Fox News "The Story with Martha MacCallum" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. John Kennedy

Interview

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SEN. JOHN KENNEDY, R-LA: A couple of points, Martha. Number one, I'm not sure what Speaker Pelosi said today. I was under the impression that Mr. Nadler was already conducting an impeachment.

MACCALLUM: Yes, that's a good point.

KENNEDY: I don't think he's been playing Candy Crush over there from last year. Number two, I listened to my good friend Congressman Swalwell have his 19th nervous breakdown on your show. I just got to wait and see what the transcript shows.

I will say this. I think they're going to be two investigations. There's currently going to be an investigation of President Trump's conversation with President Zelensky. But there's also going to be an investigation, if not by the Republicans, by Vice President Biden's federal candidates of Mr. Hunter Biden, who I don't know.

But what we do know is that a Ukrainian oligarch hired mister -- young Mr. Biden and paid him $600,000 a year, gave his law firm a boatload of money. And I don't think the American people believe the oligarch got mister -- young Mr. Biden's name off of zip recruiter? I mean, I think if you believe that, you may have a checkup from the neck up.

MACCALLUM: Well, you know -- I mean, there been some digging around into this. There hasn't been any wrongdoing found thus far. But you know, I mean, the question is obviously, still open. And Joe Biden says he never discussed any of this with this his son.

KENNEDY: I'm not measuring it but I will get it this way. If a guy robs a bank, and on the way to jail, the cops beat the living Hades out of him, should you investigate the cop? Sure. But you're all going -- also going to go back and investigate the bank robbery.

Now, I'm not accusing anybody of robbing a bank or beating up anybody. I'm just saying, I think there's going to be two investigations here. Final point, I think some of my Democratic friends are in good faith. I don't have enough facts to agree with them and I don't want at this point.

But I think other of my Democratic friends just can't accept the fact that the American people chose Donald Trump to be president. It's called democracy. And my advice to them, I say this gently, fill out a hurt feelings report and let's move on. As you pointed out, we've got a lot of issues that are at least as important as who said what to whom.

And final point, I hope the White House has contacted President Zelensky to get his permission to release this transcript.

MACCALLUM: They have.

KENNEDY: Because I don't want my conversations with world leaders to be transcribed and released to the public.

MACCALLUM: Yes, that's a good point.

KENNEDY: You know why? Because world leaders aren't going to talk to me anymore.

MACCALLUM: Yes. Well, apparently Secretary Pompeo, the State Department, has cleared this release with the leader of Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky, and he is OK with it, which may tell us a little bit more about that as well.

You know, in terms of the process here, and the way that it works, you have a whistleblower who goes to the Inspectors General of the intelligence agencies, he's concerned about, apparently about what someone told me was said -- told him, excuse me -- was said on the conversation.

There's reports that it's secondhand, we'll see. Then he's learned enough by it to pass it up to the DNI and begin the process, which is that after a certain number of days, seven after the first 14, I believe, it has to be turned over to Congress.

And Nancy Pelosi says that in and of itself, is egregious and is a breakdown of policy and the way that this should happen.

KENNEDY: Can I stop you for a second? Can I stop you for a second?

MACCALLUM: Yes, go ahead.

KENNEDY: You left out one salient fact. Yes, we have a whistleblower. Yes, he wasn't there, at secondhand. But the whistleblower or someone on his behalf leaked it to the press. What does that remind you of? That reminds me of the Russian investigation.

Look, I'm not saying there's nothing here. We're going to get the transcript tomorrow and we'll find out. But this is -- we're starting to see a pattern here. And all I'm saying is Congressman Swalwell who I have great respect for, before you get all moved up, let's wait and see what the transcript says, number one, and number two, I think I can say pretty confidently we're going to have two investigations.

We're going to have one of the President, that's the House's, right. And number two, we're going to have one of the vice president. Now, I don't know whether that'll be by the FBI, by Republicans in the Senate, or by Vice President Biden's fellow candidates, but that part's not going away.

MACCALLUM: Senator Kennedy, thank you. Great to have you here tonight, sir.

KENNEDY: Thanks, Martha.

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