Hannity: Just more bad news for Americans
Sean Hannity criticizes jobs report, Biden's draconian COVID measures, on 'Hannity'
This is a full transcript from ‘Hannity’ December 3, 2021. This copy may not be in final from and may be updated.
ANNOUNCER: Americans held hostage behind enemy lines, day 111.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Welcome to HANNITY this news breaking Friday night.
It is now day 111 -- that's right -- since Joe Biden abandoned our fellow Americans trapped in Afghanistan including military families, hundreds of them, thousands of green card holders and, of course, our Afghan allies, something he said days earlier he'd never do. Joe Biden has turned the page. The mob and the media's turned the page. We will not -- we will remind everybody until they are home safely.
Now, of course, this is one of many self-inflicted crises that Biden is unwilling incapable of resolving.
Now, breaking earlier, more really bad news for Americans, the November jobs report was a disaster abysmal, falling way short of every projection.
Keep in mind: we are already facing a severe worker shortage in the country. We now have record-setting inflation, a 31-year high. You're now paying on average about a buck more a gallon. That's 20, 25, 30 bucks more every time you fill up your tank. We're paying a fortune now to heat and cool our homes, and everything you buy in every store you go to is costing more because of Joe Biden's stagnant growth and now, it is getting worse.
But don't take my word for it. Let's look at CNBC. The U.S. economy created far fewer jobs than expected in November and a sign that hiring started to slow ahead of the new coveted threat. But today, Biden proudly announced that this was quote incredible news and that our economic recovery is going strong. What world are you living in, Joe?
Now, I thought Biden promised to shut down the virus, not the economy, what happened? Now one big problem for Joe is you just can't lie your way out of a crisis. Americans are suffering.
Look at the Gallup poll today. We'll get into that in a minute. And the truth be told, it doesn't appear that Joe can do much of anything at this point in his life. He's frail. He's weak. He's confused. He's confounded.
He's mumbling he's a bumbling cognitive mess and even a simple tree lighting, that became a massive struggle. You can't make this up either.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, it is my tremendous honor to welcome our literal host, the actual host for this very American celebration, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
We want to do it again and now it's my tremendous honor to welcome our real hosts our literal host for this very American celebration, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Do I speak from here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Two minutes and 19 seconds. Wow.
Now, what on earth were they doing? Now, that guy is supposed to be running the most powerful country on earth and he's supposed to be the leader of the free world.
Meanwhile, his second in command, Kamala Harris, is the most unpopular vice president in history. And third in line to be president, well, that's Nancy Pelosi. She's 18. She is the single most powerful person in the House of Representatives.
But, of course, she's controlled by the real speaker, Congresswoman Ocasio- Cortez, and she too -- meaning Nancy Pelosi -- is also a cognitive mess. Take a look at this clip. I don't know how I miss this from a couple of weeks ago and ask yourself, what is Nancy Pelosi actually trying to say to us? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, it's most of the product that we've done is -- except now we may have added in the last era or so, and some of what we added is Senate -- to the bill -- like a hearing. Bernie doesn't like hearing. Excuse me, Bernie loves hearing.
So -- so we are getting some bird and privilege. I think -- I think mostly we're getting privileged scrub, because privileged drug is deadly to a bill, vertical, it's important it's you have to take it out.
We want to be sure that what we send is not bird-able or bird bath or privilege scrub. They're the two -- exercises we're engaged -- bathing exercises we're engaged in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: God helped this country in the world. I think Nancy may have also been in Washington a bit too long how is it possible that we now have two of the most powerful people in Washington both being equally incoherent, both struggling cognitively, and supposedly they're running the country? This is frightening the two most powerful jobs in America being filled by people who can barely form a cogent sentence. It's scary.
And guess what? Every hostile regime, every enemy country, and every hostile actor they see what we see.
And then to make matters worse Joe Biden is now apparently physically sick with some kind of nasal something going on. Today, he can barely speak and he's been hacking up a lung now for a couple of days. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Before I start, I'd like to report that later today I'll be signing the bill funding the government operations for the next few months.
Simply put America -- America's back to work, since the end of October excuse me the average -- in partnership with business with private business and labor retailers and grocery stores freight movers and railroads.
For example at the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, they're the two busiest ports in America and they're ready to meet consumer demand for the holidays. I said that yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANITY: I almost want to put on my mask watching it. Now, we hope Joe feels better and isn't seriously ill.
Now, today, Biden assured us that he was not suffering from COVID-19 but told our own Peter Doocy that he picked up a cold from kissing his grandson. Blame the kid. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Mr. President, your voice sounds a little different. Are you okay?
BIDEN: I'm okay. I have a test every day to see a COVID test. I've been checking for all the strands. What I have is a one and a half year old grandson who had a cold who likes to kiss his pop, and he's been kissing my -- anyway. So -- but it's just a cold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: With more -- joining us now with more as FOX News White House correspondent Peter Doocy.
Look, I got to admit, I've been on the road, Peter. I've done a number of books, and I do three hours of radio, hour of TV, hour and a half speech, three-hour book signing, fly to the next city, do it all again, I'd you know five six days in a row and sometimes I take prednisone. Do we know if he took any medicine to lower the inflammation of his vocal cords or anything?
DOOCY: Nothing serious yet, Sean. But, you know, and it was -- we've had the changing of the temperature here in D.C. It was 30 a couple days ago, 65 yesterday, 40s today. That's when people get a little congested.
HANNITY: But it didn't sound like him. It didn't sound like a cold to me. I'm not a doctor. I'm not going to play one on TV.
DOOCY: And, Sean, I have listened to every public statement this man has made in the last three years or so and I have never heard Joe Biden so baritone, I couldn't believe it, which is why I asked. And, of course, we know that they take a lot of precautions around here at the White House concerning COVID-19. But we also know that it's been less than a week since he was up in Nantucket shopping indoors, he had his mask pulled down at a place where masks were required.
So it was worth asking and I didn't just ask him, I asked Jen Psaki about the COVID tests for the president and she said, well, he's tested positive -- or he's tested negative a few times in a row. I reminded her that she also tested negative a few times in a row before her positive test, but no changes to his schedule yet.
The bigger thing though right now and we've all been living in this world for the last two full years almost, the instructions from the federal government, if you have any kind of a symptoms, whether you are vaccinated or not, regardless of a test that day, you're not supposed to go to work. And I get that the president has a home office behind us. He lives at work.
But it was surprising to see him showing those symptoms out there. But we have been assured that he is okay and he's going to go to Camp David this weekend and then he's going to come back on Sunday to see the Kennedy Center honors where they're going to honor uh and celebrate Lauren Michaels and Bette Midler -- Sean.
HANNITY: You know, a number of times this week, he urged all Americans to wear masks indoors, then he would walk away without a mask and not put one on or after. Then you called them out on his statement during the campaign during one of the debates Americans dead now under his watch. It's three -- over 355,000 Americans, but yet he had three vaccines and monoclonal antibodies handed to him.
Has anyone ever given you a reason why they don't mention monoclonal antibodies more? I don't -- by my account, I only heard it one time and that was during the vaccine mandate speech.
DOOCY: No and the clinical treatments are part of this winter plan, but you got to read the fine print or listen to some of these briefings that the -- that the officials give. The president and top leaders here, they just want people to get vaccinated. And right now, as they learn more about this variant, they don't know if the new variant is going to be super serious or contagious or if it's not so bad, but they want everybody to get vaccinated just in case and that's the line that they're pushing.
HANNITY: Yeah, but you know what, monoclonal antibodies at least according to everybody that I know that has gotten them early after a diagnosis, if it's proven to be pretty effective, you think that would be at least talked about, spoken about. What happens if you have a breakthrough case like with delta?
My advice for you, though, Peter, for the short term at least, when you're around the president, you might want to double mask like Fauci once suggested. Just saying.
DOOCY: I will -- I will. I will take all the necessary precautions. Thank you.
HANNITY: And ask Jen what she thinks of my idea for a show, you and Jen Psaki.
DOOCY: I will. I'll --
HANNITY: All right.
DOOCY: More to report next week.
HANNITY: Peter Doocy, thank you at the White House.
Yesterday, Biden's approval rating hit a new low in a morning console poll, and also a new low in the Trafalgar Robert Cahaly poll, 36 percent. Believe it or not, the numbers for his vice president, that's Kamala Harris right there, are even worse.
As it turns out, Kamala Harris is not just hated by hundreds of millions of Americans, she's also deeply unpopular with her own staff. Things are getting worse every day. New reports out, a mass exodus is in the works. You have three top staffers that have already announced their departures from the office of the vice president. Many others are now worried about being permanently branded a Harris person which are fate -- I guess they view that as a fate worse than perhaps even death apparently. Some are being burned out from what they are describing as an extremely toxic work environment.
Now, whatever is happening, it doesn't bode well for Kamala's presidential ambitions. Now maybe she should take some time away from the office, and maybe as borders czar, go visit the actual southern border, not where the action is, not someplace distant from where things are happening.
Here with reaction, author of the brand new book "Beyond Biden: Rebuilding the America that We Love", FOX News contributor, former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich.
You know, I've never really asked you this but I think it's time. Almost every night now, we're playing Joe Biden. For a period, I was -- I made fun of it. It's not funny anymore. He can barely form a sentence at times. It's incomprehensible at other times. Nancy Pelosi the same thing, you just heard what we played.
Does America have to worry about two of the top leaders of this country in the free world being a cognitive mess?
NEWT GINGRICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: This is the most dangerous administration since Buchanan who was the president just before the Civil War. No one should kid themselves. The Chinese are developing a whole series of systems designed to defeat us. They have a very effective international diplomatic strategy. They're developing all sorts of new weapons.
We've had a series of admirals tell us that we lose every single war game in which we try to take on communist China for Taiwan. We just had a leading general in the space command who reported that we are being attacked every day. We noticed, I paid attention. We're being attacked every day by the Russians and the Chinese in space assets.
We are in a huge problem. We have a news media incapable of dealing seriously with the world and we have national leadership in the White House and in Nancy Pelosi and to some extent Schumer who are in incapable of the kind of changes we need.
So I think we're now entering one of the most dangerous periods in American history, rivaling the period just before the civil war or the period of the Revolutionary War, and I think people need to understand how really deeply serious the crisis is going to become, and all of our opponents as you just said all of our opponents are watching Biden fall asleep. They're watching Kamala Harris laughing and they're thinking themselves, this is the executive branch leadership? This is the commander-in-chief?
Those are signals of weakness that are extraordinarily dangerous when seen by people as tough as Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping.
HANNITY: Look, Putin obviously sees an opportunity I would argue. That's why he is now building up troop strength on the border with Ukraine. President Xi, I don't think, gives a flying rip what Joe Biden has to say as he's flying his fighter jets in Taiwan airspace and threatening reunification with Taiwan.
Then you have to ask the question if they're compromised because the Bidens did a lot of business, had a lot of business dealings with both China and Russia. So I think those things come into play.
And look at the Canadian economy is thriving but our economy is a disaster under Biden and the people that are being hurt the most are the poor and the middle class, because of the 31-year high in inflation, and the higher cost of energy.
GINGRICH: Sure. Two things, one, Miranda Divine's new book and I just did a podcast at Gingrich 360 that I think will go up Sunday with her. Her new book "Laptop from Hell" is unbelievable and you cannot read that book and not reach a conclusion that President Biden knew what his brother and his son were doing and that it involves a level of corruption that I think we have never seen. A corruption which involves Ukraine, Russia and China is clearly a national security crisis explains a lot of the timidity that Biden has towards dealing with China.
In terms of the impact of inflation which is in essence a tax. This administration, the fact is big government socialism does not work. We're watching it in inflation. We're watching it in unemployment, we're watching it in energy prices, we're watching it at the border, we're watching in our school systems.
And I think this is all going to come crashing down next year and I think we may have a historic sweep on a scale that even you and I and we were together in 1994 when we picked up 53 seats, John Boehner picked up 64 seats. I think this could be a sweep that far exceeds those because I think people are going to form a -- this ain't working coalition. That's more than just Republicans. It's going to be Republicans, Democrats, independents who look around and go, "This ain't working".
HANNITY: You know, your book is beyond Biden. We better be ready because this midterm election is critical and if Republicans win the House and now or the House and the Senate -- that means that this agenda dies, this has to happen and then that sets up the big matchup for 2024, which I think will be a very -- it will be a turning point moment for the country. You know I've said this many, many times before probably the most important election in our lifetime, both of them.
Mr. Speaker, thank you. If you want to get "Beyond Biden", it's on amazon.com, hannity.com, bookstores everywhere.
Straight ahead, Alec Baldwin's bizarre interview about the fatal shooting of the set of his movie "Rust". Now, we're going to play some of the tape. And the latest fallout, also the Jussie Smollett trial in Chicago, guess what, it's not going good for him. Judge Jeanine Pirro, Joe Concha. They're next. They weigh in. Glad you're with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HANNITY: And now more fallout from Alec Baldwin's emotional interview where he details his version of what happened on the set of "Rust", and the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins where Baldwin claims he didn't pull the trigger. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: He was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by everyone who worked with and admired --
(MUSIC)
I'm sorry.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: You felt shock. You felt anger. You felt sadness. Do you feel guilt?
BALDWIN: No, no. I feel that there is -- I feel that that -- that someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Oh, you know it's not you. Okay, even the media mob is skeptical, with Mika Brzezinski saying the dramatic music was so cringe-worthy. She's right.
And remember, an investigation into the shooting is ongoing and many legal experts are warning that it may have been a mistake for Baldwin to speak out and explaining that his comments could end up being used against him in criminal or civil proceedings. We'll follow that story.
And also tonight, out in the great city of Chicago, the trial of hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett, well, that kicked off this week. Prosecutors detailed his alleged efforts to use the staged attack where the actor said he was targeted by Trump supporters in Chicago as a ploy to demand a higher salary on the show "Empire".
And we also learned that Jussie Smollett apparently set up a dry run of the fake attack the day before with his two alleged accomplices now Smollett is facing six counts relating to the false statements he made to police.
And don't forget, this scandal is also a media scandal and is the media mob along with Democrats like, oh, Kamala Harris amplified Smollett's lies with breathless hysteria, despite no facts to ever back up the story.
Remember, Kamala Harris tweeted back in 2019, quote, this was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or the color of their skin. We must confront this hate.
Completely shameless, completely clueless, completely fake news.
Here with reaction all of this, the host of "Justice," Judge Jeanine Pirro, along with FOX News contributor Joe Concha.
Let's start with what happened with Alec Baldwin, Judge and I watched him and Leo 2.0 Terrell, very smart attorney, he's been a civil rights attorney his whole career, first thing he said is there's no way he did that interview without being coached and without being prepared by lawyers. I would have to believe that's probably true, we don't know. And then you got to remember he's an actor, and then you got this whole other side with ABC playing that ridiculous music.
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST, "JUSTICE": Right.
HANNITY: A woman died here.
PIRRO: Yeah.
HANNITY: Your reaction?
PIRRO: Okay. First of all, there is no doubt in my mind, I would -- I would gamble my house on this one, that he was prepped that they went through many sessions on how he would respond number one. There is still a possibility of his being charged criminally. Number two, he is going to be sued up the kazoo by so many people and number three he's got a future career he thinks that he's got to worry about. So this was not something he decided to just do on the fly.
Let me make one thing clear. The fact that so many weeks have passed since Halyna Hutchins was killed tells me that he has had now a chance to assess everything, make a decision as to what he's going to say, what his story is, and this whole thing about how I'm not responsible somebody else is. Look, it's his production company. He was in charge of hiring those people who worked on that set and for him to absolve himself and to somehow claim that he's a victim is contrary to what the facts and the evidence will show in this case ultimately.
And his -- his desire to be seen as a victim and as a pathetic guy who looks so horrible is countered by the evidence.
HANNITY: You know, I didn't get a chance -- this aired in the hour before my show, Joe Concha, so I only glanced at it. I'm preparing up to the last minute, and I have a great team behind me and they were able to pull the clips out of what happened. But now that I've had a chance to watch it, I will tell you -- Mika Brzezinski is right. It's -- it is beyond repulsive, the music that they were playing, and you know the dramatic way that they produce this when a woman died here.
JOE CONCHA, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: ABC News should be ashamed, Sean, to play music under that interview. Mika is right. You're right.
We're not watching the cheesy crime drama here. This is not what any news organization should do. Again, someone was killed. This was a mother of a little boy, a wife to a loving husband, this ain't unsolved mysteries, okay? And as for Baldwin, the judge is exactly right.
He attempted to throw everyone else under the bus, all while somehow playing the victim. Baldwin's saying, I didn't pull the trigger -- well, okay, who did? The sheriff in this case is correct. Guns don't fire themselves.
Baldwin when asked, do you feel any guilt? He answers bluntly, no. That's not good.
So, look this was a PR stunt to try to curry public opinion in Baldwin's favor clearly and after 90 minutes, we're only left with more questions and answers and it seems the more this actor speaks the more questions are raised, Sean.
HANNITY: You know, Judge, I look at "The New York Post": The Hate Pretender. This is their cover in the Jussie Smollett case. And he does this dry run number one, and number two, oh, and scream "MAGA" while you're hitting me and pull back on your punches. So, obviously this was -- you know, staged.
And then, Kamala Harris, as usual, rushing to judgment. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of skin. We must confront this hate.
Now, I'll say this about Alec Baldwin, some people may not like it. I stay consistent -- due process, presumption of innocence, let this play out in a court of law as it will.
In this case, the evidence seems overwhelming as this case moves forward and the evidence presented but, you know, say MAGA while you're hitting me and setting it up, that's about as sick as it gets.
PIRRO: But you see, that is precisely what's going on in America. It is the politicization of the criminal justice system. How much more political can you get than to say that the people who were who were beating me and put trying to lynch me are Donald Trump people. And that way, they can create more hat -- more hate and division. That's the whole point of the Democrat Party right now, is to create division and hatred and false claims.
But I'm telling you what this and this is what I've said on my show repeatedly, I believe in the jury system, the jury will get it right, the left and those people in the mainstream media will buy into it, but we don't. We'll see what happens in the end. The truth will bear out.
HANNITY: The evidence is pretty overwhelming. What we've seen so far, Joe, but I don't rush to judgment.
CONCHA: And nor you should, right? But again, we were supposed to believe that Jussie Smollett got the munchies at 2:00 a.m. instead of calling an Uber. Believe me, I'm a Bears fan who has been to Chicago in January. You're not walking anywhere at 2:00 a.m. during a polar vortex.
And then he gets attacked by two MAGA supporters yelling this is MAGA country with a noose and bleach conveniently in hand at 2:30 in the morning? Yeah, that was totally believable. Yet our media bought it hook, line and sinker, except for Chicago media who did their job. The local media did their job here, Sean.
HANNITY: That's what that's why you need your own media show, and I know Judge Jeanine agrees with me.
PIRRO: I do.
HANNITY: Joe stands apart from what I call the cult -- the Twitter blue checkmark media mob cult. He's like on the outside of that group. They don't like him. That's a good sign.
PIRRO: Thanks.
HANNITY: All right. Thank you.
PIRRO: Thank you.
HANNITY: When we come back, flip flop Fauci continue to take advantage of his moment in the spotlight this week. Senator Rand Paul joins us. You do not want to miss this, next.
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HANNITY: Now, tonight, ask yourself, has anyone been more wrong during this pandemic than doctor doom and gloom flip-flop Fauci? He started out, oh, mask, they don't work, then one mask, and two masks. Then mask may be in perpetuity.
Then he misled you the American people about the origins of the COVID virus and he appears to have lied to Congress about whether or not the NIH ever funded gain of function research.
Now, he told us also that we've never seen vaccine passports or vaccine mandates, and guess what? Here we are.
Now, in all seriousness, how does this man have a job or any credibility? How come he's not being investigated?
Now, even with his credibility crumbling -- well, you got Fauci is now telling Americans to get vaccinated, to keep wearing their masks, to get the booster, wear a mask indoors, outdoors, you know, the guidelines change constantly.
Want to know where vaccine hesitancy came from? How about the people that can't make up their mind and got everything wrong up to this point.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone's been talking about what to do if you're unvaccinated or without a booster, but what should someone who has all three shots do to protect themselves?
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We're asking people to go get booster shot and the question that was just asked is very relevant. What you do is exactly what we were saying and that is to be prudent and careful. And one of the things that's very clear is that you -- if you have to be in an indoor congregate setting, in which you're unsure of what the vaccination status is of the people around you, wear a mask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And meanwhile, Joe Biden's broken campaign COVID promises are obvious as ever tonight. Remember when he took office, he told you the American people, it would only be a hundred days of masks. Then he said, oh, you can vax, or you can mask.
And then he claimed to -- at the debate with President Trump, any president who oversaw 220,000 deaths had, quote, no business being president. You still stand by that, Joe? Because during your time as president, over 355,000 Americans have died of COVID. More people now have died in 2021 than 2020.
And during the campaign, Biden also claimed he had a secret plan. He's going to shut down the virus. Obviously, another lie.
And get this, now, Biden wants even more travel restrictions for you, the law-abiding American citizens, and foreign travelers. But guess what? Preferential treatment, that exists.
If you're an illegal immigrant, you come across the border, you don't have a COVID test, there's no vaccine mandate and you got free transportation to the state of your choice. Does that make sense to you?
Ask yourself, why does the Biden administration seem to think that COVID can spread everywhere except the southern border? Whatever happened to follow the science consistently?
Anyway, here with reaction all this, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
You know, Senator, basically, it's become follow the science only when convenient because if we're following the science, the science out of Israel and I believe Qatar now is a second country, but the Israel case showing natural immunity was 27 times more effective in warding off the delta variant than the vaccine.
That would be following the science, wouldn't it?
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Virtually none of the edicts or the promulgations that come from Fauci's mouth are based in science at all.
Take the idea that we're now going to test the day of travel. The rapid test is accurate about between 30 and 50 percent if you don't have symptoms. So most people traveling if they know they're sick are going to not travel.
So, most of the people we're talking about are traveling are without symptoms. The test is 30 to 50 percent accurate.
The Omicron variant is already across the United States and across the world. No travel ban is going to stop it and no amount of testing is going to stop it.
But think about this -- Fauci now says if you know someone's been vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask next to him. So you see him at one of these glittering Hollywood parties the other day, and it's like, oh, if I don't know the person, I put a mask on, if I know them.
Well, he doesn't know their vaccine status, how idiotic is that? Oh, I don't know that person, so I'm going to put my mask on. But now I'm going to take it off because I know that person. He doesn't know who's vaccinated or not by looking at them. It's a ridiculous standard.
But here's the bottom line people have been vaccinated or people who've gotten the disease naturally do have a semblance of protection and should feel comfortable going about their daily lives. Let's not live in fear because Dr. Fauci is promulgating things that are unscientific just to scare you.
If you've been vaccinated or if you've had the disease, live your life and ignore this man and let's hope he can be gone as soon as possible.
HANNITY: You know, you've been the first to point out and now others have joined in loudly and I applaud them like Ted Cruz, he's been great, that when he testified, I believe it was May 11th, and said that the NIH never funded any gain of function research. I think it might have been an exchange with you.
Now we know from the NIH itself and we know from the 900 documents from "The Intercept", and we know from Fauci's own emails that, in fact, he knew damn well that coronavirus, gain of function research was being done at the Wuhan virology lab and that his NIH was funding it.
PAUL: And realized, to this day, he hasn't taken any of it back and he hasn't learned any lessons. To this day, he still supports sending money to China. He still supports the research in Wuhan, and he still supports gain of function research throughout the United States.
There is the possibility that a virus could escape a lab that has 50 percent mortality. He has been in favor of allowing experiments with viruses that have 50 percent mortality. The current virus is wreaking havoc and it has 1 percent mortality.
Can you imagine if a virus escapes from a lab? So he's learned absolutely nothing but he's a danger to mankind because he doesn't want to place any new limits on this gain of function research.
He continues to deny that it happened. When we caught him lying, he went to his website and changed the definition of gain of function. They took the words gain of function off of his website, off of the NIH website because he's still trying to obscure any responsibility for his funding of this type of research.
But the funding goes on. This could happen again.
The man's a menace and we need to get him away from the reins of power.
HANNITY: A guy that said in 2012, even if it resulted in a worldwide pandemic, he still supports gain of function research. That to me is like a mad scientist.
PAUL: That kind of situational ethics absolutely should get him away. I mean, think about the 5 million families who have lost loved ones. He's saying, oh, well, the research was worth it. Sorry, you know, sorry for your loss of your loved one, but the research was worth it.
What a callous disregard for individuals, individual liberty and the individual deaths of 5 million people just to say, oh, well the research was worth it.
No, we should have a heart-to-heart discussion Republicans, Democrats, all of us, with the scientists, and we should ask the question: should this type of research be funded in China? And should this type of research should be funded in the United States or Europe or anywhere?
There are scientists who will come in who are not Republicans, scientists who are non-partisans who've been worried about Dr. Fauci and his support of this research for 15 years.
Way before this pandemic, the debate was out there. But Dr. Fauci's winning because he controls the purse strings. He controls the money and if you don't listen to him, he may yank your funding. He may yank your funds.
HANNITY: Senator, you've done a great job exposing this, and standing up for real science and the American people and freedom and medical privacy and doctor-patient confidentiality, which nobody seems to care about much these days.
Thank you for doing it. We appreciate you being with us.
When we come back, we'll show you Jen Psaki's bizarre explanation for the surge in crime in American cities. Leo 2.0 Terrell, Greg Jarrett, they break it down. That's next.
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HANNITY: All right. Circle back Jen Psaki this week was caught fueling even more left-wing lies, claiming that the rising crime in Democratic-run cities. It's not because of old defund, dismantle, no bail laws. In other words, left-wing/anti-police policies like the ones I mentioned. No, it's all because of the pandemic and it's the gun's fault, I didn't know guns could shoot themselves, until Baldwin spoke. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOOCY: Does the president still think that crime is up because of the pandemic?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think many people have conveyed that and also one of the reasons that crime -- one of the root reasons crime we've -- root causes of crime in communities is guns, and gun violence. And we've seen that statistically around the country.
DOOCY: To your point, so when a huge group of criminals organizes themselves and they want to go loot a store, a CVS, a Nordstrom, a Home Depot until the shelves are clean. You think that's because of the pandemic?
PSAKI: I think a root cause in a lot of communities is the pandemic, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The pandemic is the cause -- no. But, of course, as usual, facts keep getting in the way of Democrats' destructive agenda.
For example, we are now learning that out in California, many of the alleged smash and grab robbers have been released with zero bail. What a shocker? Then they're back out on the street and they do it again.
Here with reaction, FOX News legal analyst Greg Jarrett, along with FOX News contributor Leo 2.0 Terrell.
Gregg, start with you. We're going to blame COVID for the surge and smash and grab raids -- COVID.
Now, excuse me, I beg to differ. I would actually bet it's defunding the police, trying to dismantle the police, putting pressure on police never to do their job and making it incapable for them to do their job, and then I'd add those no bail laws that you commit a crime, you rob a bank, like this one guy in New York. They let you out, he goes out and robs another one. What do they do? They let him out again and he went out and robbed another one.
I don't know why that happened, like they're telling us the pandemic caused that.
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: What Jen Psaki said, it -- I mean, it's just too stupid for words. She is the dumb and dumber of press secretaries.
(LAUGHTER)
JARRETT: If the pandemic is to blame for retail theft and smash and grab that's happening everywhere in liberal cities, then her boss is to blame. Why isn't she standing there at the podium blaming Joe Biden who promised in his inaugural he was going to beat the virus and end the pandemic and he hasn't done it?
The truth of the matter is as you point out, Sean, look at where all of this is happening. It's happening in liberal cities run by far left progressive politicians and their policies of no bail, low bail. They refuse to prosecute a great many crimes.
They want to continue to defund police. They want to cancel jail and dismantle the prison system. They don't want probation and parole for most offenders. You know, they want to just let them go free.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Yeah, I'm sorry I'm not interrupting. Let's get Leo's take on. Leo?
LEO TERRELL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, let me be very clear. Greg's absolutely right. There is no punishment for criminal activity in Democratic cities.
Sean, they lowered the crime of felony shoplifting to a misdemeanor because they said they didn't want to punish people who are stealing food. Do you say people still eat food bread or butter? Louis Vuitton?
I don't see people eating Louis Vuitton bags. That is a big lie. You have green lighted criminals to steal and to be released. It is not for food. It is to get high in jewelry to resell on the black market. It is a sham.
And as long as Jen Psaki has zero credibility and she just basically lied when she told the American public is due to the pandemic. Pandemic is causing people to rob Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags. It makes no sense.
All right. Let me just read to both of you this. The fraternal order of police revealed today that 58 police officers have been gunned down this year. It's the highest number of law enforcement officers shot and killed ever. Another 314 officers have been shot, ambushes have jumped 126 percent.
For everybody at home, I want to ask yourself, do you know the names of any of these officers? Do you know the name of one of these off -- a record year officers killed, a record year officers ambushed, up 126 percent, record year officers hurt. Do you know the names of any of them? Now, Gregg --
JARRETT: No, because the media certainly won't focus on that. Look, criminals now know that liberal prosecutors and liberal politicians are their new BFFs, their new best friends forever because they can walk into a store and loot it or they can burn down the store or vandalize the store. And if they get caught, they'll be out in a couple of hours, because these are the policies that have been instituted in places like New York, California and elsewhere by liberal politicians, and George Soros-supported progressive prosecutors.
And so, you know, is it any wonder that the Waukesha parade massacre happened because of a guy who shouldn't have been out on the streets, let out on ridiculously low bail for running over the mother of his child just weeks earlier.
HANNITY: Unbelievable.
Last word, about 20 seconds, Leo.
TERRELL: Oh, the bottom line is very simple. The Democratic Party looks at the police as the enemy. They embrace Antifa. They embrace Black Lives Matter. They go out of their way to please them.
And that is, Sean, by allowing them to rob and steal. All this is going to be paid back in 2022 --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Black Lives Matter, they want a boycott of any white-owned business.
TERRELL: All with -- yeah, white businesses. Crazy.
HANNITY: That's -- well, you know what? That's called racism.
More Han -- thank you both. More HANNITY right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Unfortunately, that is all the time we have left this evening. As always, we thank you for joining us. You make the show happen, you make it possible. We hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please set your DVR so you never miss an episode of HANNITY.
And remember, we will never be the media mob, ever. We don't lie like them.
In the meantime, let not your heart be troubled because Laura Ingraham and "THE INGRAHAM" is up next. Have a great weekend. See you Monday.
END
ANNOUNCER: Americans held hostage behind enemy lines, day 111.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Welcome to HANNITY this news breaking Friday night.
It is now day 111 -- that's right -- since Joe Biden abandoned our fellow Americans trapped in Afghanistan including military families, hundreds of them, thousands of green card holders and, of course, our Afghan allies, something he said days earlier he'd never do. Joe Biden has turned the page. The mob and the media's turned the page. We will not -- we will remind everybody until they are home safely.
Now, of course, this is one of many self-inflicted crises that Biden is unwilling incapable of resolving.
Now, breaking earlier, more really bad news for Americans, the November jobs report was a disaster abysmal, falling way short of every projection.
Keep in mind: we are already facing a severe worker shortage in the country. We now have record-setting inflation, a 31-year high. You're now paying on average about a buck more a gallon. That's 20, 25, 30 bucks more every time you fill up your tank. We're paying a fortune now to heat and cool our homes, and everything you buy in every store you go to is costing more because of Joe Biden's stagnant growth and now, it is getting worse.
But don't take my word for it. Let's look at CNBC. The U.S. economy created far fewer jobs than expected in November and a sign that hiring started to slow ahead of the new coveted threat. But today, Biden proudly announced that this was quote incredible news and that our economic recovery is going strong. What world are you living in, Joe?
Now, I thought Biden promised to shut down the virus, not the economy, what happened? Now one big problem for Joe is you just can't lie your way out of a crisis. Americans are suffering.
Look at the Gallup poll today. We'll get into that in a minute. And the truth be told, it doesn't appear that Joe can do much of anything at this point in his life. He's frail. He's weak. He's confused. He's confounded.
He's mumbling he's a bumbling cognitive mess and even a simple tree lighting, that became a massive struggle. You can't make this up either.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, it is my tremendous honor to welcome our literal host, the actual host for this very American celebration, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
We want to do it again and now it's my tremendous honor to welcome our real hosts our literal host for this very American celebration, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Do I speak from here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Two minutes and 19 seconds. Wow.
Now, what on earth were they doing? Now, that guy is supposed to be running the most powerful country on earth and he's supposed to be the leader of the free world.
Meanwhile, his second in command, Kamala Harris, is the most unpopular vice president in history. And third in line to be president, well, that's Nancy Pelosi. She's 18. She is the single most powerful person in the House of Representatives.
But, of course, she's controlled by the real speaker, Congresswoman Ocasio- Cortez, and she too -- meaning Nancy Pelosi -- is also a cognitive mess. Take a look at this clip. I don't know how I miss this from a couple of weeks ago and ask yourself, what is Nancy Pelosi actually trying to say to us? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, it's most of the product that we've done is -- except now we may have added in the last era or so, and some of what we added is Senate -- to the bill -- like a hearing. Bernie doesn't like hearing. Excuse me, Bernie loves hearing.
So -- so we are getting some bird and privilege. I think -- I think mostly we're getting privileged scrub, because privileged drug is deadly to a bill, vertical, it's important it's you have to take it out.
We want to be sure that what we send is not bird-able or bird bath or privilege scrub. They're the two -- exercises we're engaged -- bathing exercises we're engaged in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: God helped this country in the world. I think Nancy may have also been in Washington a bit too long how is it possible that we now have two of the most powerful people in Washington both being equally incoherent, both struggling cognitively, and supposedly they're running the country? This is frightening the two most powerful jobs in America being filled by people who can barely form a cogent sentence. It's scary.
And guess what? Every hostile regime, every enemy country, and every hostile actor they see what we see.
And then to make matters worse Joe Biden is now apparently physically sick with some kind of nasal something going on. Today, he can barely speak and he's been hacking up a lung now for a couple of days. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Before I start, I'd like to report that later today I'll be signing the bill funding the government operations for the next few months.
Simply put America -- America's back to work, since the end of October excuse me the average -- in partnership with business with private business and labor retailers and grocery stores freight movers and railroads.
For example at the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, they're the two busiest ports in America and they're ready to meet consumer demand for the holidays. I said that yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANITY: I almost want to put on my mask watching it. Now, we hope Joe feels better and isn't seriously ill.
Now, today, Biden assured us that he was not suffering from COVID-19 but told our own Peter Doocy that he picked up a cold from kissing his grandson. Blame the kid. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Mr. President, your voice sounds a little different. Are you okay?
BIDEN: I'm okay. I have a test every day to see a COVID test. I've been checking for all the strands. What I have is a one and a half year old grandson who had a cold who likes to kiss his pop, and he's been kissing my -- anyway. So -- but it's just a cold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: With more -- joining us now with more as FOX News White House correspondent Peter Doocy.
Look, I got to admit, I've been on the road, Peter. I've done a number of books, and I do three hours of radio, hour of TV, hour and a half speech, three-hour book signing, fly to the next city, do it all again, I'd you know five six days in a row and sometimes I take prednisone. Do we know if he took any medicine to lower the inflammation of his vocal cords or anything?
DOOCY: Nothing serious yet, Sean. But, you know, and it was -- we've had the changing of the temperature here in D.C. It was 30 a couple days ago, 65 yesterday, 40s today. That's when people get a little congested.
HANNITY: But it didn't sound like him. It didn't sound like a cold to me. I'm not a doctor. I'm not going to play one on TV.
DOOCY: And, Sean, I have listened to every public statement this man has made in the last three years or so and I have never heard Joe Biden so baritone, I couldn't believe it, which is why I asked. And, of course, we know that they take a lot of precautions around here at the White House concerning COVID-19. But we also know that it's been less than a week since he was up in Nantucket shopping indoors, he had his mask pulled down at a place where masks were required.
So it was worth asking and I didn't just ask him, I asked Jen Psaki about the COVID tests for the president and she said, well, he's tested positive -- or he's tested negative a few times in a row. I reminded her that she also tested negative a few times in a row before her positive test, but no changes to his schedule yet.
The bigger thing though right now and we've all been living in this world for the last two full years almost, the instructions from the federal government, if you have any kind of a symptoms, whether you are vaccinated or not, regardless of a test that day, you're not supposed to go to work. And I get that the president has a home office behind us. He lives at work.
But it was surprising to see him showing those symptoms out there. But we have been assured that he is okay and he's going to go to Camp David this weekend and then he's going to come back on Sunday to see the Kennedy Center honors where they're going to honor uh and celebrate Lauren Michaels and Bette Midler -- Sean.
HANNITY: You know, a number of times this week, he urged all Americans to wear masks indoors, then he would walk away without a mask and not put one on or after. Then you called them out on his statement during the campaign during one of the debates Americans dead now under his watch. It's three -- over 355,000 Americans, but yet he had three vaccines and monoclonal antibodies handed to him.
Has anyone ever given you a reason why they don't mention monoclonal antibodies more? I don't -- by my account, I only heard it one time and that was during the vaccine mandate speech.
DOOCY: No and the clinical treatments are part of this winter plan, but you got to read the fine print or listen to some of these briefings that the -- that the officials give. The president and top leaders here, they just want people to get vaccinated. And right now, as they learn more about this variant, they don't know if the new variant is going to be super serious or contagious or if it's not so bad, but they want everybody to get vaccinated just in case and that's the line that they're pushing.
HANNITY: Yeah, but you know what, monoclonal antibodies at least according to everybody that I know that has gotten them early after a diagnosis, if it's proven to be pretty effective, you think that would be at least talked about, spoken about. What happens if you have a breakthrough case like with delta?
My advice for you, though, Peter, for the short term at least, when you're around the president, you might want to double mask like Fauci once suggested. Just saying.
DOOCY: I will -- I will. I will take all the necessary precautions. Thank you.
HANNITY: And ask Jen what she thinks of my idea for a show, you and Jen Psaki.
DOOCY: I will. I'll --
HANNITY: All right.
DOOCY: More to report next week.
HANNITY: Peter Doocy, thank you at the White House.
Yesterday, Biden's approval rating hit a new low in a morning console poll, and also a new low in the Trafalgar Robert Cahaly poll, 36 percent. Believe it or not, the numbers for his vice president, that's Kamala Harris right there, are even worse.
As it turns out, Kamala Harris is not just hated by hundreds of millions of Americans, she's also deeply unpopular with her own staff. Things are getting worse every day. New reports out, a mass exodus is in the works. You have three top staffers that have already announced their departures from the office of the vice president. Many others are now worried about being permanently branded a Harris person which are fate -- I guess they view that as a fate worse than perhaps even death apparently. Some are being burned out from what they are describing as an extremely toxic work environment.
Now, whatever is happening, it doesn't bode well for Kamala's presidential ambitions. Now maybe she should take some time away from the office, and maybe as borders czar, go visit the actual southern border, not where the action is, not someplace distant from where things are happening.
Here with reaction, author of the brand new book "Beyond Biden: Rebuilding the America that We Love", FOX News contributor, former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich.
You know, I've never really asked you this but I think it's time. Almost every night now, we're playing Joe Biden. For a period, I was -- I made fun of it. It's not funny anymore. He can barely form a sentence at times. It's incomprehensible at other times. Nancy Pelosi the same thing, you just heard what we played.
Does America have to worry about two of the top leaders of this country in the free world being a cognitive mess?
NEWT GINGRICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: This is the most dangerous administration since Buchanan who was the president just before the Civil War. No one should kid themselves. The Chinese are developing a whole series of systems designed to defeat us. They have a very effective international diplomatic strategy. They're developing all sorts of new weapons.
We've had a series of admirals tell us that we lose every single war game in which we try to take on communist China for Taiwan. We just had a leading general in the space command who reported that we are being attacked every day. We noticed, I paid attention. We're being attacked every day by the Russians and the Chinese in space assets.
We are in a huge problem. We have a news media incapable of dealing seriously with the world and we have national leadership in the White House and in Nancy Pelosi and to some extent Schumer who are in incapable of the kind of changes we need.
So I think we're now entering one of the most dangerous periods in American history, rivaling the period just before the civil war or the period of the Revolutionary War, and I think people need to understand how really deeply serious the crisis is going to become, and all of our opponents as you just said all of our opponents are watching Biden fall asleep. They're watching Kamala Harris laughing and they're thinking themselves, this is the executive branch leadership? This is the commander-in-chief?
Those are signals of weakness that are extraordinarily dangerous when seen by people as tough as Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping.
HANNITY: Look, Putin obviously sees an opportunity I would argue. That's why he is now building up troop strength on the border with Ukraine. President Xi, I don't think, gives a flying rip what Joe Biden has to say as he's flying his fighter jets in Taiwan airspace and threatening reunification with Taiwan.
Then you have to ask the question if they're compromised because the Bidens did a lot of business, had a lot of business dealings with both China and Russia. So I think those things come into play.
And look at the Canadian economy is thriving but our economy is a disaster under Biden and the people that are being hurt the most are the poor and the middle class, because of the 31-year high in inflation, and the higher cost of energy.
GINGRICH: Sure. Two things, one, Miranda Divine's new book and I just did a podcast at Gingrich 360 that I think will go up Sunday with her. Her new book "Laptop from Hell" is unbelievable and you cannot read that book and not reach a conclusion that President Biden knew what his brother and his son were doing and that it involves a level of corruption that I think we have never seen. A corruption which involves Ukraine, Russia and China is clearly a national security crisis explains a lot of the timidity that Biden has towards dealing with China.
In terms of the impact of inflation which is in essence a tax. This administration, the fact is big government socialism does not work. We're watching it in inflation. We're watching it in unemployment, we're watching it in energy prices, we're watching it at the border, we're watching in our school systems.
And I think this is all going to come crashing down next year and I think we may have a historic sweep on a scale that even you and I and we were together in 1994 when we picked up 53 seats, John Boehner picked up 64 seats. I think this could be a sweep that far exceeds those because I think people are going to form a -- this ain't working coalition. That's more than just Republicans. It's going to be Republicans, Democrats, independents who look around and go, "This ain't working".
HANNITY: You know, your book is beyond Biden. We better be ready because this midterm election is critical and if Republicans win the House and now or the House and the Senate -- that means that this agenda dies, this has to happen and then that sets up the big matchup for 2024, which I think will be a very -- it will be a turning point moment for the country. You know I've said this many, many times before probably the most important election in our lifetime, both of them.
Mr. Speaker, thank you. If you want to get "Beyond Biden", it's on amazon.com, hannity.com, bookstores everywhere.
Straight ahead, Alec Baldwin's bizarre interview about the fatal shooting of the set of his movie "Rust". Now, we're going to play some of the tape. And the latest fallout, also the Jussie Smollett trial in Chicago, guess what, it's not going good for him. Judge Jeanine Pirro, Joe Concha. They're next. They weigh in. Glad you're with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HANNITY: And now more fallout from Alec Baldwin's emotional interview where he details his version of what happened on the set of "Rust", and the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins where Baldwin claims he didn't pull the trigger. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: He was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by everyone who worked with and admired --
(MUSIC)
I'm sorry.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: You felt shock. You felt anger. You felt sadness. Do you feel guilt?
BALDWIN: No, no. I feel that there is -- I feel that that -- that someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Oh, you know it's not you. Okay, even the media mob is skeptical, with Mika Brzezinski saying the dramatic music was so cringe-worthy. She's right.
And remember, an investigation into the shooting is ongoing and many legal experts are warning that it may have been a mistake for Baldwin to speak out and explaining that his comments could end up being used against him in criminal or civil proceedings. We'll follow that story.
And also tonight, out in the great city of Chicago, the trial of hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett, well, that kicked off this week. Prosecutors detailed his alleged efforts to use the staged attack where the actor said he was targeted by Trump supporters in Chicago as a ploy to demand a higher salary on the show "Empire".
And we also learned that Jussie Smollett apparently set up a dry run of the fake attack the day before with his two alleged accomplices now Smollett is facing six counts relating to the false statements he made to police.
And don't forget, this scandal is also a media scandal and is the media mob along with Democrats like, oh, Kamala Harris amplified Smollett's lies with breathless hysteria, despite no facts to ever back up the story.
Remember, Kamala Harris tweeted back in 2019, quote, this was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or the color of their skin. We must confront this hate.
Completely shameless, completely clueless, completely fake news.
Here with reaction all of this, the host of "Justice," Judge Jeanine Pirro, along with FOX News contributor Joe Concha.
Let's start with what happened with Alec Baldwin, Judge and I watched him and Leo 2.0 Terrell, very smart attorney, he's been a civil rights attorney his whole career, first thing he said is there's no way he did that interview without being coached and without being prepared by lawyers. I would have to believe that's probably true, we don't know. And then you got to remember he's an actor, and then you got this whole other side with ABC playing that ridiculous music.
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST, "JUSTICE": Right.
HANNITY: A woman died here.
PIRRO: Yeah.
HANNITY: Your reaction?
PIRRO: Okay. First of all, there is no doubt in my mind, I would -- I would gamble my house on this one, that he was prepped that they went through many sessions on how he would respond number one. There is still a possibility of his being charged criminally. Number two, he is going to be sued up the kazoo by so many people and number three he's got a future career he thinks that he's got to worry about. So this was not something he decided to just do on the fly.
Let me make one thing clear. The fact that so many weeks have passed since Halyna Hutchins was killed tells me that he has had now a chance to assess everything, make a decision as to what he's going to say, what his story is, and this whole thing about how I'm not responsible somebody else is. Look, it's his production company. He was in charge of hiring those people who worked on that set and for him to absolve himself and to somehow claim that he's a victim is contrary to what the facts and the evidence will show in this case ultimately.
And his -- his desire to be seen as a victim and as a pathetic guy who looks so horrible is countered by the evidence.
HANNITY: You know, I didn't get a chance -- this aired in the hour before my show, Joe Concha, so I only glanced at it. I'm preparing up to the last minute, and I have a great team behind me and they were able to pull the clips out of what happened. But now that I've had a chance to watch it, I will tell you -- Mika Brzezinski is right. It's -- it is beyond repulsive, the music that they were playing, and you know the dramatic way that they produce this when a woman died here.
JOE CONCHA, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: ABC News should be ashamed, Sean, to play music under that interview. Mika is right. You're right.
We're not watching the cheesy crime drama here. This is not what any news organization should do. Again, someone was killed. This was a mother of a little boy, a wife to a loving husband, this ain't unsolved mysteries, okay? And as for Baldwin, the judge is exactly right.
He attempted to throw everyone else under the bus, all while somehow playing the victim. Baldwin's saying, I didn't pull the trigger -- well, okay, who did? The sheriff in this case is correct. Guns don't fire themselves.
Baldwin when asked, do you feel any guilt? He answers bluntly, no. That's not good.
So, look this was a PR stunt to try to curry public opinion in Baldwin's favor clearly and after 90 minutes, we're only left with more questions and answers and it seems the more this actor speaks the more questions are raised, Sean.
HANNITY: You know, Judge, I look at "The New York Post": The Hate Pretender. This is their cover in the Jussie Smollett case. And he does this dry run number one, and number two, oh, and scream "MAGA" while you're hitting me and pull back on your punches. So, obviously this was -- you know, staged.
And then, Kamala Harris, as usual, rushing to judgment. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of skin. We must confront this hate.
Now, I'll say this about Alec Baldwin, some people may not like it. I stay consistent -- due process, presumption of innocence, let this play out in a court of law as it will.
In this case, the evidence seems overwhelming as this case moves forward and the evidence presented but, you know, say MAGA while you're hitting me and setting it up, that's about as sick as it gets.
PIRRO: But you see, that is precisely what's going on in America. It is the politicization of the criminal justice system. How much more political can you get than to say that the people who were who were beating me and put trying to lynch me are Donald Trump people. And that way, they can create more hat -- more hate and division. That's the whole point of the Democrat Party right now, is to create division and hatred and false claims.
But I'm telling you what this and this is what I've said on my show repeatedly, I believe in the jury system, the jury will get it right, the left and those people in the mainstream media will buy into it, but we don't. We'll see what happens in the end. The truth will bear out.
HANNITY: The evidence is pretty overwhelming. What we've seen so far, Joe, but I don't rush to judgment.
CONCHA: And nor you should, right? But again, we were supposed to believe that Jussie Smollett got the munchies at 2:00 a.m. instead of calling an Uber. Believe me, I'm a Bears fan who has been to Chicago in January. You're not walking anywhere at 2:00 a.m. during a polar vortex.
And then he gets attacked by two MAGA supporters yelling this is MAGA country with a noose and bleach conveniently in hand at 2:30 in the morning? Yeah, that was totally believable. Yet our media bought it hook, line and sinker, except for Chicago media who did their job. The local media did their job here, Sean.
HANNITY: That's what that's why you need your own media show, and I know Judge Jeanine agrees with me.
PIRRO: I do.
HANNITY: Joe stands apart from what I call the cult -- the Twitter blue checkmark media mob cult. He's like on the outside of that group. They don't like him. That's a good sign.
PIRRO: Thanks.
HANNITY: All right. Thank you.
PIRRO: Thank you.
HANNITY: When we come back, flip flop Fauci continue to take advantage of his moment in the spotlight this week. Senator Rand Paul joins us. You do not want to miss this, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Now, tonight, ask yourself, has anyone been more wrong during this pandemic than doctor doom and gloom flip-flop Fauci? He started out, oh, mask, they don't work, then one mask, and two masks. Then mask may be in perpetuity.
Then he misled you the American people about the origins of the COVID virus and he appears to have lied to Congress about whether or not the NIH ever funded gain of function research.
Now, he told us also that we've never seen vaccine passports or vaccine mandates, and guess what? Here we are.
Now, in all seriousness, how does this man have a job or any credibility? How come he's not being investigated?
Now, even with his credibility crumbling -- well, you got Fauci is now telling Americans to get vaccinated, to keep wearing their masks, to get the booster, wear a mask indoors, outdoors, you know, the guidelines change constantly.
Want to know where vaccine hesitancy came from? How about the people that can't make up their mind and got everything wrong up to this point.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone's been talking about what to do if you're unvaccinated or without a booster, but what should someone who has all three shots do to protect themselves?
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We're asking people to go get booster shot and the question that was just asked is very relevant. What you do is exactly what we were saying and that is to be prudent and careful. And one of the things that's very clear is that you -- if you have to be in an indoor congregate setting, in which you're unsure of what the vaccination status is of the people around you, wear a mask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And meanwhile, Joe Biden's broken campaign COVID promises are obvious as ever tonight. Remember when he took office, he told you the American people, it would only be a hundred days of masks. Then he said, oh, you can vax, or you can mask.
And then he claimed to -- at the debate with President Trump, any president who oversaw 220,000 deaths had, quote, no business being president. You still stand by that, Joe? Because during your time as president, over 355,000 Americans have died of COVID. More people now have died in 2021 than 2020.
And during the campaign, Biden also claimed he had a secret plan. He's going to shut down the virus. Obviously, another lie.
And get this, now, Biden wants even more travel restrictions for you, the law-abiding American citizens, and foreign travelers. But guess what? Preferential treatment, that exists.
If you're an illegal immigrant, you come across the border, you don't have a COVID test, there's no vaccine mandate and you got free transportation to the state of your choice. Does that make sense to you?
Ask yourself, why does the Biden administration seem to think that COVID can spread everywhere except the southern border? Whatever happened to follow the science consistently?
Anyway, here with reaction all this, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
You know, Senator, basically, it's become follow the science only when convenient because if we're following the science, the science out of Israel and I believe Qatar now is a second country, but the Israel case showing natural immunity was 27 times more effective in warding off the delta variant than the vaccine.
That would be following the science, wouldn't it?
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Virtually none of the edicts or the promulgations that come from Fauci's mouth are based in science at all.
Take the idea that we're now going to test the day of travel. The rapid test is accurate about between 30 and 50 percent if you don't have symptoms. So most people traveling if they know they're sick are going to not travel.
So, most of the people we're talking about are traveling are without symptoms. The test is 30 to 50 percent accurate.
The Omicron variant is already across the United States and across the world. No travel ban is going to stop it and no amount of testing is going to stop it.
But think about this -- Fauci now says if you know someone's been vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask next to him. So you see him at one of these glittering Hollywood parties the other day, and it's like, oh, if I don't know the person, I put a mask on, if I know them.
Well, he doesn't know their vaccine status, how idiotic is that? Oh, I don't know that person, so I'm going to put my mask on. But now I'm going to take it off because I know that person. He doesn't know who's vaccinated or not by looking at them. It's a ridiculous standard.
But here's the bottom line people have been vaccinated or people who've gotten the disease naturally do have a semblance of protection and should feel comfortable going about their daily lives. Let's not live in fear because Dr. Fauci is promulgating things that are unscientific just to scare you.
If you've been vaccinated or if you've had the disease, live your life and ignore this man and let's hope he can be gone as soon as possible.
HANNITY: You know, you've been the first to point out and now others have joined in loudly and I applaud them like Ted Cruz, he's been great, that when he testified, I believe it was May 11th, and said that the NIH never funded any gain of function research. I think it might have been an exchange with you.
Now we know from the NIH itself and we know from the 900 documents from "The Intercept", and we know from Fauci's own emails that, in fact, he knew damn well that coronavirus, gain of function research was being done at the Wuhan virology lab and that his NIH was funding it.
PAUL: And realized, to this day, he hasn't taken any of it back and he hasn't learned any lessons. To this day, he still supports sending money to China. He still supports the research in Wuhan, and he still supports gain of function research throughout the United States.
There is the possibility that a virus could escape a lab that has 50 percent mortality. He has been in favor of allowing experiments with viruses that have 50 percent mortality. The current virus is wreaking havoc and it has 1 percent mortality.
Can you imagine if a virus escapes from a lab? So he's learned absolutely nothing but he's a danger to mankind because he doesn't want to place any new limits on this gain of function research.
He continues to deny that it happened. When we caught him lying, he went to his website and changed the definition of gain of function. They took the words gain of function off of his website, off of the NIH website because he's still trying to obscure any responsibility for his funding of this type of research.
But the funding goes on. This could happen again.
The man's a menace and we need to get him away from the reins of power.
HANNITY: A guy that said in 2012, even if it resulted in a worldwide pandemic, he still supports gain of function research. That to me is like a mad scientist.
PAUL: That kind of situational ethics absolutely should get him away. I mean, think about the 5 million families who have lost loved ones. He's saying, oh, well, the research was worth it. Sorry, you know, sorry for your loss of your loved one, but the research was worth it.
What a callous disregard for individuals, individual liberty and the individual deaths of 5 million people just to say, oh, well the research was worth it.
No, we should have a heart-to-heart discussion Republicans, Democrats, all of us, with the scientists, and we should ask the question: should this type of research be funded in China? And should this type of research should be funded in the United States or Europe or anywhere?
There are scientists who will come in who are not Republicans, scientists who are non-partisans who've been worried about Dr. Fauci and his support of this research for 15 years.
Way before this pandemic, the debate was out there. But Dr. Fauci's winning because he controls the purse strings. He controls the money and if you don't listen to him, he may yank your funding. He may yank your funds.
HANNITY: Senator, you've done a great job exposing this, and standing up for real science and the American people and freedom and medical privacy and doctor-patient confidentiality, which nobody seems to care about much these days.
Thank you for doing it. We appreciate you being with us.
When we come back, we'll show you Jen Psaki's bizarre explanation for the surge in crime in American cities. Leo 2.0 Terrell, Greg Jarrett, they break it down. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Circle back Jen Psaki this week was caught fueling even more left-wing lies, claiming that the rising crime in Democratic-run cities. It's not because of old defund, dismantle, no bail laws. In other words, left-wing/anti-police policies like the ones I mentioned. No, it's all because of the pandemic and it's the gun's fault, I didn't know guns could shoot themselves, until Baldwin spoke. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOOCY: Does the president still think that crime is up because of the pandemic?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think many people have conveyed that and also one of the reasons that crime -- one of the root reasons crime we've -- root causes of crime in communities is guns, and gun violence. And we've seen that statistically around the country.
DOOCY: To your point, so when a huge group of criminals organizes themselves and they want to go loot a store, a CVS, a Nordstrom, a Home Depot until the shelves are clean. You think that's because of the pandemic?
PSAKI: I think a root cause in a lot of communities is the pandemic, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The pandemic is the cause -- no. But, of course, as usual, facts keep getting in the way of Democrats' destructive agenda.
For example, we are now learning that out in California, many of the alleged smash and grab robbers have been released with zero bail. What a shocker? Then they're back out on the street and they do it again.
Here with reaction, FOX News legal analyst Greg Jarrett, along with FOX News contributor Leo 2.0 Terrell.
Gregg, start with you. We're going to blame COVID for the surge and smash and grab raids -- COVID.
Now, excuse me, I beg to differ. I would actually bet it's defunding the police, trying to dismantle the police, putting pressure on police never to do their job and making it incapable for them to do their job, and then I'd add those no bail laws that you commit a crime, you rob a bank, like this one guy in New York. They let you out, he goes out and robs another one. What do they do? They let him out again and he went out and robbed another one.
I don't know why that happened, like they're telling us the pandemic caused that.
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: What Jen Psaki said, it -- I mean, it's just too stupid for words. She is the dumb and dumber of press secretaries.
(LAUGHTER)
JARRETT: If the pandemic is to blame for retail theft and smash and grab that's happening everywhere in liberal cities, then her boss is to blame. Why isn't she standing there at the podium blaming Joe Biden who promised in his inaugural he was going to beat the virus and end the pandemic and he hasn't done it?
The truth of the matter is as you point out, Sean, look at where all of this is happening. It's happening in liberal cities run by far left progressive politicians and their policies of no bail, low bail. They refuse to prosecute a great many crimes.
They want to continue to defund police. They want to cancel jail and dismantle the prison system. They don't want probation and parole for most offenders. You know, they want to just let them go free.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Yeah, I'm sorry I'm not interrupting. Let's get Leo's take on. Leo?
LEO TERRELL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, let me be very clear. Greg's absolutely right. There is no punishment for criminal activity in Democratic cities.
Sean, they lowered the crime of felony shoplifting to a misdemeanor because they said they didn't want to punish people who are stealing food. Do you say people still eat food bread or butter? Louis Vuitton?
I don't see people eating Louis Vuitton bags. That is a big lie. You have green lighted criminals to steal and to be released. It is not for food. It is to get high in jewelry to resell on the black market. It is a sham.
And as long as Jen Psaki has zero credibility and she just basically lied when she told the American public is due to the pandemic. Pandemic is causing people to rob Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags. It makes no sense.
All right. Let me just read to both of you this. The fraternal order of police revealed today that 58 police officers have been gunned down this year. It's the highest number of law enforcement officers shot and killed ever. Another 314 officers have been shot, ambushes have jumped 126 percent.
For everybody at home, I want to ask yourself, do you know the names of any of these officers? Do you know the name of one of these off -- a record year officers killed, a record year officers ambushed, up 126 percent, record year officers hurt. Do you know the names of any of them? Now, Gregg --
JARRETT: No, because the media certainly won't focus on that. Look, criminals now know that liberal prosecutors and liberal politicians are their new BFFs, their new best friends forever because they can walk into a store and loot it or they can burn down the store or vandalize the store. And if they get caught, they'll be out in a couple of hours, because these are the policies that have been instituted in places like New York, California and elsewhere by liberal politicians, and George Soros-supported progressive prosecutors.
And so, you know, is it any wonder that the Waukesha parade massacre happened because of a guy who shouldn't have been out on the streets, let out on ridiculously low bail for running over the mother of his child just weeks earlier.
HANNITY: Unbelievable.
Last word, about 20 seconds, Leo.
TERRELL: Oh, the bottom line is very simple. The Democratic Party looks at the police as the enemy. They embrace Antifa. They embrace Black Lives Matter. They go out of their way to please them.
And that is, Sean, by allowing them to rob and steal. All this is going to be paid back in 2022 --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Black Lives Matter, they want a boycott of any white-owned business.
TERRELL: All with -- yeah, white businesses. Crazy.
HANNITY: That's -- well, you know what? That's called racism.
More Han -- thank you both. More HANNITY right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: All right. Unfortunately, that is all the time we have left this evening. As always, we thank you for joining us. You make the show happen, you make it possible. We hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please set your DVR so you never miss an episode of HANNITY.
And remember, we will never be the media mob, ever. We don't lie like them.
In the meantime, let not your heart be troubled because Laura Ingraham and "THE INGRAHAM" is up next. Have a great weekend. See you Monday.
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