This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," May 29, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: All right. Welcome to "Hannity" this Friday night.
We begin with a FOX News alert, a curfew has just this very minute now been enacted in Minneapolis following a violent night of rioting that resulted in destruction of property of over 170 businesses impacted and frankly something I never thought I'd see in my adult lifetime that we'd ever see in this country -- the torching of a police precinct and they didn't defend it. And more all-out carnage across the country tonight.
And we'll be following these protests in multiple cities all throughout the hour, full live reports from the ground, straight ahead.
At this hour, the protests in Atlanta -- they are getting more tense. Breaking moments ago, a squad car was smashed.
But we start tonight in Minneapolis, a city in turmoil, a city in chaos, and a city being destroyed as we speak in front of the whole country to watch.
According to local officials, more than 170 businesses now have been damaged or looted, along with dozens of fires in one location after another. Just look at your screen.
Now, these businesses include major chain retailers like Target, Walgreens, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, McDonald's, CVS, Goodwill, along with dozens and dozens and dozens of small businesses, including jewelry stores, convenience stores, pizza parlors, pawnshops, and the list goes on. We'll show you that list throughout the show.
This type of violence, this sort of destruction of property, it is dangerous to every city where this is happening. And let me be clear, all of it is unacceptable.
And, by the way, how could the governor of the state ever allow this to happen? Or the mayor of Minneapolis? The governor of Minnesota -- how did they let this happen?
These are real businesses. These are real American workers already struggling enough right now.
Order must be restored immediately. It is sad to watch all of this unfold. It is our horrific display of violence that does not honor George Floyd's memory in any way, shape, manner, or form.
We have these updates on the case coming up tonight, including the arrest and the charging today of the officer at the center of all of this.
But first, here for a live report from Minneapolis, FOX News correspondent Mike Tobin. He is in Minneapolis again tonight for us.
Mike, things seem to be heating up.
MIKE TOBIN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: They have been. It's been a remarkable 15 minutes. Minnesota state patrol and the big speaker truck came to where the line of protesters were. They announced that they needed to disperse, if they remain, they will be in violation of the order to clear the streets, and then they backed out.
Both the state troopers with their truncheons and riot gear at the ready, as well as the guardsmen carrying M-16s, a few M4s, mostly M-16s, some of them with magazines and some of them not, and they all backed up. They had some conflict back and forth with the demonstrators in the street. They threw some bottles with some kind of white liquid, and the state troopers responded with a little bit of teargas, really wasn't a massive amount and they all backed up.
You can see some green smoke in the foreground, I can't tell you where that is coming from, but we're all the way back now to the third precinct building. The fence is backed up in front of the third precinct building after it was ripped down last night.
And you can see the front of the third precinct was torched. Those are the flames you saw late last night. The liquor store across the street now is gutted, the kids are throwing things and they're tipping things over. But they really can't add to the destruction that happened last night. The only thing they've got probably is that fence, which was I guess re-erected at some point throughout the day.
I just heard a loud pop come I can't tell you what that is, Sean, but the crowd is back in the middle of the intersection of Lake and Minnehaha where we saw so much destruction last night, this is kind of the epicenter because we are so close to the third precinct, all of the fires and all of the looting, most of the vandalism, I should say most of the fires, most of the looting centralized in this area, Sean.
HANNITY: You know, Mike, the curfew just kicked in. Obviously, it's not working.
TOBIN: Uh-huh.
HANNITY: We saw there was very little police presence in areas when they were needed most. I don't know what's -- that sounds like fireworks in my ear. I prefer fireworks over what else it could be.
Where were the police yesterday, where are they today, and I know the guard is there, where are they?
TOBIN: Well, I can hear the police off in the distance. In fact, you can see some -- you can see some light, and they are making an announcement again. Also what I see are buses, and I'm going to presume that you've got personnel in those buses and now the kids are running. So let's see what we've got here.
Where were the police last night, see they made a decision based on the orders of Mayor Jacob Frey to back off, avoid the friction some of the symbolism of the third precinct building was less important than a life. They made their strategic decision to retreat, but you still don't have the situation resolved here as you've got chaos once again in front of the third precinct building.
Smoke -- they just made another announcement that the demonstrators need to disperse and they're not going to follow that order first time around. So let's see where we go with this, Sean.
HANNITY: It seems like we are building into a potential huge conflict here tonight. For the people in Minneapolis tonight, if you're not there, don't go there. It's not safe there.
We will be checking in throughout the hour with Mike Tobin and Mike is going to be interviewing some of the people on the ground listening to what they say. Stand by, Mike.
Now we go to Leland Vittert. He's in Washington tonight -- Leland.
LELAND VITTERT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Sean.
Outside of the White House here at 9:00, we've got a crowd of maybe 100, 150. Earlier today, though, this protest grew very quickly and things got quite confrontational along the north fence line of the White House. They are some bicycle barricades that separate the north fence of the White House from Pennsylvania Avenue, and the protesters began to shove those over. That did not go over very well with the Secret Service who initially appeared to be caught off guard, reinforcements came in, and they were able to push the protesters back pretty quickly, the protesters left.
And right now, Sean, at 9:00, we got protests at three places in Washington, D.C. and growing. We have the White House here with chants of Black Lives Matter with the president upstairs conceivably in the residence. We got protests outside the Trump hotel, and then also the protesters have made their way to the Capitol Hill.
This is the first night, Sean, of what they call stay-at-home lite here in Washington, D.C. So they lifted a lot of the coronavirus restrictions and they are certainly out in force in the streets and as protest numbers seem to be growing, at least in this way, we have not seen the confrontation with the Secret Service that happened a couple of hours ago, although based on the number of Secret Service agents lining the fence line now, you have to think they are at least prepared for it.
We've been through this before in different ways with protests out here in Lafayette Park and every time, at least the number of times I've been back inside the White House as part of the White House unit, it is incredible, the amount of supplies and at the ready, both ammunition, weapons, shields, and riot gear they keep back here inside the White House, Sean.
HANNITY: Leland, there was an incident earlier this evening at the White House. Apparently, we had a fenced jumper. What --
VITTERT: Yes.
HANNITY: What's the status on that? Do we know if it was part of this protest or somebody else?
VITTERT: The White House -- the Secret Service locked the White House down because the barricades were breached. I don't know if you can see it, but if Doug pans that way, you can see this line of barricades, and those are the bicycle barricades that give the secret service a buffer zone, and then you can see the plywood wall and then the new fence line, the 13-foot fence being built here behind that which will be the north lawn of the White House.
What happened earlier, and I think we may have some video of it is that the barricades were pushed down by the protesters, and that got the Secret Service's attention. They stayed back as they are now and let people chant and let people be very angry, and cause a ruckus, if you will, in Lafayette Park. As soon as those barricades got pushed down, that's when the Secret Service responded, we had the pushing the bicycle barricades back and using the barricades to keep the crowd back, big reinforcement of Secret Service agents and officers came out here to the north fence line and on the White House was locked down.
I'm not sure whether that lockdown has still been in effect or whether the White House has lifted it. We did see a of members of the press be let out. So, it would lead you to believe the Secret Service feels at least right now they have things more under control.
HANNITY: All right. Leland Vittert, stand by. We'll be checking in throughout the day there at the White House tonight.
Apparently, we now have a press conference apparently is emerging -- apparently emerging in Atlanta. Let's just check it quickly here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of the wreckage of the struggle that we all experience just by being born to a certain color in this country. But Atlanta is a place where we can set an example of prosperity, and we've done that for generations. People like Dr. King, Maynard Jackson, Ambassador Young, have paved the way for us.
And when everything else goes away, when you don't get treated right in New York, when you don't get treated right in L.A., when you don't get treated right in Detroit, when you don't get treated right in St. Louis, when you don't get treated right in Alabama, Atlanta has been here for us.
This city don't deserve it here. However, I understand a lot of others do, but we can't do this here. This is Wakanda. It's sacred. It must be protected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't want to come --
HANNITY: Let me just listening, one second.
KILLER MIKE, RAPPER: I'm the son of an Atlanta City police officer. My cousin is an Atlanta City police officer, and my other cousin at this point is police officer. And I've got love and respect for police officers, down to the original eight police officers in Atlanta that even after becoming police had to dress in a YMCA because white officers didn't want to get dressed with n******.
HANNITY: All right, by the way, that is -- that is -- Killer Mike is his name, apparently a famous rapper from the city of Atlanta. I lived there, love the city, prayers with them tonight, and please no violence.
We now go to Alex Hogan. There's been a protest in New York at the Barclays Center.
Alex, what's the latest on the ground there?
ALEX HOGAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Sean, we are hearing some of the same chants around the country, no justice, no peace, this violence is deadly, and, of course, the words, I can't breathe. That's in reference to George Floyd's final words.
And tonight, seeing the tensions escalated in Atlanta. There, we are seeing groups gathered, thousands of them gathered outside of the CNN headquarters, we've seen they've smashed windows, they've been shoving police officers, even lighting some cars on fire there at the scene, and this is all after that viral video, of course, in Minneapolis on Monday went viral, that a video a police officer kneeling on an unarmed black man's neck until he eventually stopped breathing.
And all of this is really here and around the country encouraging people and motivating them, they say, to come out of their quarantine and speak up and stand up together.
Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp tweeted, encouraging people to exercise their constitutional right but to do so safely because of COVID-19 concerns.
Here in New York, the crowd of protesters marched from downtown Manhattan to Brooklyn, thousands surrounding the Barclays Center, nearby stores and side streets. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's urging protesters to direct their anger not at police, the men and women at the NYPD, but at elected leaders.
While the gatherings tonight so far have been relatively peaceful, we have seen some changes just within the last 30 minutes or so. We're seeing more police officers there in Brooklyn than we have throughout the day, also brought in those buses in to be able to haul away basically anyone who gets out of control. Again, we haven't seen that many arrest today, but we will see following this -- Sean.
HANNITY: All right. Alex, thank you, in New York tonight, at the Barclays Center.
We now go to Bill Melugin. He joins us in Los Angeles where there was a lot of activity last night.
Bill, the latest in L.A. It's still early out there.
BILL MELUGIN, FOX-11 LOS ANGELES REPORTER: Yes, Sean. Good evening.
I can tell you here in Los Angeles, we are bracing for what could be a lengthy weekend of protests. There was one under way as I speak right now, several blocks away protesters trying to get onto a busy freeway here in downtown L.A. There is a line of police officers trying to stop them, several other protests already scheduled for tomorrow.
But here in L.A., everything started on Wednesday really. If we can pull up some video, this is when those protesters successfully did get onto the 101 Freeway in downtown L.A.., this was in the middle of rush hour. They got onto all lanes of traffic blocking all traffic on both sides of the freeway.
California Highway Patrol, a couple of cruiser stopped by to break it up and they were severely outnumbered. And you could take a look at what happened, the protesters immediately swarmed those CHP cruisers, attacking them, kicking them, taking skateboards and throwing them through the windshield of these cruisers. One man jumped unto the hood of the CHP cruiser, the car took off, he fell off and split his head open. And that turned into a big media ordeal out here in Los Angeles.
But again, protests underway here in Los Angeles tonight, very early in the evening, just behind me here at LAPD headquarters. This is where they've got all their metal barricades set up out front. They've got riot police standing out in front guarding because their building was tagged and vandalized in recent nights.
For the most part, the protests here in Los Angeles have been peaceful. However, there have been some bad actors that have infiltrated these protests, have started throwing things at officers, have started attacking their vehicles and vandalizing buildings.
And for that reason, LAPD police chief Michael Moore put out a statement essentially telling the protesters, look, we hear you, we're going to let you protest, we're going to protect your right to do so, we understand why you were angry. However, we are drawing the line when it comes to officer safety and public safety. They say if they see anybody being attacked, any buildings being vandalized, they're going to step it up and those people will be arrested -- Sean.
HANNITY: All right. Bill, thank you.
We now go back to Minneapolis where you can see on the right side of your screen, Atlanta on the left side of your screen.
Courtney Godfrey in Minneapolis tonight for us reporting there. We just spoke with Mike Tobin.
Courtney, what is going on where you are?
COURTNEY GODFREY, FOX 9 MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL REPORTER: Yes. Hey, Sean, we are out here in Minneapolis. Probably about 15 minutes ago, the state patrol and the National Guard, they told the protesters to back up, and if they didn't, they were going to start arresting. Shortly after that, they started firing tear gas which the protesters then threw back.
I will tell you, one of our private security that's with us here today, he served in Iraq and he told me he never thought that he would see a scene like he saw in Iraq here at home.
The protesters now have moved closer, so the street was closed off, Sean. The street was completely closed off and the National Guard retreated, and now everybody has moved in on Lake Street. Now, this is the street that was completely destroyed, mostly immigrant run businesses on the street. Now, it's opened up again to protesters like we saw the first two nights.
Now, that curfew just going into effect a short while ago clearly the state patrol is saying they are going to enforce that curfew. What will happen next, we just don't know, but these protesters out here, they have come with jugs of milk, they have come with the attitude that they will be out there and they are going to stay out here. They say they want those three other officers arrested and they will protest and they will riot until that happens.
HANNITY: All right. Courtney, thank you tonight.
Now earlier today, the officer Derek Chauvin who is seen kneeling on George Floyd's neck for eight solid minutes plus until he couldn't breathe, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
This is not -- this is -- in a case, there is not Republican/Democrat disagreement here. Liberal/conservative disagreement. There is universal condemnation of that eight-minute video of the knee pushing Mr. Floyd's head right into the pavement.
Here is the county attorney discussing the charges earlier today. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is in custody. He has been charged with third-degree murder. We are in the process of continuing to review the evidence. There may be subsequent charges later.
This investigation is ongoing. We felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator. I must say that this case has moved with extraordinary speed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Four days, to be exact. To explain, third-degree murder is commonly known as depraved heart murder. It means that the officer is charged with acting in a depraved mind, with a reckless disregard for human life. Under Minnesota law, that is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
First-degree murder so you understand and remember, this is eventually going to go before a jury of 12 individuals with a standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. First-degree murder would require intent and premeditation. That tape does not give us any premeditation evidence or intent for that matter. A second degree would require intent but not the premeditation. Again, a high standard based on the take according to all the lawyers I have talked to.
The standard for a conviction, remember, criminal trial, beyond a reasonable doubt. Twelve jurors must agree. Can you prove first degree murder? Well, and get a conviction based on the evidence we have now? Can you do it with second-degree murder? You would need more evidence.
In my opinion, many independent lawyers I've talked to than just the tape we have seen so far, well, there might be incriminating evidence that we don't know about yet.
Now, I also want to be very clear there's a big difference between a riot and a peaceful protest. Apparently, my so-called friends in the mob and the media, they are having a very hard time making a distinction. There is a big difference between peaceful marching, honoring Mr. Floyd's life, demanding justice, and burning down buildings, destroying businesses, looting, breaking, stealing and advocating for violence.
The country is pretty much in universal agreement on the videotape and the death of George Floyd and about how outrageous it looks and is. It is an abuse of power for law enforcement to the highest degree. We need accountability and justice because what makes this case so unique is the amount of standard running time, different angles and tape evidence for extended periods.
You don't see resistance anywhere, yet we see the officer pushing down Mr. Floyd's neck for eight-plus solid minutes. Went on for seven minutes, 55 seconds tape, and it was happening before the camera started rolling.
It is chilling. It's shaking America, and the American people to its core.
Remember, the president, he took the lead on this from day one. He ordered the FBI, the DOJ, to conduct a full investigation. He made it clear this would be a top priority. He wanted this investigation expedited, and he said to the people, justice will be served, and reach out to the family, and apparently spoke to them earlier today.
The president is clear: we do not want this violence to continue. And they do not want to dishonor the memory of George Floyd.
Unfortunately, well, with 170 stores that we are counting, anarchy and chaos are raining as we saw all throughout the night last night. Radical rioters exploiting this death of Mr. Floyd committing crimes, justifying crimes, threatening more violence.
One agitator actually saying, quote, one of ours, two of yours. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all out. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Matter of fact, we've got a two-for-one rule (EXPLETIVE DELETED). One of ours, two of yours. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) died because you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) don't want none. There's more of us than you (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Next time, this is your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) house out there. You don't live here, well, we're coming to your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) house right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Let's go back to the live video here. You see some police action and I'm looking at the monitor up here. It looks like perhaps, well, they are looking up the meaning things are being thrown at them by those people.
By the way, that's not peaceful protesting. That would be called rioting. I never thought in my life that I watch a police precinct overtaken, destroyed like what we saw last night. We are all watching this unfold last night, at least tonight, we see a police presence.
Last night I'm thinking, OK, where the police? Where's the National Guard that have been called up?
Over 170 businesses, windows smashed, some of them burned, two dozen destroyed, it puts an entire community of innocent people and innocent law enforcement at risk here. And also, you're destroying the entire community. You're taking away jobs when we are living in a time where we need every job, as we now open the country hopefully safely.
Here's a bigger question, why are there people on the left in the mob and the media, well, celebrities, they've seemed to be encouraging the violence? Downplaying in the media the threat of all of this and making excuses for what you are watching on this Friday night, night number three?
Look at this tweet, NBC's Craig Melvin, quote: While the situation on the ground in Minneapolis is fluid and there has been violence, it is most accurate that this time to describe what is happening here as protests, not riots.
That's apparently network policy over there at NBC.
A hundred seventy stores impacted, looting, rioting, Melvin, whoever you are, that is called a riot. Look at your screen. There is not peaceful protesting by many in this crowd.
Far left filmmaker Michael Moore writing, quote, good citizens burning down the evil police precinct of Minnesota after all police were out and safe. Oh, I'm glad you know that, Michael. All police should go home, no violence please.
Really? That's one of the dumbest things you've ever said, and you've set a lot of dumb things, Michael Moore, in the course of your lifetime.
Police headquarters, he writes, must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Look at this moment last night, MSDNC, all things Democratic socialist party, state-run Democratic TV, they have a host, Ali Velshi, who said the protests aren't unruly at all. He is saying it while standing in front of a burning building. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, MSNBC REPORTER: There are at least four fires that I can see and that's just in this small radius that Morgan and I are in. So I want to be clear and how I characterize it. This is mostly a protest. It is -- it is not generally speaking unruly. But fires have been started, and there is a crowd that is relishing. There is a deep sense of grievance and complaint here.
(END VIDEO CLIP
HANNITY: There were four fires in your general vicinity, just in this general radius. OK, that's madness.
And not only that, over at fake news CNN, they actually are comparing a detention of a CNN crew last night to George Floyd's death, prompting a very strong chorus, I think justified, of backlash. By the way, and I believe in freedom of the press, but comparing that to the death of this man is just the typical we get from fake news CNN. And why the media mob be downplaying these acts of violence that we are seeing with our own eyes in Minnesota.
Burning down buildings is not about protesting what happened to George Floyd and his death, it doesn't honor his memory. These are agitators exploiting a crisis, sowing more discord, hate, division and putting lives at risk.
Look at your screen. Open your eyes, those of you in the psychotic media mob.
By the way, we now look at pictures in Brooklyn, New York, and now, Barack Obama's weighing in with remarks that frankly are not particularly helpful, especially considering his history of other reckless remarks when it comes to police and the race.
And you might remember Ferguson, hands up, don't shoot. Yes, remember, that didn't work out the way the mob and the media were telling people then, because there were many eyewitnesses at the end of that case that actually confirmed Officer Darrell Wilson story about Michael Brown. Remember.
He said in part, it's natural for us to wish for life to get back to normal, he said, as the pandemic, economic crisis upend everything around us, but we have to remember, for millions of Americans to be treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly normal.
Obama might also want a reminder about the Cambridge police acting stupidly, and the Trayvon Martin case ended up being the eyewitness. Ferguson, Baltimore, his comments by his own attorney general that were cowards in America on the issue of race. Now, we are in agreement, George Floyd's death is tragic, unacceptable.
What's also unacceptable is what we are now seeing happening in cities all across the country. That's not acceptable -- the destruction of businesses, workers who are already struggling trying to restore order. It's time for the police to do their job.
This is the Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, what he said earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: As we put our presence on the street to restore order, it is to open that space to seek justice and heal what happened. We cannot have the looting and the recklessness that went on. We cannot have it because we can't function as a society, and I refuse to have it take away the attention of the stain that we need to be working on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, Governor, a little late. Where were you last night?
Now all Americans, my faith teaches us many Americans, we are all made in the image of God, all of us. No identity politics here. The president says at the end of crescendo and his rallies, we are one glorious nation under God and one united American family, and this is not helping anybody, and again, the officer was arrested and charged today.
But the horrific scenes in Minneapolis and Atlanta and Brooklyn that we are showing you all night, this is not the answer. It's not going to make community safer or stronger. It's sad, it's self constructive, there's a better way forward in a better way to bring Americans together.
Here with reaction, Salem nationally syndicated radio host and executive producer of upcoming documentary "Uncle Tom", Larry Elder, civil rights attorney, Leo Terrell.
Larry, we'll start -- Leo, we'll start with you, you are on the screen.
Leo --
LEO TERRELL, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes.
HANNITY: I am afraid for our cities. I am afraid for the people of the cities, I am afraid of the destruction of businesses, lives being destroyed before our very eyes, people minimizing this making excuses for this -- 170 businesses, Leo.
TERRELL: Sean Hannity, I have listened to your monologue the last 30 minutes. I want every FOX viewer to know, I agree with everything you have just said.
This is a tragedy. There is universal acceptance that the murder of George Floyd was wrong. We agree with that. I am disappointed, shocked that there has been no Democratic lawmakers the last 72 hours who have focused on the criminal activity of these individuals who are not protesting. These are criminals, and they -- and they are breaking the law, using the guise of caring about George Floyd.
It's not happening. And I encourage all of you Democratic lawmakers, all you lawmakers, to stand up and criticize these criminals. I have tremendous credibility as a civil rights attorney. I agree with Sean Hannity. I thank the president for spending prompt action of giving the attorney general involved in this and the county district attorney for filing charges.
But what cannot happen is this Democratic silence -- and let me just tell you the truth why, because these Democratic lawmakers do not want to alienate black voters.
I've got news for you, you're alienating me. I'm a black voter and you have lost me and doing something about these criminals.
HANNITY: Larry Elder, we all -- all three of us have been friendly, haven't always agreed over the years, you are outspoken.
LARRY ELDER, SALEM RADIO HOST: That's for sure.
HANNITY: Yes, I want you to weigh in on all that we see now developing all around the country. We keep going from city to city and we see what's unfolding again tonight, and by the way, the curfew started 30 minutes ago exactly, and nobody is listening in Minneapolis.
Where the police? What are their plans? They've got to protect the community.
ELDER: Well, Sean, what's so disturbing and destructive about all of this is the premise is wrong. The premise is that there's a systemic, structural, institutional racism by the cops against black people, and the evidence is to the contrary. The CDC has been in the news recently, they did a study and they found out over the last 45 years, police shootings and killings of blacks have declined 75 percent while the shootings of whites have flat-lined. In fact, an officer is 18-point times more likely to be shot by a black man than an unarmed black man to be killed by a cop.
When this happens, it is rare. We should deal with them on a case-by-case basis and not act as if this is some sort of reflection of how cops are all across America. They've never been better trained or educated, they've never been trained in more de-escalation tactics than ever. The police department is not an institutionalized racist department, and that's what's causing all these people to do it.
(CROSTALK)
HANNITY: Hey, Larry, the police department -- Larry, the police department retreated last night. They allow their precinct and all these places to be looted. There was nowhere to be found last night.
ELDER: And that's the second point, Sean. This would be one thing if it were Birmingham, Alabama, we're talking about Bull O'Connor, the public superintendent of safety. We are talking about a mayor, who's a young, liberal, Jewish Democrat who's very sympathetic. The police chief is a Mexican-American/black guy. There's no reason to believe that justice will not be served.
The cops are fired right away. The main cop has been arrested and they're still rioting. This has nothing to do with police brutality, nothing to do with civil rights, everything to do with anger and I believe if Donald Trump weren't in office, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
HANNITY: Well, the president was very clear, Leo Terrell, that if the governor and the mayor can't get this job done, they will. I don't see any enforcement of -- and, Leo, I'm not looking for a confrontation here, but I'm also not looking for a replay of all we witnessed last night now in multiple cities around the country, and the police and president said he would send all the support, and he will stop the violence and protect the homes and protect the businesses that are being looted and vandalized and burned to the ground.
TERRELL: Well, you know what, President Trump, I salute you. You need to federalize the National Guard because these Democratic governors in Minnesota, he's not taking action. You need to federalize these national guards because there is no law and order in, as Larry pointed out, a progressive, Democratic mayor, a Democratic governor in Minnesota, nothing happening on the state and local level.
I think we need President Trump to step in and do something because these individuals, I want to be clear as a civil rights attorney, these individuals are not protesting under the First Amendment. They are criminals, they should be arrested, period.
HANNITY: All right. Standby. We're going to try and get back to both Leo Terrell, Larry Elder.
We continue to monitor the protests around the country tonight, New York, Atlanta, things I am told by my producer now heating up in Chicago. You're seeing the current images now in Minneapolis. That it's rioters now even taking over the police precinct.
How in the world do you let rioters take over a police station? Why didn't the city's Democratic mayor and governor do anything about this? They literally backed away.
Anyway, we are now checking in. We'll go back to Mike Tobin in a second.
But, first, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Mr. Mayor, you dealt with some tough days in New York City, your years as mayor with all of this. Mr. Mayor, I can't imagine knowing you, having been friends with you for a few decades -- for a couple of decades now that you would ever allow what happened last night to happen again.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: First person who threw a brick would have been arrested. The second person who burned a car would have been arrested. The third person who tried to hurt somebody would have been arrested and it would have been over.
And the statement to them would be: push it any further and try me, and you're -- you're going to regret it.
I inherited a city that had had to go major riots for eight days, and I left the city in eight years, no riots, even though we had some very, very controversial police shootings.
You just didn't riot -- under me, Bratton, Safir, and Bernie Kerik. I'm sorry. They never even tried.
So, what -- what should happen here -- what should happen here is somebody should take over. Progressive Democrats are incapable of keeping their people safe because they have criminal family policies that are pathetic, that are dangerous, and now, we are seeing the results are only there, but watch the cities that start burning. They are all going to be run by so- called progressive, idiot Democrats who let criminals out of jail, who set bail for murderers and who encourage this kind of thing.
Giving up a police precinct, the mayor should resign. Telling police officers to flee a precinct, he should resign and be replaced by somebody who can protect his people.
The governor should resign, because he's had four days to protect his people. He's not doing it.
This is about protecting people's property and protecting people's lives. One man has died already. How many more are going to die before somebody starts to protect the people of Minnesota, Minneapolis, the people of Atlanta, the people of New York?
De Blasio is just as incapable of doing it.
HANNITY: Mr. Mayor --
GIULIANI: And just as fawning as far as criminals are concerned.
HANNITY: Mr. Mayor, stay right there because --
GIULIANI: There's no one that feels more strongly about the killing of Mr. Floyd than I do. I think it's outrageous what happened. A terribly trained police department -- whoever said that police department is well-trained has no idea what they're talking about.
What you saw on the streets of Minneapolis could never have happened if there was a well-trained police department -- at least five major violations, at least five, by those cops.
HANNITY: Mr. Mayor, I'm looking at these images and, by the way, you're former chief of police in New York, also ran the correction center, Bernie Kerik, is also with us, apparently with some breaking news.
But, you know, 37 minutes ago, Bernie Kerik, this curfew went into effect. Nobody's listening, Bernie, and I don't see cops making any maneuvers that I would've expected that the mayor is rightly describing things that you did and he did as mayor and you as police chief.
BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER: Yes, Sean. You know, I want to touch on something the mayor said real quick. You know, he talked about, you know, the leadership now, that they can't control their cities now.
Every one of these cities where you see these riots, you'll notice that those mayors can keep those cities less violent without -- they have the highest violence rates, they have the highest murder rates. They have poverty, low-income housing -- you know, it's just atrocious management and leadership without the riots.
HANNITY: Yes.
KERIK: Now with the riots, it's the same mentality. And in New York City right now, I've heard the 79 precinct, the 88 precinct, there's an RMP that's been set on fire. This stuff is unacceptable.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bernie, Bernie, what did you say?
KERIK: The 88 precinct, it's called the 1013. That's in Brooklyn. The 79 in Bed-Stuy, that's another precinct.
HANNITY: That's a breach?
KERIK: Not a breach, but they basically have hundreds of protesters there. They have a car on fire in Brooklyn, an RMP, a police car.
This stuff is out of control, and, really, it's all about the leadership. It's about the mayors. I don't blame those cops in Minneapolis for leaving when they're told to leave by their mayor.
I can promise you one thing, Rudy Giuliani would have never told me to leave. And if I left, I'd be out of the job in the next morning.
HANNITY: Let me -- let me go back to the mayor, Bernie.
Mr. Mayor, you've lived this.
GIULIANI: Oh my god!
HANNITY: What would you -- what do you tell these mayors tonight?
(CROSSTALK)
GIULIANI: Yes, I did. I inherited this. I inherited this.
Quit. Quit. I mean, don't elect progressive Democrats if you want to be safe. That's the message of tonight.
Every one of these cities is controlled by people with idiotic policies, friendly to criminals, constantly friendly to criminals and completely unfriendly to law-abiding citizens. Whether they are white, black, Hispanic, they are the worse thing that could happen to African-American communities, people like this, because they suffer more than anyone else.
And what they've done for the last 20 to 30 years in these communities is outrageous.
HANNITY: It's outrageous.
GIULIANI: And a lot of these politicians who have run these communities, their families have become millionaires. They're also crooks, a lot of them. I saw it in New York.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: And these communities may never come back. They may never --
GIULIANI: You know, Charlie Rangel --
HANNITY: Yes.
GIULIANI: -- Charlie Rangel in Harlem, Charlie Rangel in Harlem, all those years, he ends up a millionaire. And what happens to Harlem?
Bernie and I and -- have to clean it up.
HANNITY: All right. Mr. Mayor, thank you. Bernie Kerik, thank you tonight.
We back to Mike Tobin, we go back to Minneapolis as things have been heating up there as you can see.
Mike, 40 minutes ago, this curfew went into a effect. Well, I don't see much of a curfew going on.
TOBIN: Yes, whatever they are saying as far of as a hard-line that they're going to enforce, about 45 minutes ago, they announced it would be in violation of the law. About 20 minutes ago, they started offering up the ultimatum. If you stay out here, you are subject to arrest.
So, what happened is the police and the national guards, you can see, they just withdrew and the demonstrators took off marching, an unplanned march. Now, they've gone through some areas. They went from the epicenter of the distraction to some areas that weren't without distraction, but a relatively destruction free compared.
Just, you know, a little bit of skirmishes. We saw some liquor stores that were broken into.
And I want to do something right now, Sean, I want to walk up on some of these people and see if I can get their viewpoints. See what they're doing out here.
Excuse me, pal. Can I ask you a question? What are you trying to get done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to answer any questions.
TOBIN: All right. Fair enough, what about you, buddy?
All right. You're out here marching. Are you trying to make a point?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
TOBIN: What about the order of the curfew? Past the curfew?
Not getting a lot of cooperation right now, Sean, but a big crowd out here and it seems like the numbers grew with the curfew. You had a lot of people who are looking for a conflict, and they didn't get it because once again, the manpower back down, Sean.
HANNITY: All right. Mike Tobin, we will let you get re-situated, Mike is continuing to work with the crowd, this curfew started nearly 42 minutes ago, nobody is listening obviously.
We bring in now, Dan Bongino, Geraldo Rivera.
Dan, your years of training. You are in the NYPD. You are a Secret Service agent, how many nights in a row are we going to watch the police stand down and allow lawlessness to continue because they're not going to be a city left here if they don't get control over this?
DAN BONGINO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Sean, let me say as a former Secret Service agent, too, here, and I'm not using the Lord's name in vain, dear God, please don't let this escalate at the White House because if -- you were under the mistaken impression as a protester and, God bless your right to assemble and protest, that is your absolute God-given right, but if you think it's going to end at the White House like it ended at a police precinct in Minneapolis, you are sorely mistaken.
And, please, I am absolutely praying for some de-escalation and common sense here. Protest all you want --
HANNITY: By the way, this is important, Dan. Dan, there are protesters, there was a breach earlier tonight as you know, and they are on high alert at the White House. Nobody is going to be allowed to go on those grounds, that will not end well immediately.
BONGINO: No, no, Sean, you are making a strategic miscalculation of the highest order if you think the Secret Service is going to evacuate their precinct, it is not going to happen.
And secondly, I was listening to the Mayor Rudy Giuliani before, I was a police officer when Mayor Giuliani was in charge. I can attest to what he said from firsthand experience.
HANNITY: Yes.
BONGINO: When we went out to any civil unrest situation where things could get shaky, there was a standing order. The first person that broke the law, you went over the barricades, you grabbed them and arrested them. The second person that threw a rock, you arrested them, too.
Sean, there was no third person, that was it.
HANNITY: Yes.
BONGINO: When you look at civil unrest situations, it's the same thing as criminality. It's a small pocket of agitators that agitate everyone else and when you take them out of the equation, the situation calms down quickly, and the mayor understood that.
HANNITY: Yes, the mayor did, Bernie Kerik did. We're watching now what was a regular scene last night, 20 buildings ablaze, 24 total last night, this the first tonight.
One bit of good news if there is any good news, the fire department is obviously there trying to extinguish it, probably the building is destroyed already.
We bring in Geraldo Rivera.
Geraldo, oh, you've been a reporter on the ground. You started on the streets of New York, one of the best street reporters in the history of reporting. You are watching this, you have seen when it's been handled correctly like when Mayor Giuliani was the mayor of New York, you saw last night and you see tonight unfolding in Brooklyn, in Minneapolis, you see it in Atlanta, you see it in Chicago.
Your thoughts on how this is being handled? How is it possible they backed out and allowed a precinct to be taken over and burned to the ground last night and 170 other buildings, you know, looted and robbed and broken this and broken that?
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT AT LARGE: Now we have the image of the third precinct being abandoned and burned to the ground. Now we have the image of all these scores of businesses, many of them if not most owned by hardworking immigrants, minorities came to this country with, you know, 2 cents in their pocket, made something of themselves, but their life savings in these businesses, only to see wantonly destroyed.
It's exactly what I said last night, who is not being mentioned? George Floyd, the 46-year-old victim of all of this. His death and the knee on his neck is not the image we are thinking about tonight. What we are thinking about tonight is cities across the country being set ablaze.
What happened in Minneapolis was an outrageous dereliction of duty to abandon those neighborhoods to the mob. They -- those people have defamed, they have defaced the memory of this poor man. And it is horrifying, Sean.
HANNITY: You know, Geraldo, you have been there -- I want to go back to Dan Bongino and I want to go back to the question I was asking Bernie and Mayor -- Bernie Kerik and Mayor Giuliani, first person stops, second person stops, you see Minneapolis now, you see Atlanta tonight, you see Brooklyn tonight, now Chicago and it's early in Los Angeles tonight, there's a lot happening there last night as well.
There seems no willingness to do what police need to do to stop these crowds. It's 46 minutes that this curfew has been in effect and there are more people marching, not less.
BONGINO: You know, Sean, how many people need to get hurt? How many businesses need to get burned down? How many lives need to be put in jeopardy? How many times do we have to see this model of handling civil unrest fail?
HANNITY: Dan, hang on one second.
BONGINO: Yes.
HANNITY: By the way, Dan, it is early. You can see a fight has broken out right there in the streets. I don't know if we have control of that camera panned in. I do see police though, is it police or other -- it looks like police have stepped in and start -- stopped the fight.
Now, other people, look at that scene here, this is unfolding live in Los Angeles, and it's 6:47 Pacific Time, Los Angeles Time, 9:47 here in the East. And you can see this confrontation with the police and protesters there, and it is early out there.
Dan, I'm sorry, didn't mean to interrupt.
BONGINO: No, no, I was just trying to make the point that how many times, how many lives do we have to lose in cities do we have to see hollowed out by fire and unrest before we figure out that this model, this let them vent model, to cite David Dinkins, the awful mayor of New York City during Crown Heights, how many times can they let this model play out before we realize we could have stopped this.
We started in Baltimore with Freddie Gray, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the mayor, remember her quote, Sean? I gave those who wish to destroy space. You did what? Destroy what?
And Geraldo is absolutely right. What are we not talking about right now?
You know, Sean, can I just make a point here? This is critical. I was on Geraldo's radio show this morning. You know, Geraldo and I disagree a lot, but we agree on some stuff too. We had a moment here, a genuine moment where America came together, conservatives, liberals, greens, conservatives, tea party folks, and said, you know what, this looks like an abuse of force situation. We're with you. We got to fix this.
And you know what we're not talking about right now, any of that. We're talking about innocent people, had nothing to do with it, their businesses being burned to the ground, people being attacked in their cars, this is an outrage. This is a disgrace to this great country, what we're seeing right now.
HANNITY: Back to -- quick final remark from Geraldo tonight.
RIVERA: Amen to what Dan just said.
I was in Baltimore on your show when the Freddie Gray riots happened, West Baltimore has still not recovered. I was in Los Angeles, you have a picture of Los Angeles on the screen now, in 1992 for the Rodney King riots, what this reminds me of the Rodney King riots, the devastation wrought was a decade being repaired.
Some of the neighborhoods afflicted by urban violence of this sort, this anarchy, never recover, Sean. This is a crime against the poorest people, the striving people, the people contributing to our society. This is a crime against the memory of this poor man. It is an obscenity, and I fear the worst is yet to come.
HANNITY: God forbid, Geraldo.
Thank you both for being with us all week here this week.
I know "Townhall", Julio Rosas (ph), a U.S. marine, senior writer at "Townhall", previously working for the "D.C. Examiner" and "Mediaite" is now a blue check on Twitter and I've just been sent this.
Riot police, National Guard have completely abandoned the perimeter -- he's talking about Minneapolis now -- that they had set up earlier. In other words, it continues. Rioters chase them away. How is that possible?
We go now to bring in our 2020 correspondent on the ground, Lawrence Jones. Daryl Parks is with us as well.
I believe, Daryl, that your firm is helping the family of Mr. Floyd if I'm not mistaken. Correct me. If I'm mistaken, correct me.
DARYL PARKS, ATTORNEY: My former partner Ben Crump represents that family.
HANNITY: Yes.
Let's get -- let's start with you, Darrell, and your thoughts on what you are seeing here but more importantly, there is universal agreement, you and I have had disagreements over the years, I don't think we disagree on what happened. Now this guy has been arrested and charged, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
PARKS: That's right.
HANNITY: But yet this is continuing, and I don't see the police stepping up and the guard being used properly by any of these mayors or by any of these governors which hence the president is saying, if you don't do it and restore peace, I'll have to do it for you.
PARKS: Sean, I think we have to agree, we do agree this week. But the one thing right now, you see the agitators who are coming in and causing problems. We just saw a guy in Los Angeles, I saw him during the show, throw something into the crowd. You saw guys last night breaking windows in Minneapolis.
So, the agitators are the problem. The cops and the National Guard have to get to the agitators and stop them. We have a great moment here like you said earlier, to bring the country together and to do some good.
I just hate that the country is being robbed in this opportunity to do some good. I hope we get the bad folks out right because there are a lot of frustrated people who have a lot to say and it's a good moment to bring the country together and to do some good things, right?
And, right, George Floyd's memory is what matters here, Breonna Mitchell, you know, Ahmaud. All of those things that have happened that put forth a good conversation and because you can have right now this issue to move the ball forward, we're missing that opportunity because all of this -- the violence that's going on across the country.
I hope that it ends right. But let me say something else, Sean. We've learned some lessons from Ferguson, and when you organize the protests, meaning set up barriers, right, make them move along, put them in a designated area. There are big lessons.
I was astounded the other morning when I saw that Minneapolis had not responded correctly. You would've thought they would have been watching. And learn their lessons.
HANNITY: Hey, Daryl, I knew early on, I knew that there was a witness in the case down in Florida you were involved in. I knew in Baltimore, I knew in Ferguson -- in the case of Ferguson, perfect case in point, Baltimore perfect case in point, expectations were raised because of media and because of false reporting that they were going to be convictions and indictments.
But yet, in both cases, I had numerous sources. Let's look at Ferguson. People telling me that there were many eyewitnesses, minority in this case, but people were seeing that through that prism, identity politics, telling the -- on the record already backing up Officer Darren Wilson story. And I was telling everybody else got it wrong, we were right on both cases, and I said, too, in spite of --
(CROSSTALK)
PARKS: Here's what we need. We need body camera footage. We need body camera footage.
HANNITY: Game on, I'm with you. Right this moment down, I agree with you and Leo Terrell completely.
Let's bring in Lawrence Jones, our 2020 correspondent on the ground.
Lawrence, you spend lot of time all across the country with people in communities everywhere. You are watching this unfold. You live in the city of New York. You are here on the ground come out on the streets a lot here but also around the country.
Your reaction to all that's going on and what you're hearing from people you've been talking to all week.
LAWRENCE JONES, FOX NEWS CORRESAPONDENT: Yes. So, Sean, it's kind of weird because with quarantine and everything, I'm so used to being in the midst of these protests, on the ground reporting, it's kind of weird not being there with them.
But I have so many sources on the ground and they tell me it's the same thing that happened with Ferguson and Baltimore. What happens in many of these cases, that they are either professional paid protesters, Antifa, people that are outside of the community that comment and disrupt it.
If you don't believe me, just look at the reports in Ferguson after everything was said and done. Most of the IDs were people, 70 percent of them, were from outside of the city.
So they don't care about burning down the city because they don't have to deal with the repercussions afterwards, which is sad because this was the first time I think in this country where you had a universal agreement between liberals, conservatives, and libertarians like me that have been screaming forever about civil liberties, and this moment is being ruined by people that have their own personal agenda, and this is a failure of leadership.
I saw the governor's press conference today, and I could not believe that he admitted that he was not prepared. He called the National Guard last night after they did no prep work. Now, we are talking about Wednesday, the city was on fire. You would think they would have some strategy session with the state police and National Guard, but no, they didn't do that. They allowed it to happen again on Thursday night.
And what we are seeing right now is because of the lack of preparation and coordination, it may happen again tonight.
HANNITY: Lawrence Jones, thank you. Daryl Parks, thank you.
We know -- and by the way, Mayor de Blasio, where are you? Where is your police department? Governor Cuomo, where are you?
The governor in Minnesota, where are you tonight? Where are you? Where are your police departments?
Why did -- we now have reports in New York, police cars on fire, and it's a huge fire apparently that is existing in there. We have other reports breaking that protesters are blocking responding units while rioters attack the NYPD 88 precinct which was confirmed by Bernie Kerik.
Down in Atlanta, apparently, some type of flash bang, some type of fireworks was thrown into the lobby of CNN headquarters, which just happened as well.
And then you have the riot police, National Guard completely apparently abandoning the perimeter that they have set up earlier.
We go back to Mike Tobin. He's on the ground. He's in Minneapolis when this is all happening.
So they were supposed to have a curfew 57 minutes ago, Mike Tobin, and the crowds are going by the second, and I'm praying that we don't see a replay of last night. But I don't see the governor or the mayor or anyone they are learning their lesson from last night.
TOBIN: Well, I can tell you what I know on the ground. What was seen as this crowd that was concentrated in the area of the third precinct is now spread out. So, it's possible what -- the technique here were their strategy was to give these protesters a line in the sand, get them geared up for a big conflict, then don't give them the big conflict because what's happening now is there going for a walk, their numbers are spreading out, looks like something is on fire off in the distance there, haven't got that far so can't tell you exactly what it is.
But for the most part, what we are seeing now since we left that area of the third precinct is there just walking. I don't see any destruction, a lot of horn honking and vulgarity and that sort of thing, but the destruction that we saw last night, widespread lighting on fires, not seeing it, Sean. So quite possibly, the idea was Lucy kicking -- Lucy and Charlie with the football come and give him the football, take it away, let all the tension dissipate on its own. Quite possibly, that's what we are seeing materialize here, Sean.
HANNITY: All right. Mike Tobin, I know you've been working hard. You're on the ground the entire week for us.
Mike, can you talk to those guys by any chance?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the voice of the city.
TOBIN: You're the voice of the city?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the voice of the city. Check on CNN, you're going to see my face.
They try to put everything negativity on the city. We protest in positivity. You kill positivity with positivity, they shot me and my leg and we protect the National Guard. We are locked up and protected them and they still shot us.
TOBIN: Out on the street here tonight, what are you trying to get done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to get -- we want justice for the rest of the three. We don't want no violence, we don't want to hurt nobody. We don't want to burn shit (ph) down. We --
TOBIN: Try to keep it clean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all want to hurt nobody. We don't want to burn no business. We just want them to hear us. And if it got to come to us --
TOBIN: You want them to hear you, what are you trying to say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice, stop killing us.
HANNITY: They were arrested, Mike.
TOBIN: Now, you got the arrest, it's not enough?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's enough, we need the other threes.
TOBIN: You need the three.
(CROSSTALK)
TOBIN: What about -- now, the Hennepin County attorney said the fastest charges ever brought against the police officer in the history of this county, are you buying that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: All right, Mike.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen, stop, stop, stop. Do we know that he's really been arrested? We need proof. You know what I'm saying?
HANNITY: All right. We are going to have to say goodbye to Mike Tobin, but our coverage will continue, by the way, all through -- well, it's early in the evening. We have protests going on in Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Minnesota.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all and especially keep the people safe, I hope and pray that we do. We'll have coverage all throughout the evening, all throughout the overnight tonight on the FOX News Channel. Please stay with us. God -- pray for America tonight.
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