This is a rush transcript from "Special Report" September 24, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Of course, I take responsibility. I'm president. But that was horrible to see, as you saw, to see people treated like they did, horses barely running over, people being strapped. It's outrageous. I promise you those people will pay. They will be -- an investigation underway now, and there will be consequences.

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It also evoked images of some of the worst moments in our history where that kind of behavior has been used against the indigenous people of our country, has been used against African Americans during times of slavery.

BRANDON JUDD, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: He wants to pander to his base. There is no due process in his statement. He doesn't care about an investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: President Biden, the vice president, outraged today about the picture that we saw of the Border Patrol agents on horseback and the migrants from Haiti. The photographer who took the picture that was in question gave as you quote. "Some of the Haitian men started running, trying to go around the horses." He, again, took the picture. "I have never seen them whip anyone. He was swinging it, but it can be misconstrued when you're looking at the picture."

Meantime, Border Patrol agents talking to our people on the ground there in Del Rio, Texas, said would you go to work and do your best knowing that if you do your boss is going to make you pay? I'm dumbfounded and don't know what to say. They said they were stunned and disappointed by the president's remarks today.

Let's bring in our panel, Harold Ford Jr., former Tennessee Congressman, CEO of Empowerment and Inclusion Capital, Trey Gowdy, former Congressman from South Carolina, and Morgan Ortagus, former State Department spokesperson. Trey, that was quite something from the president today.

TREY GOWDY, FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA REPRESENTATIVE: Bret, I don't know what happened, and I'm in that real small category of people that likes to withhold judgment when I don't know what happened. I can tell you this -- he is a lot tougher on cops, Afghani aid workers, and the French than he was on crime last summer. And a lot tougher than he has been on the Chinese. So how about give cops the benefit of the doubt and wait until the investigation is over. That just seems like a reasonable thing to do, doesn't it?

BAIER: Secretary Mayorkas originally thought so. Then, and then now his reactions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think that's a humane way to treat Haitian migrants?

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: You are assuming facts, if I may say respectfully, you are assuming facts that have not yet determined. To ensure control of the horse, long reins are used, but we are going to investigate the facts.

I made the statement without having seen the images. I saw the images on the flight back, and I made the statement that I did with respect to what those images suggested. The horses have long reins, and the image in the photograph that we all saw that horrified the nation raised serious questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Harold, obviously those images, they invoke things, understand. But when you find out what the Border Patrol says about them, and what the photographer who took the picture says about them, it also, the situation invokes something, the substance of what's happening invokes something, the thousands of Haitian immigrants who are now inside the U.S. says something.

HAROLD FORD JR., FORMER TENNESSEE REPRESENTATIVE: Look, I think for a lot of Americans we didn't know there were horses used at the border. So I think a lot of people are learning about this. I think Trey is right. We have to withhold judgment until we know everything. And context, I think, is important here.

I think there is frustration on the part of the administration, continued frustration by not being able to -- not being able to articulate and execute on an immigration policy that wins broad support. And I think until they find that we will continue to have episodes like this. But let's get the facts before we mete out too much judgment here. I will say, as an African American, it did hurt me to see those images, but context answers a lot of things as well.

BAIER: Morgan?

MORGAN ORTAGUS, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: Yes, the inhumane policies that we're seeing at the border are the ones that are drawing tens of thousands of people to the border because they know that they can now get into the United States. They are in these sort of encampments that are just as bad as anything that the Democrats criticized the Trump administration for.

Finally, I'd just say what we're seeing here in this administration is that there is no accountability when 13 American service members are killed in Afghanistan, no accountability when seven children are killed at the top, no accountability at the top. Accountability in the administration, consequences in this administration are only for the little people.

BAIER: What about that, Trey? That's a great point from Morgan.

GOWDY: Yes, seven dead Afghani children. Look, everyone on this panel, everyone is heartbroken and outraged by that. But he has got a lot more to say about cops who may or may not have done anything wrong than he does seven tiny graves in Afghanistan.

BAIER: Up next, the Friday lightning round. We'll see what we can get in. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: President Biden being asked about the giant, giant bill up on Capitol Hill, $3.5 trillion. He said we are going to pay for everything we spend. It's all paid for. This is now "The Wall Street Journal" writes it. "Budget tricks disguise the true cost of Biden's vast entitlement plans. Democrats are grasping for ways to finance their cradle-to-grave welfare state, with the left demanding what they claim is $3.5 trillion over 10 years. The truth is that even that gargantuan number hides the real cost of their plans. The bills moving through committees are full of delayed starts, phony phaseouts, and cost shifting to states designed to fit $3.5 trillion into a 10-year budget window that can pass with a mere 51 Senate votes. Even if the bill shrinks to $2 trillion or less, the real costs will be far greater. Behold one of the greatest fiscal cons in history." "Wall Street Journal."

We're back with the panel. Harold, you have been on Capitol Hill. You know how this works, the sausage making is ugly. But for the president to say it's all paid for, what about that?

FORD: Well, at least he is trying to do it. I don't necessarily agree with the $3.5 trillion, so let's put that aside. He at least is offering revenue raises to do that, and people are being critical of him because he wants to raise taxes. But I give him credit for that.

One thing we ought to acknowledge, also, is they should pass a debt ceiling increase not because they want to go forward spending money. They have already spent that money. And for anyone to say, to go home and brag about government spending but then not want to spend the money and put the country and the economy in jeopardy, I think is the height of irresponsibility.

BAIER: Clearly what's as jeopardy is that first bipartisan bill, Trey.

GOWDY: Yes, Bret. Nothing is ever paid for in Washington. Both sides play games with the CBO and how they score it, whether it's dynamic or static. That's how you get an almost $30 trillion deficit. Nobody ever pays for anything.

BAIER: Winners and losers. Morgan, start with winner and then loser.

ORTAGUS: Herschel Walker, it looks like McConnell is not going to challenge him with millions of dollars in that primary, and so he is a big winner of the week for me. Loser of the week, United Nations. It got little coverage, and it's really just a joke. It's something for dictators to go to New York City and go shopping.

BAIER: Harold, winner and loser?

FORD: Winner are first responders and frontline workers who constantly go into untold danger and constant uncertainty, whether it be grocery stores or covering and trying to help COVID patients. Thank God for them. Their courage and commitment should be a model.

And losers are those who still on the Democratic side who don't realize you should grab the victory in front you have, and losers are on the Republican side who still can't accept that Joe Biden is president. Come on.

BAIER: All right, Trey, winner and loser?

GOWDY: Winner, the game of golf on full majestic display at the Ryder Cup. Loser, Hamas rockets. Only nine members of the House supported Hamas rockets over the Israeli citizens. Two voted present, but one was so overcome by her indecision that she wept.

BAIER: I don't think we have ever had Hamas rockets as the loser, but that's a good one.

Listen, make it a great weekend, guys. We'll see you. Thank you.

When we come back, "Notable Quotables."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Well, it's Friday. It is Friday. How about that? Time for "Notable Quotables."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Israeli government is an apartheid regime. Not my words. The words of Human Rights Watch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When there is no place on the map for one Jewish state that's anti-Semitism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would be OK if we have a couple of questions?

(SHOUTING)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are thousands of Humvees, aircraft, and other critical pieces of military equipment left behind now in the hands of the Taliban.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The Obama-Biden administration let those terrorists out of prison, and the Biden-Harris administration let them retake entire country.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D-NY) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: The Republicans are doing a dine and dash.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's all paid for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To get Brian Laundrie in handcuffs and arrested, they first need to find him and find him alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a fairly paltry turnout for the Justice for January 6th rally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole environment is a pure chaos. The people of Del Rio are tired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How about the message from our vice president? Where is she?

BIDEN: It's outrageous. I promise you, those people will pay.

REP. MAXINE WATERS, (D-CA): What we witnessed was worse than what we witnessed in slavery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is just blatantly false. First off, these agents don't have whips.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just indicted one of the Clinton lawyers yesterday for lying to you guys. You took it hook, line, and sinker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I rise to declare for now the end of Hot FERC summer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: One week in Washington.

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