This is a rush transcript from “Hannity," July 10, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JASON CHAFFETZ, FOX NEWS HOST: This is a FOX News alert. It's official. President Trump just committed Roger Stone's lengthy prison sentence. The White House is calling Stone a victim of the Russian hoax.
Now, the 67-year-old political operative will not face time behind bars. We'll have more on this developing story throughout the show.
Welcome to this special edition of "Hannity". I'm Jason Chaffetz, in tonight for Sean.
We are 116 days away from election and Joe Biden has just been accused of plagiarism yet again, this time by the president of the United States. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He plagiarized for me. He can never pull it off. He likes plagiarizing.
It's a plan that is very radical left but he says the right things because he's copying what I've done, but the difference is he can't do it and he knows he's not doing it. It can't be the same because he's raising taxes way too much. He's raising everybody's taxes.
He's also putting tremendous amounts of regulations back on. And those two things are two primary reasons that I created the greatest economy we've ever had and now we are creating it again, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: President Trump is referring to Biden's so-called Buy American Economic plan, which shares the name with a 2017 Trump executive order.
At this point, plagiarism seems like a way of life for Joe Biden who just this week in a recent policy proposal, he lifted multiple sections word for word from Bernie Sanders official platform.
Several years ago, Biden got caught plagiarizing Robert Kennedy and even Hubert Humphrey. Biden was also accused of plagiarism in law school, and let's not forget about one of Biden's favorite people to plagiarize, a British politician named Neil Kinnock. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL KINNOCK, BRITISH POLITICIAN: Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was is Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university?
BIDEN: I was thinking as I was coming over here, why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to university? Why is it that my wife is sitting out there in the audience, the first and her family to ever go to college?
KINNOCK: Was it because all of our predecessors were thick? Did they lack talent -- those people who could sing and play and recite and write poetry?
BIDEN: Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? It's because I am the first Biden in a thousand generations to get a college and a graduate degree that I was smarter than the rest? Those same people who read poetry and wrote poetry and taught me how to sing verse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Keep in mind, Joe Biden's first presidential campaign ended in disgrace because his plagiarism issues came to light.
Joining is now with more is Trump campaign's national press secretary, Hogan Gidley.
Hogan, thank you so much for joining us here tonight.
I want to talk about Joe Biden's plagiarism, but I really need to get your reaction to what the president did in commuting Roger Stone's sentence today? What's your reaction to that? What's the president's view on this?
HOGAN GIDLEY, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Well, it's a good move by the president, of course. Listen, so many people, so many good people were caught up in this Russian hoax. This was perpetrated by overzealous Democrats, partisan hacks trying to take on a president. We know that the campaign was spied upon, wiretapped, authorized by the previous administration.
And we wouldn't have known of Donald Trump hadn't been elected that Comey and Clapper and Brennan were all lying in front of Congress and in other ways. We wouldn't know the names Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, the two lovers that conspired to take down the president with an insurance policy.
We wouldn't know any of that had Donald Trump not been elected. Now we do and I think the president is doing the right thing by trying to write some of the wrongs of the partisanship of the past.
CHAFFETZ: No, I think you're absolutely right. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had won, the likes of Comey and McCabe and Strzok, they would be running the country at the law-enforcement end of this. So thank goodness that didn't come to fruition.
The president is making it very strong accusation accusing anybody of plagiarism but it's not new for Joe Biden. He has been in this boat many, many times throughout his decades of service.
GIDLEY: Oh, absolutely. We know, look, he plagiarized a couple words from the president's past, but he's plagiarizing the policies from socialists like Bernie Sanders and AOC and Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Elizabeth Warren. His policies are going to be so detrimental to this country.
But let's be clear, we don't have to guess what a Biden economy looks like. We just lived through it for the past eight years -- 850,000 jobs were lost just from NAFTA alone, 70,000 manufacturing plants closed. Millions of jobs lost because of his relationship with China, because of his defense of China.
We also don't have to guess how our cities and streets would look if Joe Biden were president. We saw rioters and looters drag innocent Americans just trying to defend their businesses out into the streets, beat them within an inch of their lives, left to lie in a pool of their own blood.
Joe Biden said nothing when churches were burned, when stores were looted, riots across our city streets. He said nothing about that.
So, you don't have to guess what would happen in this country. We've already seen it happen.
CHAFFETZ: Hogan Gidley, thank you so much for joining us tonight. We do appreciate it.
GIDLEY: Absolutely, Jason. If I may say one more thing -- just because of Joe Biden's record of the past, not defending the American worker, gutting the American middle class, I have to say I think the only job that Joe Biden has ever fought for that was an American job was for Hunter Biden. But that being said, I don't take that technically counts because that was for a Chinese company. So even still with his son, he's helping out China.
CHAFFETZ: Good point. Hogan Gidley, thank you again for joining us.
All right. Joining us with more reaction to Joe Biden's long and storied history of plagiarism is American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, along with Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs.
Gentlemen, thank you for joining us here tonight.
I want to go to you first, Matt, because I've got to tell you, Bernie Sanders is the one that's actually saying that Joe Biden would be perhaps the most progressive president in the history of the United States. We should believe him, shouldn't we?
MATT SCHLAPP, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION CHAIRMAN: Yeah, when Joe Biden's mouth is flapping, you know, it's actually Bernie Sanders who we are hearing.
They very cleverly change the names of some of these policies but it's all the socialist Marxist policies that Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders pine for. It's basically saying that we're going to get zero emissions on fossil fuels, on carbon emissions which means fossil fuels will be illegal. No more fracking.
Sorry, Pennsylvania. Sorry, Ohio. No more fracking. They're even talking about not letting the police carry firearms. It's not just defunding the police. It's now de-arming the police. They are even talking about reparations.
So this is very, very radical stuff and the most radical piece of it is he's talking about buying American products to a larger extent from the federal government but guess what, those products can't be made in America when all those regulations that Trump got rid of come back on the books and he increases corporate taxes by another third.
There is no way American companies will be competitive, so if you're an American worker and you want to keep that job, Joe Biden is your worst nightmare.
CHAFFETZ: Now, Congressman, I mean, I kind of giggle when I hear Joe Biden say that he wants to transform the nation, which scares the living daylights out of me. He's only been in political office since 1972 when I was 5 years old kicking a soccer ball.
But he is suddenly going to transform the nation and there are issues like immigration and other things I think he wants to take such a radical view and position.
But we really don't know who's working for him and who's actually writing the stuff other than AOC and Bernie Sanders, as Matt was talking about.
REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): Yes, that's exactly right, Jason.
If you want to get a real picture, an indication of what a Biden presidency would be like, this -- you couldn't get a bigger picture than this. What it is is Biden's not going to be the president. He's going to have that title but somebody else is going to be manufacturing these wacky, far left policies.
They are so far to the left they are leaving the Democrats behind. This is something that's way out there. This is the "Squad" from the Congress that's out there and then you've got Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who are in there. They're having their fondest dreams put into place.
And Joe Biden, who spent his whole career driving down the middle-of-the- road, just trying to move to the next office, is now going to be co-opted. And that's what's going to happen if he becomes president of the United States. This is a great indication of that future if Biden becomes the president.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, if you can't get it done in your first 48 years in office, it probably isn't going to happen.
But, Matt, I've got to tell you. Part of what you hear from the Democrats at large and also from Joe Biden is this cancel culture. I mean, Americans are constantly told everything is wrong.
How do you think America is actually reacting to this?
SCHLAPP: Well, look, I have been a victim of this. I've seen it. A friend of mine, the CEO of Goya Foods, he's a victim of this. They are trying to make it a crime, a hate crime, that's punishable for simply being a Republican, being a Christian, having free-market views.
How about this one, Jason? Having views consistent with those of Abraham Lincoln or Frederick Douglass, or how about our Founders? They want to make a criminal.
It's not just our ripping down statues. It's about destroying the lives of Americans with common sense values.
This is fascism. This is fascism of the left. Everybody better wake up because they are coming for each and every person that dares stand up to this angry mob, and we're all going to have to face it. We better face it now. If we wait until later, will we might not have a country anymore.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, I love that the left claims to be the party of tolerance but you try to say anything they disagree with and they are the least tolerant.
Congressman, I've only got about 15 seconds here. But do you think Joe Biden is actually going to debate, is he actually going to speak for himself without the puppeteers, and join Donald Trump on that debate stage?
BIGGS: I can't see him on a debate stage with President Trump. What I see is him finding a way to do it from his home where he's going to have some teleprompters there, with some people giving him some answers. That's the only way he can compete. That's it. He cannot -- he has no original thoughts of his own.
CHAFFETZ: Joe Biden needs to live up to his obligation and his commitment to debate Donald Trump and that should happen for three debates, if not four but at least three.
Gentlemen, Congressman Biggs, Matt Schlapp, thank you for joining us tonight. We do appreciate it.
SCHLAPP: Thanks, Jason.
CHAFFETZ: All right, coming up for violent is skyrocketing in New York City and Mayor Bill de Blasio is banning all large gatherings except for police protests and riots. You can't make this stuff up. America's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, will react.
And later, the left's war on dissenting voices that hit new levels, as this "Hannity" special continuous. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to this "Hannity" special.
President Trump is returning from Florida aboard Marine One as he goes back to the White House in Washington, D.C.
Chaos continues to rage and liberal cities across the country. In Seattle, home of the short-lived CHOP zone that saw multiple shootings that resulted in the death of two young men, the city council appears to be prepared to defund the police by 50 percent.
And New York City announced that compared to last year, the month of June 2020 saw a 130 percent increase in shootings, 130 percent.
And one store owner there is suing Governor Andrew Cuomo over looting damage and says police were told to stand down. But don't worry. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has banned all large gatherings in the city except for protests and riots of course.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about protests? If people want to march down Fifth Avenue, are they going to be allowed to do so?
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: Look, Wolf, this is always an area of real sensitivity. If you're just talking about health, we would always say, hey, folks, you know, stay home if you can. But we understand in this moment in history, people are talking about the need for historic changes.
I mean, today, in New York City, you know, recognizing the power and the meaning of the message Black Lives Matter which we did in front of Trump Tower today, this is a historic moment of change. We have to respect that, but also say to people the kinds of gatherings we are used to, parades and fairs, we just can't have that while we're focusing on health right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Joining us now is former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani.
Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. When you hear Mayor Bill de Blasio say those things and take that position, what runs through your mind?
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NYC MAYOR: What runs through my mind is before this, I thought he was the worst mayor in the history of the city, and now, he will have written that like a headline.
Just think of the contradiction. I mean, everybody else can't march. We have to wear masks. We have to separate ourselves.
But if you are protesting, you can stand together. You can spit in each other's face, you can hug and squeeze and you're not going to get COVID-19.
And their phony political party wants us to believe that this is based on science? Science? It's based on political phoniness.
Also, Black Lives Matter -- Black Lives Matter is an organization run by three Marxists and financed by a convicted terrorist who I happen to have convicted who got 58 years in jail and got a corrupt pardon from Bill Clinton.
This is not a benign organization. This -- I can't say yet that we can prove it's a terrorist organization. It's certainly a violent organization, and I believe in the course of time, it will be shown to be a terrorist organization.
Well, one of the primary persons, Susan Rosenberg, who handles their finances, is a convicted terrorist who was involved with the Black Panthers who used to slaughter police officers. If you read what she's written, she's not terribly far from where she used to be.
And if you read what those other women have written, that whites are horrible, whites are horrendous, whites shouldn't be allowed to have equal rights, they are a racist organization. They are actually participating in hate speech.
And this man, because he went to Cuba on his honeymoon and he fought for the Sandinistas, I mean, this man, we always thought he was a communist but I think he wants to prove it to us.
CHAFFETZ: Now, Mr. Mayor, New York City used to be a great place for families, for business. What you did with Bernie Kerik and others in reducing crime --
GIULIANI: I worked really hard.
CHAFFETZ: yeah.
(CROSSTALK)
GIULIANI: -- is going back to the way it was under the -- we have a Democrat mayor. We could say the same thing about Chicago or Philadelphia, can't we?
Chicago is the only city that now has more murders than us. Democrat mayor for 1,000 years, you know? Philadelphia. Baltimore.
CHAFFETZ: But is it just -- but in New York, is a just Bill de Blasio or what else is going on there? Is it just the mayor taking these radical positions?
GIULIANI: No, he's got a city council that fell off the left cliff, and is totally insane. I mean, they pass bills that are ridiculous.
I mean, the man released 8,000 people, prisoners. He and Cuomo passed a bill that you basically can hold people you arrest in jail. The police are completely demoralized.
Today, he issued a block by block crime reduction program that -- in which he didn't even talk to the police department and the police department's comments on it was no comment.
So, we've got -- we've got a mayor who is alienated from the police department, not to mention for other reasons the governor hates him. And then he's putting Black Lives Matter in front of the president's personal residence. The president he wants to go to help bail out New York.
Now, among other things, not only as a communist but is a stupid one. And the man should be removed by the governor. He should have been removed sometime ago and I believe -- there is no doubt that his incompetence has caused us many, many lives.
His ridiculous decisions, his laziness, he doesn't -- he doesn't come to work. He's half hour, an hour, an hour-and-a-half late for everything. There's a lot of suspicions as to why that nobody wants to talk about it.
CHAFFETZ: Well, this is -- Mr. Mayor --
GIULIANI: This man -- this man -- this man has in about five weeks destroyed 20 years of work of mine and Mike Bloomberg and Ray Kelly and Bernie Kerik and Howard Safir and Bill Bratton. I mean, we went -- we went, in two years, when I was mayor, from the most dangerous city in America to the safest large city in America and we remained that way until this idiot came along.
CHAFFETZ: Well, Mr. Mayor, the proof is in the numbers. June of 2020 represented over June of 2019, a 130 percent increase in shootings in New York City. And it doesn't need to be this way.
Mr. Mayor, I wish I had more time with you. I thank you for joining us tonight on "Hannity." Thank you so much for joining us.
GIULIANI: Anytime.
CHAFFETZ: All right. Up next, CNN was called out by former staffers, including an ex-producer slamming the network for a lack of self-awareness in the Trump era. Joe Concha, Larry Elder, and Leo Terrell will react.
And then the president's call to reopen schools draws pushback from Democratic governors.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to this special edition of "Hannity."
The left is proving to be more hateful and more divisive than ever before, with cancel culture running rampant throughout American society. For the most part, you can avoid cancellation by bending to the liberal mob but if you dare to be a freethinker or worse, conservative, you have a target on your back.
If you ask Green New Deal author and socialist sweetheart, AOC, she doesn't even think the phenomenon exists. She tweeted yesterday, quote: Odds are, you're not actually canceled. You're just being challenged. Held accountable, or unlike. Yeah, right.
Goya Foods is certainly not on light. Their products are staples and kitchens across the country. But liberals will soon be throwing their beans out with the bathwater. The Goya Foods CEO sparked some liberals to call for a boycott after praising President Trump.
Here's how he responded on "Fox & Friends" earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT UNANUE, GOYA FOODS CEO: I'm not apologizing for saying, and especially to be called by the president of the United States. You're going to say, no, I'm busy, no thank you. I didn't say that to the Obamas and I didn't say that to President Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Good for him.
President Trump returned the praise in a tweet aboard Air Force One, writing: I love Goya Foods.
It doesn't stop there. CNN's Don Lemon went so far as to lecture actor Terry Crews on what he thinks the Black Lives Matter movement really means. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY CREWS, ACTOR: When you look at the city of Chicago, there are nine children who died by gun violence, by black on black on gun violence, with -- from June 20th all the way to today. And you're talking about even with the Atlanta child murders, there were 28 kids who died in two years. You're talking about a month. You have nine black kids.
And the Black Lives Matter movement has said nothing.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: The Black Lives Matter movement was started because it was talking about police brutality. If you want and all Black Lives ,Matter movement that talks about gun violence in communities, including you know, black communities, then start that movement with that name. But that's not what Black Lives Matter is about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Now, you be the judge on that clip, ladies and gentlemen.
Lemon's embarrassing showing even prompted a former CNN staffer to admit the network has taken a turn for the worst in the Trump era.
Joining me now with reaction, media reporter for "The Hill", Joe Concha, Salem Radio nationally syndicated host Larry Elder, and civil rights attorney Leo Terrell.
Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us here.
Joe, I want to start with you. You follow, study, right about the media every day. What was your take on that exchange that happened there with Don Lemon?
JOE CONCHA, MEDIA REPORTER FOR THE HILL: Well, Don Lemon is everything that political journalism has mostly become, that is not to be a curious journalist, asking questions and trying to get to the truth. Instead, it's using their platform to advance a cause or in this case, to be a fifty- something president of the high school debate team in defending Black Lives Matter.
So, Don Lemon was actually asked about this in a podcast interview a couple days later, and here's what he had to say, Jason -- my role as a journalist is to speak for my truth and my lens and from where I come from. Remember, this is an anchor saying this -- and I don't think those things or biases.
Look, that's the very definition of bias. Whose truth, Mr. Lemon? I mean, who we're talking about here? Because your truth is subjective and therefore is something that isn't fact-based, it's something that you are coming from a certain perspective.
So, for instance, if you support Black Lives Matter, as clearly Don Lemon does, then you therefore support defining the police. You look at many polls and most Americans don't support that.
So, it's not the truth. It's your opinion, and it's an opinion not shared by many Americans that are watching out there.
CHAFFETZ: Yes, and it's not supposedly an opinion show.
Now, Larry, I want to -- I want to ask you about this, because I tell you, the Americans interact with from all sorts of races in all parts of the country, they are absolutely fed up and sickened with the idea that supposedly everything they do, like saying the pledge of allegiance, putting their hand over their heart during the pledge of allegiance when they see a building with a flag on it and the city says hey, take it down - - I mean, they are kind of fed up with being told that everything they are doing is wrong, just when they are doing things that are patriotic.
LARRY ELDER, SALEM RADIO NATIONALLY SYNDICATED HOST: Well, Jason, consider who Don Lemon works for. He works for CNN whose president and CEO, Jeff Zucker, is on a Project Veritas tape conducting his 9:00 meetings literally telling people to ignore news as important and focus on Russia collusion, Russia collusion, Russia collusion. They even got staffers at CNN complaining that Jeff Zucker f-ing tells us what to say to the exclusion of other things they think are important.
And this is an organization back in 1997, 23 years ago, asked black teens and white teens whether race was a major problem in America. They both said yes, but then 89 percent of black teams said racism was either no problem or little problem in my daily life. In fact, more black teams than white teams had failure to take advantage of available opportunities is a bigger problem than racism. That's a "TIME"/CNN poll back in 1997 that they conveniently ignored.
CHAFFETZ: Now, Leo, I've only spoken with you on television I've got to tell you I've got the greatest respect for you. Do you know why? I disagree with you on a lot of stuff but you call balls and strikes the way you see them. Are you telling name that you think the average American, the person who is patriotic and pays her taxes and goes to work and works hard for the kids and family, can they even relate to what the Democrats are talking about with this cancel culture?
(LAUGHTER)
LEO TERRELL, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Let me tell you this, the answer is -- the short answer is no. Let me give you an example. I want to go back to the Goya Food situation, if you don't mind.
The Democratic playbook is outdated and old. They think people of color and minorities are automatic Democrats. What you saw with Goya Foods in the Hispanic community, Trump might get 50 percent to 60 percent of the Hispanic vote.
Don Lemon and the situation with that happened the other day, his personal opinion, as Joe was mentioning, Don Lemon doesn't have any working knowledge to give an opinion. He basically indicted Black Lives Matter as some type of extremist organization. It's not a civil rights organization. It's not an organization that helps people. It's an organization that's destructive.
What the Democrats don't realize is that people of color are no longer loyal to the Democrats. They want the freedom, the independence, the self determination which is afforded in the Republican Party. And that's where the Democrats are going to lose in November. Minorities are going to go Republican.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, you know what, Democrats I think of taking them for granted for so long. And conservatives need to speak from their heart. They shouldn't give up at all on the compassion card. Show them what they believe in a talk from their heart.
We throw stats of people all the time is Republicans. Talk from your heart and explain to you why you love this country and I think Republicans will sweep up come November.
Gentlemen, thank you so much -- thank you so much for joining us. I wish I had more time with all three of you but thank you for joining us.
All right, coming up, the left seems to want schools closed indefinitely. But President Trump is pushing for a fall reopening. We'll bring you the very latest straight ahead is this special edition of "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to the special edition of "Hannity."
This week, President Trump expressed his desire to get our students back in classrooms this fall. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We hope that most schools are going to be open and we don't want people to make political statements or do it for political reasons. They think it's going to be good for them politically so they keep the schools closed. No way.
So, we are very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools. To get them open. And it's very important. It's very important for our country. It's very important for the well-being of the student and the parents, so we are going to be putting a lot of pressure on open your schools in the fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Of course, he's already receiving some resistance from liberal governors like Inslee and Whitmer. Today, "The Wall Street Journal" reported a new daily record spike in covid-19 cases but there is good news. A German biotech firm is working on a vaccine that may be ready for approval by December. And the antiviral drug remdesivir is receiving encouraging results on COVID-19 patients.
And if you look at your screen right now, President Trump is returning to the White House after a trip to Washington -- to Washington. Joining us now with reaction is FOX News medical contributor, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, FOX News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy, and former Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi.
Thank you so much for joining us tonight.
As we look at this picture here, that being Marine One. President Trump is returning to Washington after a trip to Florida. I said to Washington, he's coming from Florida there, 9:40 on the East Coast. I would love seeing that Marine come down, this Marine pilot in the way they do business. Rain, snow, whatever it is, they do an amazing job.
But the president returning back to Washington, D.C. we like to see him there and being safe as we watch the president exit here.
We are going to talk over these pictures here and get onto the discussion about the students and going back to school.
And, Doctor, I want to ask you about this because there is obviously a medical concern but there's also so many other factors like the mental health of the students and they really are in the lowest category of risk, right?
DR. JANNETT NESHEIWAT, FOX NEWS MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah, you're absolutely right, Jason. You know, to the severity of COVID-19 in children is extremely low. The mortality rate under the age of 10 is less than 1 percent, and when a child is growing and their brain is developing, they require social engagement. They require routine and have it, they require an education. It's incontrovertible.
So if you have a plan and a protocol in place, safe plan, then you can open. Little steps that you can take. Ensure that the children have temperatures checks. Space out desks. Maybe start out with class every other day.
With a protocol and plan on following CDC guidelines, it can be done. It's puzzling to me to see sort of a cognitive dissonance that exists when it shouldn't when it comes to the best interests of our students, of our children. Really need to put them first and look out for their best interests knowing the fact, knowing the science and the data they are less impacted compared to older populations.
CHAFFETZ: So the president is now back in the White House.
I want to go to Rachel Campos-Duffy.
You've got a wonderful, beautiful family. I've had the pleasure of interacting with them. And you got this like picture-perfect kids. It's amazing.
But they need to go back to school, right?
RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah, they absolutely do. You're right, the doctor is correct. Children need to get back to school. Children are also part of the family and families can't work right now. Millions of families are being thrust into poverty if they can't get back to work because their kids can't go to school. Somebody has to stay home with them.
That's not just going to affect the child. It's going to affect the family. It's going to affect our economy. You really can devise a better plan to destroy this country, to thwart our economy from growing and coming back from the terrible virus, then keeping kids home from school.
As the doctor said, we know it's manageable. We know children are low risk. They are not super-spreaders, as we once thought at the beginning of this virus. It's manageable.
If there is an outbreak we're smart people, we can go back. We can say we're going to stay home for a couple weeks. But to start doing this, it's very clear to me that it's not teachers who are good. It's teachers unions who are filled with activists with a vested interest in seeing Joe Biden win and I believe they are doing this, they are pushing for closure of schools for very political purposes.
For those people who might say, Jason, hey, teachers unions care about kids. These are the same people who tried to stop, you know, school choice and poor kids from going to better schools. So spare me that comment.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah. Pam, I saw something online that made me laugh and giggle for a moment and that is only Donald Trump could get liberals to insist on homeschooling. These people -- no matter what Donald Trump says, they want to go the opposite direction.
But the president passionately wants to do this. A president has to make tough decisions, weighing all the factors from medical to the economy to the family.
PAM BONDI, FORMER FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: He does. And just as the doctor said, he cares about getting our kids back to school safely, and so does Secretary DeVos. I spoke to her yesterday. And that's what matters.
So, yes, we got Joe Biden who wants open borders and closed schools. Then we got these liberal governors that you just mentioned, Inslee in Seattle and Washington state who let Seattle be overrun by these left-wing liberals. Then you've got Governor Whitmer in Michigan who wouldn't even let people go buy gardening tools during the COVID crisis.
So I wouldn't trust either of them to decide when our kids to go back to school. And, by the way, Joe Biden wants to do away with charter schools. And President Trump believes that every child, regardless of income, race or zip code, deserves the best education possible.
CHAFFETZ: Doctor, I guess what I don't understand and I've heard others in my neighborhood talk about this. For the most vulnerable, the older population that has other conditions, other extenuating circumstances, why not do everything we can to lock that down and make sure they don't get exposed to the virus. But for these younger generations, why do we have to treat them the same way we treat somebody who's 85 years old in the nursing home? I don't understand that.
NESHEIWAT: Yeah, you're exactly right. The phase three openings in the phases, you know, it's not until phase three that the older population of those with underlying comorbidities should engage in the community.
So you're absolutely right. Let's focus on those most vulnerable groups, those who have heart disease and kidney disease or lung disease or obesity or diabetes. But we still have to ensure that our younger population are adhering to the CDC guidelines of physical distancing, wear a mask if you can't physical distance. Keep your hands washed and clean. Try to avoid large crowds, especially if there's an area of an outbreak.
Just taking these simple measures, these common steps -- common sense steps to help protect everyone. But you're absolutely right. Let's focus on the most vulnerable population.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen. Wear a mask if you're going into public. You can wash her hands and you can socially distance, America. You can do that.
That's not overreaching and government shouldn't be forcing you to do that but you can do it. It's not -- you're going to help America. You're going to help your neighbor feel more comfortable and I think help yourself too.
So, ladies, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I wish we had more time, but we've got to keep going because coming up, big development in the quest for justice against deep state abuse. We'll tell you about it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to the special edition of "Hannity."
Breaking tonight: president Trump has commuted Roger Stone's sentence. Meanwhile on Wednesday, a British judge issued a ruling against ex-spy and dossier author Christopher Steele. John Solomon reports the case only strengthens John Durham's probe into FBI misconduct, but this comes amid growing frustration over the lack of progress into the probe.
Joining us now with their reaction is FOX News legal analyst and author of one of the best books on the topic "The Russian Hoax", Gregg Jarrett, attorney Emily Compagno and FOX News contributor John Solomon.
Thank you all three of you for joining us.
Greg, I want to get right to you. I think was widely anticipated, the president would either commute the sentence of Roger Stone or do something in this case. What's your reaction now that the president has done this?
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: Look, commuting means he doesn't absolve Roger Stone of convictions but he simply eliminates the 40-month prison sentence.
He did it for a couple of reasons. Compassionate, 67-year-old man not in the best of health, about to go to prison on Tuesday, in a prison system that is struggling to stop the spread of COVID-19 virus, especially virulent older Americans.
But most of all I think the president really felt as though this was not a fair trial in the District of Columbia. You know, frankly, good luck if you're a friend of Donald Trump trying to get a fair trial there where in the last election, more than 90 percent of the people voted in favor of Hillary Clinton, and a scant 4 percent for Donald Trump.
It was underscored by the bias of the jury foreperson which emerged after the trial. She was virulently anti-Trump, communicating social media posts, accusing Trump and his supporters like Roger Stone of being racist, #klanpresident.
And she had a powerful ability to influence and induce the entire jury to have a conviction against Roger Stone. The judge should have granted a new trial but said, oh, gee, it's your lawyer's fault they should have discovered the bias ahead of time. That's an admission that there was bias. He did not get a fair trial.
CHAFFETZ: Emily, in your perspective, do you think the president made the right decision?
EMILY COMPAGNO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I think so, and here's why. To echo what Gregg said, it's not a pardon. This is a commutation. So, what is the difference between this and the 8,000 scheduled prisoners to be released in California next week? What's the difference between this and the 16,000 release within four weeks of the national declaration of emergency after the COVID outbreak? This is a 67-year-old man in the facility that he was headed to in Georgia just released report of 20 COVID positive inmates up from zero.
And remember that the DOJ oppose this stay that his returnees had requested.
So, in terms of a vulnerable inmate, again, what's the difference between this and the inmates that the left is crying out for being released? And that's why I have issue with Adam Schiff tweeted out for example when he said there's a different criminal justice system clearly for the president's friends. But if you look at it under the eyes of a simple inmate in a commuted sentence who is maintaining and waiting for his appeal, there is no difference.
And final point, the White House articulation of why the president was undergoing this commutation in addition to the point that Gregg raised, they also cited as it became clear that the special counsel, that the investigation would not bear fruit, they, quote, resorted to measures essentially to give the appearance of criminality lurking below the surface. They resorted to process crimes --
CHAFFETZ: Emily --
COMPAGNO: -- of high-profile individuals. And that is so important in the narrative that was pushed here.
CHAFFETZ: Thank you. John, I want to get to you really quickly. Very short amount of time.
Give us the latest on what's happening with this dossier, Christopher Steele.
JOHN SOLOMON, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Listen, if John Durham needs any more evidence that the FBI willfully, knowingly and substantially deceive the FISA court, it came out of London this week. We discovered that on the very first meeting that Christopher Steele had with the FBI where he handed over his dossier, he took notes and guess what he told them. Hillary Clinton was my ultimate client and the FBI never told that to the FISA court.
That's a great example of the sort of fraud that went on in this case early on and it's amazing it had to come out of London, not out of Washington.
CHAFFETZ: Thanks for being on it and we appreciate it.
More "Hannity" after the break. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: If you want to dive deeper and understanding the swamp that is D.C., I recommend my book "Power Grab". I also wrote when called "The Deep State." I hope you enjoy both of them.
You can find my books, as well as my photography portfolio on my website.
Thanks for joining us on this special edition of "Hannity". Sean will be back Monday night. Hope you have a great weekend.
"The Ingraham Angle" is up now.
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