as a Project Veritas now revealing new legal documents showing that federal prosecutors have been secretly surveilling their privileged communications, despite a court order as part of a larger visitation into the alleged theft of Ashley Biden's diary.

But get this, the spying was taking place, Veritas says, months before the raid against Project Veritas journalists back in November.

You might remember this raid. Take a look. You decide to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'KEEFE: Hidden camera footage capturing the moments the FBI raided the home of a Project Veritas journalist last November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, PROJECT VERITAS)

FBI AGENT: Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands!

FBI AGENT: I understand here (INAUDIBLE) for our safety and for yours, we're going to have him sit with you.

FBI AGENT: You do not have to speak to him. You are not being detained.

FBI AGENT: You know, we just want to see you calm and then (INAUDIBLE) are you comfortable in that?

PY JOURNALIST: Yeah, I'm fine.

FBI AGENT: So, there's another FBI team coming up?

FBI AGENT: So maybe we'll spread out into (INAUDIBLE) areas of the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: We did reach out to the Biden DOJ for comment. I guess hell will freeze over before we hear back. But even the far left ACLU is warning about the danger to press freedom and calling for more transparency from the Biden Justice Department.

Here to explain, Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe.

I made a mistake saying it was your home and office. I apologize for that.

But tell us what happened and what you have now discovered. This is a big deal.

O'KEEFE: Sean, this is probably the biggest abridgment of the First Amendment in this country. My lawyer Paul Callan (ph) argued in court yesterday that this is an act of violence against the First Amendment. This is about Ashley Biden's diary, I thought we didn't corroborate that it was hers. Turns out we are better journalist than we thought we were, because the Feds and "The New York Times" have now verified that this was actually Ashley Biden's diary the tipsters sent to us.

First, they raided our homes and took our equipment, and then now it turns out I found out this week that they were spying on us. The Department of Justice was spying on journalists and Project Veritas going back eight months before we knew anything about this diary and spying on us and getting secret gag orders against Microsoft from telling us that it took all of our emails.

Sean, this is insane. This should shock everyone because they could do it to you.

HANNITY: Let me -- let me make sure I point out some of the facts in this case. But somebody came to you with the diary. Someone told you that it was Ashley Biden's diary. You had to independently corroborate it. You weren't able to do so.

You on your own without being asked, I understand it, went to law enforcement and handed it to them. Did you not?

O'KEEFE: That's right. We turned it into Delray Police in Florida.

HANNITY: And you never printed any of the contents, correct?

O'KEEFE: I never published the diary. I made the decision not to. I couldn't -- I thought I couldn't verify with 100 percent certainty it was hers and even if I could I felt like it was a cheap shot and I told my staff that. Some disagreed.

Now it turns out the diary is authentic. "The New York Times" corroborated it. Obviously, it's real now.

Moreover, Sean, Microsoft, some at Microsoft contacted us this week and showed us a secret warrants. The Department of Justice went to magistrate judges and got all of our emails to use Microsoft Outlook, back to January 2020. Eight months before we even heard about the diary.

And then after, Sean, a federal judge adopted a special filter team a few months ago in December after my home was raided. The federal judge cited journalistic privilege. Well, a month after that, the feds went behind that federal judge's back and continued to try to gag through Microsoft their secret orders. Microsoft filed a motion, they never sent it out but I have a copy because they sent it to me and as soon as they wrote that, the Feds backed down and we published all the secret warrants yesterday.

The Department of Justice was spying on my team, teams, and all of our emails since January 2020.

HANNITY: I mean, it's unbelievable. It's going to be interesting to watch this all unfold in court. I have very little time left. Let me ask you this. I have sources that told me that the contents in that diary are very disturbing as they relate to Joe Biden. Can you confirm that?

O'KEEFE: I have to make a decision as to whether or not I want to speak to that, talking about things that happen personally with their father. I made the decision not to publish this. They put me in a circumstance where I don't know if I want to speak to you on the air about that. That's the wrong man in the wrong organization --

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Do you regret not going ahead with it?

O'KEEFE: I have no regrets. I made the best decision I made at that time. But this is about your Justice Department spying on journalists because without accountability from Project Veritas. Your freedom is an illusion.

HANNITY: All right. James O'Keefe, I agree. Freedom is in jeopardy to say the least.

When we come back, Joe Biden wants to fire Dr. Oz. We'll tell you what this is all about. And Dr. Oz's reaction, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. Before we go, we're learning tonight that Biden is actually kicking Pennsylvania Senate candidate, the one I'm supporting, Dr. Oz -- he's an America first, Make America Great Again conservative -- off the president's council in sports, fitness, nutrition. Well, Dr. Oz responded. With got it exclusively.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MEHMET OZ (R-PA), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I received the letter on your screen, some behalf of President Biden from the White House, requesting that I resign from the president's council on sports, fitness and nutrition. It's beyond sad that Joe Biden would politicize such an important issue like health. In fact, let me offer a suggestion. The doctor he should ask to resign as Dr. Anthony Fauci for a multitude of obvious reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Dr. Oz will join us tomorrow night. Now I like them even more, that's why he'll make a great senator. I've known him for years. He is a solid America First, Make America Great Again conservative. That's why I'm supporting him, and a friend.

All right. That's all the time we have left. I have good news, let not your heart be troubled, because guess what? "THE INGRAHAM ANGLE," Laura Ingraham is back. Have a great night. See you tomorrow.

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