'Special Report' All-Star Panel on Russian war crime claims

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Reports of Russian war crimes 'will make your blood run cold': Guy Benson

Host of 'Guy Benson Show' says war crime reports from Ukraine are 'gutting' and blasts the U.N.'s Human Rights Council as a 'sick farce' on 'Special Report.'

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," April 4, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTA METSOLA, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT: These are war crimes that are perpetrated by war criminals.

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: We have seen butchery, evidence of rape and sexual violence, as well as the indiscriminate killing of civilians.

NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: These atrocities are not the act of a rogue soldier. They are part of a broader, troubling campaign.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This is happening in the Europe of the 21st century, so this is the torture of the whole nation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you agree it's genocide?

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I think it is a war crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, are you going to do more sanctions on Russia?

BIDEN: I am seeking more sanctions, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: President Biden calling it war crimes on the ground in Ukraine as these atrocities come to light. In "The New York Times" Thomas Freidman writing "Putin had no clue how many of us would be watching. Almost six weeks into the war between Russia and Ukraine I'm beginning to wonder if this conflict isn't our first true world war, much more than World War I or World War II ever was. Virtually everyone on the planet can either observe the fighting at a granular, participate in some way, or be affected economically no matter where they live."

With that, let's bring in our panel, Guy Benson, political editor at Townhall.com, host of "The Guy Benson Show" on FOX News Radio, Kimberley Strassel, a member of the editorial board at "The Wall Street Journal," and Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Reuters.

Guy, does this, the latest images, and obviously we have seen the series of horrible images out of Ukraine, but do they change the dynamic now?

GUY BENSON, POLITICAL EDITOR, TOWNHALL.COM: I think a little bit just because of how horrific they truly are. There was an account in "The Wall Street Journal," just a written account that came out today that will make your blood run cold if you read it. It is gutting, gutting stuff. And the pictures that accompany these stories are shocking. And the world feels like maybe we've lost the ability to be shocked over these last few weeks, but this has gotten worse. There is no question about that.

So weather it's a game changer, I don't know. I did see that the Biden administration announced today that they are going to push at the United Nations for Russia to be removed from the Human Rights Council. Russia is a member of the Human Rights Council to this day in good standing right now. That could have happened, these calls, at least, could have happened weeks and weeks ago. They are finally doing it. It would take a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly to boot Russia off of that body.

But even if Russia somehow did get thrown off, that commission or that council would still include China, Libya, Sudan, Cuba, Venezuela, the list goes on. So it's sort of a sick farce, that organization, to begin with, and Russia's continued place on that body, on that panel, I think, just underscores what a joke it is.

BAIER: I think Iran is on that panel as well. President Zelenskyy, meantime, making the calls again around the world, talking to media, including here on SPECIAL REPORT on Friday. Take a listen to another clip from Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I cannot talk with someone sitting in front of me with nuclear weapons, and I'm sitting with submachine gun. That's not right. This is weakness at the beginning. We talk with the Biden administration, and they allocate us this or that weaponry, and we want heavy weapons. We are waiting for those because they said that they will help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Jeff, do you think these appeals and the fact that the president is now calling these atrocities war crimes, and has, and Putin a war criminal, will change the actions that the Biden administration is taking in any way?

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "REUTERS": Well, Bret, I don't think it will change their policy or position that the U.S. and NATO will not go fight with boots on the ground in Ukraine. But in terms of additional military equipment and additional material that can help Ukraine, yes, I think every day, including the atrocities that we have learned about today, puts pressure on the Biden administration to do more.

And, in fact, the White House said today that there will be more aid coming to Ukraine and there will be more sanctions, U.S. sanctions, announced against Russia later this week. So they plan to do more. Is it enough? Biden has been very open about saying of course Zelenskyy is asking for all of these things, and understandably so. But he is not going to go so far as to say the U.S. is going to go into Ukraine.

BAIER: Kimberley?

KIMBERLEY STRASSEL, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, let's hope that they do more. Look, we are now three weeks into this discussion about whether or not Ukraine gets the MiGs that it wants, whether it gets the air defense system that it wants. There has been a lot of pressure in Washington to do so. The reason we are seeing these horrifying images out of Bucha and elsewhere is Russia is retrenching to the east and it's increasingly targeting the Ukraine military infrastructure, which is why they are begging for these things.

So, yes. We can continue to send a lot of the stuff that we have been sending so far, Stingers, for instance. But what they really need if they are going to hold that eastern territory and push Russia out is a lot heavier fire power, and that is the decision that is facing the Biden administration, and it ought to be the correct and appropriate reaction to what we saw over the weekend.

BAIER: Here is "The Washington Post" on Zelenskyy's issue, Guy. It says "He must also figure out what, if any, sort of political agreement with Moscow to end the war will be acceptable to a Ukrainian population riding high after repelling Russian forces in many areas. Compromises may also be more difficult after evidence mounted Sunday of Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians following the retreat from the Kyiv region, sparking public revulsion." This is the difficulty about getting to that negotiating table and what that looks like.

BENSON: Right, the Russian savagery here could very well make it more difficult domestically for Zelenskyy to sell some sort of peace deal down the line if that involves any meaningful concession to Russia when it comes to territory, because Ukrainians, I think, quite rightly would say hold on, look at what we have done. We have had the upper hand militarily. Look at what they have done, killing civilians, raping women, bombing children. Why on earth do we give them an inch? And if we gave them a few inches of our territory, what would happen to Ukrainians? What would befall those people who would then be sucked into Russia behind that new curtain? Would they be subject to these types of attacks and killings of civilians and other torture?

I think this, in some ways, yes, increases revulsion of the world, vis-a- vis the Kremlin and Putin, but could create some issues for Zelenskyy with his own people if he is trying to find an offramp or some sort of a deal that would be palatable to his people.

BAIER: Panel, stand by if you would. Up next, the increasing pressure on the president now that the mainstream media is covering the Hunter Biden scandal. Plus, the controversy over those COVID related rules for the border and what that means big picture.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM JORDAN, (R-OH) HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER: We're launching an investigation because the real thing here was how Facebook and Twitter suppressed this information. What did they know? Who were they talking to? Because we now know, according to "The Post," according to "The New York Times," something we knew a year-and-a-half ago, that this stuff was as real as it gets.

SEN. RON JOHNSON, (R-WI): I do know I don't trust the Justice Department, and I think really what "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" articles prove is how complicit they have been and continue to be in the cover-up. This is serious business. This is unbelievable corruption at the highest levels of government and within our media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Republicans in the House and the Senate talking about the Hunter Biden investigation. Meantime, "The New York Post" which broke that story before the election "The Washington Post," "New York Times" finally admit Hunter's laptop is real, but only to protect Joe Biden some more. They confirm, among other things, Hunter's business deal with the CEFC China Energy conglomerate, a company closely linked to the Beijing government which paid him and Joe's brother James almost $5 million. "The Washington Post" admits that much, but vehemently denies Joe was involved in such dealings."

We're back with the panel. Kimberley, there is this line, this the president is out of this completely, even as this investigation continues.

STRASSEL: Yes, the press continues utterly to fail to do its job. It's quite astonishing. Look, why are we talking about Hunter Biden? It's not because we care about him himself. He's another misbehaving son of a politician. We care because of the potential national security implications given his tie up with all of these different countries and the fact that his father is in the White House. And we care because, look, all the way back at the time these emails came out there was already a former Hunter Biden associate who claimed that Joe Biden was involved with some of these deals, or at least one, "10 for the big guy," that famous email. To this day the press is not grilling the White House on the accuracy or veracity of that email. And, again, this gets to the question of whether or not Joe Biden was dishonest with the nation when he said he knew nothing about his son's business dealings.

BAIER: Jeff, how -- is it tough to estimate the level of concern? We heard Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, over the weekend saying that the president has confidence that his son did not break the law. Where is the White House and the reaction here?

MASON: I think it is tough in large part because they won't talk about it. And when they are asked at the briefing, then the spokesperson, either Jen Psaki or last week Kate Bedingfield, refer to Hunter Biden's lawyers. But I think it's safe to assume it's a headache, and it's not a headache that they are dying to have to deal with right now, as several months from now turn into midterm elections.

BAIER: Yes. Guy, thoughts?

BENSON: We have this entire crew saying it was all Russian disinformation before the last election. And now the talking points are very differential at the White House. You mentioned Ron Klain saying the president is confident his son didn't break the law. Well, apparently the DOJ isn't as confident. That's a probe that's ongoing. And he said that, oh, it's a private matter anyway. And it doesn't involve the president. We don't know that. It very well could involve the president based on what Kimberley just referenced.

So the spin has changed undoubtedly, and I think a lot of the people who are trying to poo-poo it again have very little credibility based on their last set of talking points that no longer apply.

BAIER: All right, let's turn to the topic of Title 42 and concerns about this COVID related asylum being wiped away on the border at the end of May. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK BRNOVICH, (R) ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We know that their attempt to rescind Title 42 will lead to drastic consequences on our southern border. And right now it's essentially on fire, and this would be like throwing gasoline on a fire.

SEN. MARK WARNER, (D-VA) SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIR: I would be very reluctant for the administration to end this Trump policy until they had a real plan in place. I think we are a generous country, but we have to have -- we have to be a country of rule of law. But I would be very worried about this notion that the border would be overwhelmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Jeff, it's happenings. And Democrats are concerned about it, too. The announcement from the CDC Friday, and it's happening at the end of May.

MASON: Indeed. And it not only an issue for the border, it's an issue for the election. Going back to what I was saying before, this is something that you will certainly hear Republicans continue to criticize the White House about. The White House, of course, making clear, I believe it was today, that this was a CDC decision based on where we are in the pandemic. But it has ramifications far beyond that for the political world.

BAIER: Quickly, Kimberley?

STRASSEL: Yes, I think the issue here isn't necessarily one pandemic related policy, but the fact that there is no real effective policy at the border, and that people are simply pouring across. Until the administration deals with that underlying problem, this is just one more issue related to it.

BAIER: All right, panel, thank you very much.

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