Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham

Interview

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HANNITY: All right. We have the transcript, yet the Ukraine on non- whistle-blower whistle-blower, hearsay whistle-blower hoax continues. Today, a White House official, Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman testified behind closed doors about his Ukraine call concerns and President Trump blasted him as, quote, a Never Trumper witness.

Here now with reaction, Senator Lindsey Graham.

Senator, to be a Democrat today, this is the depth of blind rage, psychosis and hypocrisy.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S.C.: Yes.

HANNITY: This is what you -- think about this. You have to be OK with Hillary stealing the primary from Bernie.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: You have to accept that she violated the Espionage Act. You have to accept that what she did with subpoenaed emails and Bleach Bit, and hammers and deletions is okay.

You have to accept that she did have a dirty Russian dossier she tried to use. You have to accept that it was okay to use the unverified dossier even though you warned five times to get a warrant when it's unverifiable and lie on FISA applications. You have to accept the outsourcing of intelligence gathering. You have to accept that Ukraine is allowed to interfere to help her and it's not a big deal.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: That's how insane this now is if you're a Democrat.

GRAHAM: Well, it's even deeper. You have to accept that President Trump is president. That's the problem.

They don't accept the President Trump won the election.

HANNITY: Aah.

GRAHAM: And America hates a sore loser as much as any country on the planet. This is an unfair process being driven by sore losers and there is not one vote in the United States Senate to impeach President Trump based on this phone call because he did nothing wrong.

HANNITY: Adam Schiff is now --

GRAHAM: Among Republicans, among Republicans.

HANNITY: Adam Schiff is now compromised. He is now a fact witness in this case because his staff had contact with a non-whistle-blower.

GRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: Will you call or are you able to call Adam Schiff and I'll also like to be very interested if you can call Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, because I happen to believe in my heart. Now maybe it's my wild imagination. But if he was Vice President Trump that well use taxpayer money, had a quid pro quo. Fire him. You get the money. Don't fire him. No money.

And Hunter with no experience gets millions. I think if it was Vice President Trump and Don Junior. I think--

GRAHAM: You got that right.

HANNITY: I think the media and the Democrats would be acting differently, can you call them before your committee?

GRAHAM: Well, I can't call Adam Schiff. I mean we've got speech and debate constitutional separations here, but somebody who is investigating a crime could call Adam Schiff potentially as a witness. No member of Congress is above the law. But congressman can't call senators, senators can't call the President, because of separation power.

But in terms of Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, yes, I think somebody definitely needs to look into this. And it was about foreign aid, so the Foreign Relations Committee would have oversight.

But let me get back to what's going on in the House. In the history of the country, we've never had the intelligence committee participate in an impeachment inquiry under the resolution they're going to pass tomorrow. The President's Council cannot participate in the Intel Committee inquiry. So, the process denied right to counsel and Republicans can't call witnesses without Schiff agreeing. So, this whole thing is a sham.

HANNITY: Do you think, because I believe what I'm holding in my hands, this is a phony resolution. This is fake news. This is fake fairness. OK, so they release--

GRAHAM: It's two cubes by half.

HANNITY: But I believe you're responsible for this, because you put out your petition, you've got 50 signatures, 50 is a pretty magic number. Now my question is, maybe we should have part two and say unless they do what Newt Gingrich did, we still feel the same way. What do you think?

GRAHAM: Well I think Joe Cunningham from South Carolina is a Democrat holding the first congressional district. He says, he's going to vote for the inquiry and here's what I would tell Congressman Cunningham, you're voting for an inquiry that allows the intelligence committee to do witness interviews behind closed doors and the president's counsel is not allowed to attend. The basic premise of due process is to confront your witnesses, the accusers against you and call witnesses on your behalf.

Neither can be done under this resolution. This is a crumb of due process. It's not even half a loaf. And we tried to do this to a Democrat. They'd be eating us alive. Let me just stress this. The Intel Committee, the President's counsel cannot participate, and Republicans cannot call witnesses unless Schiff agrees. That is a joke. And any Democrat who votes for things I believe is voting for an un-American process.

HANNITY: Senator you've been at a number of the President's rallies I know the one in Dallas you had like 35,000 people outside watching. OK, greatest show on earth. I don't know if band that even gets that kind of crowd.

But here's my question to you. Because I do have the honor of doing three hours of radio and I see my social media and I can tell you, my belief as evidenced by these crowds and the intensity. I have never in my life witness such resolution and anger. That if the Democrats do this and impeach him and they can and he's not going to get convicted in the Senate, I believe that the people that voted for Trump in 2016 and probably many others are going to be willing to wait in line a month in the pouring rain and sleet and snow to vote for Trump and reelect him in 2020. Do you agree with that?

GRAHAM: Yes, the backlash is going to be wide and deep because what they're doing to the President Trump is unfair, sore losers can't accept the consequences of losing an election in this process in the House is a joke. President Trump is being treated unfairly and most Americans are going to say so when they understand what's happening.

HANNITY: So, they're really going to help President Trump get re-elected with this, aren't they?

GRAHAM: We're going to take the House back, keep the Senate and the President is going to win because of this B.S.

HANNITY: I agree with you. Senator, thank you. Left criticizing President Trump over al-Baghdadi's death. Wow. Knows no bounds this psychosis. Dan Bongino, Geraldo, they're next. Straight ahead.

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