Let not your heart be troubled. You are listening to the Sean Hannity Radio Show podcast. If you're like me and suffer from insomnia, you know what, that's not fun. You know I tried everything I couldn't get a good night's sleep. And this is neither drug nor alcohol induced. That's right. It is my pillow. Mike Lindell invented it and he fitted me for my first my pillow, and it's changed my life. I fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and the good news you can too, Lea. Go to my pillow dot com promo code Sean and take advantage of one of Mike Glendell's best offers, his special four pack. You get fifty percent off to my Pillow Premium Pillows to go Anywhere Pillows. My Pillows made in the USA, has a sixty day unconditional money back guaranteed no risk to you, and attend you warranty. You don't want to spend more sleepless nights on a pillow tossing interney that's not working for you. Just go to my pillow dot com right now, use the promo code Sean and you get Mike Glendell's special four pack. You get to my Pillow Premium Pillows to Go Anywhere pillows fifty percent off, and you'll start getting the kind of peaceful and RESTful and comfortable and deep, peeling and recruitative sleep he'd been craving and deserve my Pillow dot com promo coachn I glad you with us. Are We got a lot on our plate today, including UH the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just sat down and UH has said that the President and the United States is not recognize the annexation of Crimian and nobody ever said that. And Pompeo did rightly defend Trump's statement about the Putin summit, and now they're talking about, well, maybe bringing Putin after the Mueller investigation, which I think is probably very smart. But if you're watching your media, you know, we go from who who crisis to UH crisis to a crisis too, you know, and even if it's just a tweet day and they can't say, wait, Russia, oh my god, how's it? The world is falling? The world is? I mean, it's by the way, that guy actually did that in front of Barack Obama because he's so worship worshiped him like the media worshiped him. Uh. We'll go to Pompeo in a second, because uh, I see Senator Corker is speaking, Um. Pompeio is a great secretary of State. The guys brilliant um, And it will be interesting to hear what he said. And you go from Russia and you go to oh, John Brennan, the former communist that's calling the president a trader and treason us. Then we go to that hysteria. Now it's the tape, the Cone Trump tape, which, by the way, I have no idea why it was ever taken or released. But you know, when you actually if you actually look at it and listen to it objectively, I'm not going to get into Okay, you know, we might as well be arguing whether or not it's Yanni or Landi Davis or you know, cash or check. Um. There's zero significance in that tape, nor is it any new knowledge in that tape at all, or any criminal statute in play in this tape. But that's not the way the media is reacting to all of this. There's no significance either. If you're gonna be blunt whether or not the payment was by cash or by check, And whether people want to acknowledge or admit this or not is really up to them. But there are decisions made by almost every big corporation, and I would probably venture to say all of them that they decide is it worth litigating or is it worth just making a deal to make something go away? Whether true in some cases it is true and people were mistreated, in some cases it's not necessarily true. And those things happen every single day of the week. And that's why you know, this would not surprise me to be a conversation in any way shape, matter of form. You know, as I have listened to this, to have tried to listen with my headphones on, I have tried to listen to an enhanced sort of we took the static out of it, a little bit version of the tape. Um we I'm trying to It's it's ambiguous to me. I think Rudy's interpretation is right. You know that that the president is actually saying, well, you wanted to memorialize it by paying quote a check. Some here it the other way. I don't. I don't even think that's this honesty. And some people hearing it, because it's very hard to hear um. But again you might as well, what are we gonna call Lannie Davis? I'm going Lannie Davis for years. It doesn't matter. The only thing that really matters is is there anything illegal as it relates to the story of itself or is it just more of the pile on which is to destroy Trump. And when you start to make the comparisons of how your media treats any issue involving Donald Trump and then how they have ignored the biggest abuse of power scandal in history to steal a presidential election, it's kind of breathtaking to understand where their priorities are here and what really is at stake is everything that I tell you about what's at stake for, which is what I call the most important mid term in your life. Because if you can't tell the Democrats they do have a specific agenda, they've they've actually been able to pull members aside and say, yeah, we agree with you, but stop saying it publicly. In Peach forty five and Peach forty five and Peach forty five, like Maxine Waters, she's not saying it anymore because she's been I would assume anybody that's been saying it, that's not good for the country, that's not good for them running. And as they get pulled so hard to the left, what's the rest of their agenda? Impeach the president. They want open borders into abolish Ice, which is to me an amazing statement about how far left the Democratic Party has gone. They want to keep Obamacare. Uh, okay, with all the rate increases, all the keep your doctor, keep your plans, save less lies. You want to keep it because it's been a disaster for every American. And you know, at least we got rid of one part of it, the individual mandate, would happen in the tax bill. So they want open borders, they want to keep Obamacare, they want to keep impeach the president, and they want their crumbs back. Nancy Pelosi said it, now, Elizabeth Warren has said it. You know that money that is in your check every single week they want to pack. They refer to it as crumbs, but that's you know, for some families, thousands of dollars a year. And we'll find out Friday what the second quarter GDP growth numbers are. We're expecting something in the four plus percentage rain range. Remember Obama is the only president in history that never got to three percent GDP growth in a single year. And of course we he added thirteen million Americans to the food stamp roles. We now have lost over two million since Trump as president, you know, millions more eight million to be specific, additional Americans and poverty after eight years of Obama. Now we've got a chance. How we finally got some economic momentum. Barkley's I mean, had a shocking revision to their second quarter growth GDP estimate of five point three. I'm just if we get anything near four, it's gonna be a massive, massive story for the American economy. Now more jobs available in the country than we have people on unemployment. You know, we actually have you know, the dismantling of a nuclear test facility by Kim Jong un, hostages return, no more missiles being fired over Japan. None of this matters to the media. Then you have Hillary Clinton. You have a rigged investigation when a certain indictment, if it was you or me, it was all fixed and we know who fixed it and nobody there non non, There's literally no pulse in the media, no appetite to point that out, well, Hannity is talking about Hillary. No, I'm talking about our constitution, equal application of our laws, equal justice in our legal system, and whether or not we have a two tier justice system, because if we don't as a country, as a as a constitutional republic, we're screwed. You know that. It is it is. It is the end of America as you would know it. And then we're no better than one of these banana republics, you know, or or the former Soviet Union or Venezuela where it's lawlessness and you got the elite with their justice system and the rest of us. Good luck to you, you know. And I'm not even talking about the biggest confirmation of everything that we have been telling you about what happened with the FISA courts, the same people that exonerate Hilly Boom right into going after Donald Trump. We have a Russia scandal in the election, Hillary buying Russian lies through a foreign national with funneled money, through a law firm that hires an op research group that hires the foreign national that puts the Russian lies in a dossier that then becomes the basis of the top FBI d o J officials in the country that literally lying to the FISA courts to get this application, because as Andrew McCabe said, if we didn't have the dossier, which is Russian lies that Hillary paid for, then we also wouldn't have, uh, the FISA warrants. Okay, that's pretty revealing, and we want to be fine. They never told the judges, the FISA court judges Hillary paid for it, but they knew it. That's an important piece of information. They never told the judges that it was unverified. Rod Rosenstein even said in May, well, yeah, when we put our signature on this, you know, we're we're testifying to the truthfulness of it. None of it was true and it's debunked and it was. We have not only the original application FISER warrant to the fis A court, and we got three subsequent applications. Again, nothing from your news media. But when it comes to you know what what ostensibly turns out to be. You know, whatever, however long the tape is, and I'll play it for you. You You know, the only thing that really should matter is the rule of law. How and a criminal investigation was fixed for a presidential candidate. How courts were lied to by the top FBI and d o J officials, how the people that paid for the doscier even Brennan leaking that he's the c I A director and he's taking unverified, bought and paid for Russian lines and handing him over to Harry Reid and look at what it's done to the country in the meantime. I mean, but they're gonna focus on something that every lawyer in the country is saying is not a crime. You know, the only thing that is there anything illegal? And what Michael Cohen and the president we're talking about the answers no. And unfortunately, there is a cottage industry of Trump hate in this country right now. There's an information crisis that is so bad that they would ignore the biggest abuse of power scandal because of their absolute pathological daily hatred of Donald Trump. Um. It's um, it's pretty amazing at the end of the day. You know, it really doesn't on a level that you just can't even really understand, except that it's that corrupt in the country right now. So you know, that's where we are, right Mike Pompeo speaking, Let's let's tip into this interest to this committee, North Korea, NATO and Russia. On the subject of Russia, I want to bring something to your attention right off the bat. Today. Today the Trump administration is releasing what we're calling the Crimea Declaration. I won't read the whole thing, I will submit it for the record. It's been publicly released as well. Um but one part reads as falls quote, the United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to it here and to end its occupation of Crimea end of quote. I want to share this committee that the United States does not and will not recognize the Kremlin's purported annexation of Cremea. We stand together with allies, partners, and the international community in our commitment to Ukraine and its territorial integrity. There will be no relief of Cremea related sanctions until Russia returns control of the Crimean Peninsula to Ukraine. This Crimia Declaration formalizes the United States policy of non recognition. There's another indicative of diplomatic progress. I want to mention this morning. Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was in prison in Turkey for nearly two years, has been allowed out of jail at Puka. He's still under house arrest. So our work is not done, but it's welcome progress, one that many of you have been engaged in, something the State Department is spending been working on diligently as well. We will continue to work for the speedy return of all Americans unjustly held captive abroad. President Trump will never forget about our own. Our diplomacy on these issues is advancing the goals of President Trump's National Security Strategy, which laid down guiding principles for American foreign policy in December. In late April, I started executing on the strategy of Secretary State today. We're not going to stop our coverage of this. By the way, the the announcement of this pastor that was held in Turkey, all this h Jay secular is that guy's attorneying has been for a long time. Andrew Brunson is his name, a Christian pastor. That's a big deal and a really big announcement. Also Pompeo saying they won't recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea and said there'll be no sanctions relief until Russia returns control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine. And now it's official policy and that the sanctions will stay in place. Oh so much for they go. He's a Russian agent. MSNBC has been saying good grief. And that's how instanine that represents NBC News these days. All right, let's get back to Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, in his opening statement before the Senate private one on one meetings in your life as well, you've chosen that setting is the most efficient. As a simple question, you can't get my seven minutes the secretary did? Did you? Did he tell you what, whether or not what happened in those two hours? Yes? And the predictor of your question implied some notion that there was something improper about having a one on one meeting. I completely disagree with just I didn't ask you predicate. I asked you a simple question. I hope we're going to get through it. Did he tell you what transpired in the number of conversation with President Trump about what transpired in the meeting? I was also president when President when he and President Putin both gave us a sense of what they discussed in the meeting that followed immediately after. Did you have also had the chance to speak? Was Sergei Lavrov twice about the Russian view on what takes place. I think I have a pretty complete understanding. Good. Did you speak to the translator who was at that meeting? No, I haven't. Have you seen any of her notes? Senator, I have never been in lots of meetings. I've had lots of note takers and lots of translators. Um, I've never relied on the work that they did. Did the President understand that took place in that meeting? And it does not need to be the president discussed to be. Did the President discussed relax relaxing US UH sanctions on Russia, including cats or sanctions? Senator? The US policy with respective sanctions remains completely unchanged. So the President did not. That is what you're telling me that I asked a very specific question. Yes, I does it tell you that he discussed UH relaxing Russia's sanctions or not? Yes? Or not? Then the president are entited to have private meetings. I'm telling you what US policy is. I came here today, but you you you told me that he had a conversation in which he told you what transpired. I think the nation and so all of us who are policy market makers deserve to know so that we can fashion policy accordingly. Did he tell the Putent that our release or ultimately relaxed sanctions? Senator, what you need to conduct your role? Your appropriate role? I will provide you today. That is United States policy with respect to the issues your request. You asked me about US policy with respects to sanctions, and I can confirm to you that no commitment has been made to change those policies in any way. Did the President at this meeting call upon President Putent to withdraw from christ This is a getting very interesting. We'll pick it up right there. You won't miss a second of Secretary of State Pompeo in this case, being grilled by the Honorable Senator Menendez of New Jersey. Alright, till the top of the hour. Eight Sean is our number. If you want to be a part of the program. All right, let's get back to We're gonna pick up right where we left off. The Secretary of State Putin really just being harangued by Senator Menendez. I'm sorry, Secretary of State POMPEIOI being harangued. Uh, I'm trying to do two things at once. He can't work in computer and talk. My brain doesn't work that well, Uh, Secretary of State Pompeio being grilled by Senator Menendez. The Honorable Senator Menendez mean today with the United States governments understand the declaration. I welcome and I'm glad that. It seems like we had to do a lot of effort to get there. But the question is, when he had a chance, did he confront Putin and say, we don't recognize your annexation of CRIMEA, we don't recognize your continuing hostilities in Eastern Ukraine, and there's consequences for that. So the President was very clear with Vladimer Putin about US positions are the US positions that are the Trump Administration's positions, and he spoke about them very firmly and clearly when he met with Vladimir Putin, and that he told you that, Senator. I'm telling you what he had a conversation with Vladimir Putin about, and I'm telling you what US policy is today. I understand, Senator, I understand the game that you're playing now, you know, Mr Secretary, with all due respect, I don't appreciate you characterizing my questions. My questions is to get to the truth. We don't know what the truth is. And the only way that we will know what the truth is what transpired in those two hours and in highly amazing a period of time to spend alone one on one, is by understanding at least that if you were briefed by the president what he told you. I don't think that's unfair to know to understand what policies. Let me ask you this, where did the presidents say they were going to change our force structure in Syria? Senator. Presidents are permitted to have conversations with their cabinet members that aren't repeated in public. Um I owe I owe the president of the capacity for him to have conversations with him, ride him the best foreign policy advice that I can. It's what I was. Let me ask you this, UHR Secretary, here's something, here's something you can answer for me, because you're not going to answer any of the questions that would get us to the truth. As CIA Director, you stated in an interview with the BBC that you fully expect Russia to continue its attacks on our democracy by attempting to interfere in our mid term election as we speak. In his conversation with Putin. Uh. I hope the President laid out the consequences of interference in election, but I know you can't tell me that, So actually I can't. Did you want to share that one with me? I can't. No, I can't. I want you want to share with me? No, Senator, I can tell you that because the President has disclosed that. The President disclosed what he said to Vladimir Putin about Russian interference in our elections, and he said that he is confident that as a result of that conversation, Vladimir understands that it won't be tolerated. I wish he had said that in public in Helsinki. Let me ask you this, Senator Graham and I and others are working on a new bill to whole Russia accountable. Given that you assert the administration is tough on Russia, will you commit to working with us on a new Russia sanctions bill? Yes, sir, thank you. UH. North Korea UH. When you last appeared, I asked you a series of critical questions about what's our policy in North Korea, and and to your credit, I must say that I largely agreed with what our goals are. Now I want to ask you since we haven't heard anything, not a classified briefing, not anything as it relates to North Korea. Did North Korea agree with our definition of denuclearization meaning the dismantlement removal of all nuclear weapons, facilities, technology, and material for North Korea. I think I can answer your question, but let me begin by saying, Um, I'm engaged in a complex negotiation with the North Koreans, and so I don't intend in this public setting to share the details of every conversation took place in those but I will I will attempt to answer your questions without disclosing the contents of the negotiation. I am very confident that the North Koreans understand our definition denuclearization, a very broad one that it goes from UH infrastructure and nuclear war, adds through chemical biological weapons. We understand because you related for the record, did they have they agreed with you that that is? I believe they thoroughly understand that and they understand it. But they didn't agree. Did they agree to end the production and enrichment of uranium and plutonium for military programs? I would welcome the chance to respond to your questions, if you'd let me finish it would it would be most simply, I think you'd be most illuminating for the focuses central. Yes or no? Could you repeat the question please? Center was the previous question I did have the chance to answer. Did you did nor career agreed and the production and enrichment of uranium and plutonium for military programs They have agreed to denuclearize fully, Yes, Senator, Okay, what we don't have it include? It certainly includes, it certainly includes the world. I would I would love for you to come to a classified setting and tell all members what exactly transpired because we don't know. Thank you, Center, Rish, Mr Secretary, thank you for doing this job. The President made it wise to decision appointing you a Secretary of State, and you're quitting yourself very well here today. And we appreciate that you've always been straightforward with us. And I appreciate that. I know many of my colleagues, not all, but many of my colleagues fully appreciate that. UM, I want to talk to say most, Center, are just gonna go with many. I'm going to stay with many. UM let me say that. UH. As far as what happened at the NATO's summit, UH, very few Americans heard anything except the argument that went on about the about funding. Now, I know the President believes, and I know you believe, and I believe, and I think most everyone believes that NATO is the most successful military alliance in the history of the world. And as you pointed out, it's certainly one of the pillars of our national security and one that we need to support and one that we need to work well. Um, there there are very few downsides of NATO, but there is one blemish, and the President has underscored that publicly and well. His predecessor attempted to do it, All their predecessors attempted to do it. All those of us that meet with the Europeans from time to time underscore it. And that is the funding, or the lack thereof that that the Europeans have done. Only eight of the uh NATO nations are actually meeting the commitment of two percent. The first of all the presidents to be commended for underscoring this as only he can do in his unique way, and actually getting them to start talking about it and now finally starting to agree to that. But there were other things that were lost as far as that meeting is concerned and I'd like you to talk about those things for a few minutes. Number one is on the deterrent side, the four thirties commitment to increase NATO readiness and speed up the time it takes allies to assemble and deploy forces. UH, and that's a huge step forward. UH. The efforts to improve mobility and establish a process us to enhance the speed at which NATO can make decisions. UH. They fight against terrorism and increasing allied resilience against terrorist threats through a new framework to share biometric data is a major accomplishment. And find the opportunity from Macedonia to receive an invitation to join NATO and fulfill the promise from the Bucharest summit. That was a positive step for the alliance and for the Balkans. Could you comment on those, uh, very important steps forward that happened at the at this NATO summit in there. It was an incredibly productive NATO summit. By from my conversations with Secretary General Stoltenberg, he said among the most productive that he had ever been part of, and he's been doing this a little while. UM. You talked about the four thirties, thirty squadron thirty Italians UH UH at thirty naval combatants ready to go in thirty days. That's something NATO has not been able to do for quite some time. There's now a real commitment we have to follow through to make sure that the implement a should that occurs, it would be UH. It would be a great thing to deter Russia if we can get those countries and our allies to get to that level. You talked about the increase in burden sharing. It seemed to get all the focus. It's certainly important UH that the Europeans are as committed UH to UH deterring Russia as the United States of America and need to demonstrate that through their defense, not only dollars, but readiness as well. We've seen reports about the absence of German readiness. They need to truly be ready. The President also raised another issue about energy and energy security at the NATO summit. He talked about the nord Stream to pipeline and the risk that that creates to the alliance and the event that Russia should decide to use energy as a weapon UH to coerce UH either formally or informally H Germany or other European countries. You raised it to the forefront, and frankly, there are European countries that understand that risk and support America and our position on that as well. And I finally talked a little bit about the NATO mission. It's it's new role in fighting terrorism. Um I want to I want to say thanks to so many of the European countries that have stepped forward, even just this past a few I guess it's now two weeks since the NATO summit. Over a thousand additional commitments from allied NATO partners headed to assist US in Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan. That's a great commitment, something that President Trump worked hard on at the summit, and really good outcomes for America. Well, thank you so much. You're you're to be personally committed for those great successes, as is the President for leading in that regard. Uh. It's unfortunate that our friends and allies, UH feathers were ruffled a little bit just because we said they weren't paying their bills. But that's been going on for some time and I think we're going to tolerate that. But they've got to step up, and I know you underscored that, and the President has certainly underscored that with him. UM, I want to talk about Iran for just to moment. UH. They're one of the big unreported stories as far as UH foreign relations is concerned. Is the issues and the difficulties that the Iranian people are having internally financially and under and otherwise. And I know we're not in a classified setting, but there there is some open reporting on these sources, and the regime that's there is struggling with this. Indeed, I think that's probably why UH they tried to poke the president the other day to try to take their to try to take the the heat off of the heat they're getting at home. Could you talk a little bit about what's going on internally, again, knowing that we're in in UH an open setting the center, there is UH enormous economic challenge inside of Iran today. It's a it's an economic structure that simply doesn't work when you foment that when you're a country of that scale that moments tear UH through Lebanese has Blah, through Shia militias in Iraq into Yemen. UH conducts assassination attempts in European countries. UH provides enormous support for as ASAD outside of Lebanese has black in Syria. That's expensive and I think the Iranian people are beginning to see that that's not the model that they want. UM, that the Iranian expansion is m that the supreme leader in Costum Sulamani so favor is not what they're looking for. And I think you're beginning to see the economic impact combined with understandings inside of Iran of the cleptocracy that it is UM leading to fundamental decisions that the Iranian people will ultimately have to make. You agree with me that that acceleration of that understanding by the Iranian people has been very rapid over the last six months. Uh, yes, it's I think it's I think it's been going on longer than that, but yes, it's going been going on longer. But I'm talking about the acceleration. Yes, Senator, I think that's a fair statement. Thank you. If I could just one interjection, UM, I know the phrase paying their bills has been used, UM, and we need every NATO country needs to be UH contributing two percent of defense. And I've noticed those near the Russian border always do. Um, But there's that's a misnumber, is it not? What we want them to do is contribute at least two percent. There's not. These NATO countries are not not paying bills to the United States as sometimes as projected. Is that a Is that correct? The shortfalls that the President identified really are in two buckets. Um. There is a NATO Common Fund that is contributed to by every nation, and the United States is by far the largest contributor that fund. And then there are moneys that are paid for nations to raise their own militaries and to defend themselves. That's the that's the two percent number to which we've been with. It's not it would be a mischaracterization to say to make it appear that they're not paying bills to the United States. That's correct, That's that's correct. Center cardon. This is so great. Thank you for being here. It's my understanding that the President is going to invite Mr Putin to the United States to follow up on the understandings reached in Helsinki. Can you just briefly tell me what those understandings or agreements reached in Helsinki at the meeting? Sure, I can certainly share with you the things that we've been tasked to follow up on by President Trump following that meeting. UM, there's a handful. UH. So there there is an agreement to establishing business to business leadership exchanges as historically had been undertaken but had fallen away. UH. The would be business leaders that would participate in this. UM. I understand that this went on for years and years and and and was ceased. UH. And fully, could we could do it briefly? I understand you want to give a complete thing, and I appreciate that, and it's what you asked for. I understand a business to business next issue, the President is asked us to look at re establishing a counter terrorism Council that was held at the level of the Deputy Secretary State for many years but had also ceased to happen. UM. I think at this point, I think that makes sense in terrorist terrorism. UH. We are working to see in Syria what are the possibilities that can be achieved so that the now between six and seven million displaced person externally displaced persons have the opportunity to return. We made clear this should happen through the political process in Geneva. UM. But we are working to see if we can't get Russian Russia to be more cooperative in towards terms of driving towards a political resolution there that would take it. I'm way more interested in this than I thought I would. What we'll do is we're going to take a break the White House. By the way, the President is expected he's been meeting with European leaders issues of trade, and of course the pastor. This pastor has been held hostage for a long period of time, that has been released from Turkey and um his name is Andrew Brunson. By the way, Jay Sekul is representative all this time. And that's really big news actually, and thank goodness for me get an update on that. You know, I didn't think I wanted to air that much of this. This is getting fascinating. Not only is the Secretary of Steve Pompeo talking about Russia, but Iran in North Korea. Well, monitor that the President is expected to make an announcement as it relates to EU trade, which is amazing, and that American pastor Andrew Brunson has been released from Turkey. We had a lot of news to get to straight ahead alright, hour to Sean Hannity Show. We're awaiting the White House is gonna have some announcement. I think it's gonna have to do with the concessions that the President is secured uh from the Europeans to avoid a trade war. Um. And this is interesting, UM because I'm I'm looking at it, and this is pretty amazing. And it's what I said would happen. How many times, Linda, did I not say over and over again, there's not gonna be a trade war. The President's the go shitty. Well, we now have some of the details that finally emerged and that the President secured concessions from Europe. That's not not gonna be a trade war, uh, Dal Jones reporting. And it just came before the Trump European Commission president. You know they're gonna have this joint presser coming up. Um and the major averages uh rallied on the news. I nobody he negotiates, it's what he does. And uh. Anyway, so the NASDAC went up about one percent to DW Industrial went up about a half a percent. Wait of these GDP numbers on Friday, You're gonna be pretty amazing from all indications. Will see for the second quarter. But here's what the president got. The Europeans agreed to lower industrial tariffs and import more US soybeans. The Europeans agreed to work on more US liquefied natural gas exports. And Trump also said he's hoping to work something out on a fair trade deal with Europe and they're gonna have probably more details when they speak. We're literally watching a little box outside of the White Household. I think it's on the South lawn um And in the meantime, we got news today, and I think this is great news. I've known about this case forever. We've talked about this case, and that is the American pastor, his name is Andrew Brunson, US citizen from North Carolina, spent nearly twenty one months in prisoned in Turkey because he's a Christian, and the pastor has been on trial for the crime of Christianization. And our friend Jay Sekulo in the American Center for Law and Justice, we have confirmed that the Turkish government has now issued in order releasing Pastor Andrew Brunson from prison, allowing him to be returned to his home in Turkey. This is the first critical step that we believe will result in the freedom of Pastor Brunson, so he can return to the United States and be reunited with his family. And while all of this is going on, UH, really content just hearing with the Senate and the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And let's go back to that, and we'll go to the Russians White House. Uh, and when that announcement happens, thoughts on that. So I have a personal experience. I had a private conversation with North Koreans. We didn't issue a read out on the conversations, quite intentionally, and the North Korean press chose to characterize it, which we thought it was in America's best interest not to respond tip for tat about the nature of that conversation. We we knew the truth, we knew what had taken place there. Um, And you know, it's the North Korean press, and so I assume that most reasonable people will discount it fairly significant in the same way that one might the Russian press. Uh. These are important decisions about how much disclose about private conversations were it had, because everyone knows that you may have an expectation that you'll have another private conversation one day, and the absence of their belief that that private conversation has the capacity to remain in that space reduces the freedom to have those conversations. And I know you've had this in your life too, Senator. I know you've had private conversations and you valued them. It was just you and someone else in that room, and it was important, and you didn't give anyone to read out from it because you wanted to have the chance to do that again, because you thought you could make real progress with that person. Right, Let's talk about North Korea. You brought it up, um. You mentioned that you traveled the court North Korea to continue on, as you put it, I guess, to follow up on commitments made in Singapore. Let's talk about those commitments for a minute. You you mentioned that they have committed to the denuclearization. They may have a different readout than we do on what that entails, but but so far they seem to be walking back. Uh any commitment, real commitment that was made there, What commitment, firm commitment other than discussion of returning remains. I'm not discounting that, but but in terms of denuclearization, what real commitments were made. Yeah, I'm not going to get into the private commitments that have been shared. I don't think it's fair to characterize them walking back from commitments. Um, remember where we were right? So it all depends what you draw as the projected line to say, are we in a better place or a worse place than we would have been absent the Singapore Summit? One can draw counterfactual reference. Will never know where we might have been, but I will concede there is an awful long way to go. I'm not trying to oversell the accomplishments that we've had towards the path of the nuclearization to date. There remains a great deal of work to do that will will be highly contested. That is, the modalities, the means, the timing of this will be things that I'm confident will be discussing for a period of time. Uh. There there have been public reports and and I know the United States is tracking the disassembly of a missile engine test site. Uh, something that Chairman Kim committed orally. It wasn't in the written agreement itself, but Chairman Chairman Kim committed in his conversation with President Trump to do They're beginning to dismantle that. UM it has to do with their missile program. It's a good thing. UH steps forward. Okay, thank you very quickly for the time. Is out something completely different the country of Rwanda right now, and you may be familiar with this because of this week's focus on religious freedom. Yes, as indicated a move towards severe restrictions on religious freedom, particularly from outside groups. What are the plans of the State Department to uh to let them know that that is not that is not in their own interests nor ours. So I share your concerns. I'll need to get back to in terms of what actions we think we think. I know we'll call it out. I know will will label it for what it is. UH. What we do need to see what we it is tragic and UH. Anyway, I share your concerns and it's a it's a huge challenge for us. Thank you, Thank you Senator Caine, thank you, Mr Chair, thank you, Mr Secretary, Mr Secretary. Just a couple of thoughts, UM, I was very discouraged at the Helsinki summit when the President basically was offered a choice in some of the questions, did he believe US intel or did you believe Vladimir Putin's protestations that he had engaged in hacking of the election, And he basically said, my own people have made a great case to me. Vladimir Putin has made a great case to me. I don't see why Russia would have done this. Um He came back and corrected at the next day in the United States, but at the end he said, I believe my Intel community, but there's a lot of people out there. It could have been someone else. And then this dragged on for a couple of days. You know where I live, You know, I have a lot of constituents who used to be your employees at the CIA. People come up to me all the time in Virginia and say I'm with the i C. And they are very demoralized by this. They're very demoralized that when standing next to Vladimir Putin, the president's words were to see jest that he trusted Vladimir Putin over them. Um There was the suggestion, when President um Trump said it was an incredible offer about Ambassador McFall, that he was also potentially willing to throw not just Intel folks under the bus, but State Department diplomats under the bus. They live in Virginia too. They feel the demoralization of your comments today that we're gonna go to bad for current reformer. That's very, very helpful. But what I want to ask you about is is our military um in our military leadership. There was an article yesterday in the Washington Post General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As of Monday, Dunford still hadn't been briefed on Helsinki, even though it directly affects more than one million troops done for overseas. Do you know why there would be have been no briefing of General Dunford about the discussions that took place at Helsinki? You have to ask that apart Defense or Chairman Dunford. UM. But you don't dispute that that was You have no knowledge that there was a briefing of General dunfer to today about the Helsinki discussion. Do you know you just read me a piece from the Washington Post. Yeah, but I'm asking your knowledge. Do you have any knowledge that the administration has shared discussions about US Russia military issues with the head of the United States Joint chiefs of Staff I've actually spoken with Chairman Dunford about it. I was with him yesterday in a series of meetings and we had a chance to have a conversation about it. Yes, okay, so about our absolutely okay, So yesterday may have been the first time he was briefed about it. I want to ask about I was gonna ask about General Hotel, the the information that Jean Shaheen, Centator Shehen mentioned earlier. Um he expressed wearing it's about working with Russia and the Russian Defense Ministry. I love this is an interesting statement. They went after General Hotel, the head of cent Com who overseas as you know, US military operations and at least including Syria. Quote. With his statements, General Hotel not only discredited the official position of his supreme Commander in chief. Are you aware what the official position is that is being referenced in that statement. You'd have to speak with the Russian Ministry of Defense to know what it was he was referring to. But you can understand why we're concerned if it's being reported in Russian press as Secretary Flake and a Senator Flake and Senator Shaheen said that they're talking about official positions that the President is outlined. Just as far as you know, General hotel statements did not violate any official position the United States? Did they same to be giving a great deal of credit to the Russian Ministry of Defense fruitfulness. Let me ask you by General Hotel, I might not share that same. Let me ask you about General Hotel as far as great credit and have great belief in his truthfulness. So you do not believe that any of the statements that he's made, including those that I read, violate any official position in the United States? Do you if you would that that's the best approach to General Hotel the Department Defense? I mean, I'm not when out third three orders removed? If if I could introduced for the record, there's an interesting article in BuzzFeed News just recently today that just lists a whole series of headlines, and I think these are instructive. Mr. Chair Trump's announcement that he will in US career drills catches Pentagon off guard. Pentagon and Soul is surprised by Trump pledged to halt military exercises. Pentagon caught off guard by Space Force announcement. Trump signals withdraw very soon of US troops from a serious surprising Pentagon and State Department. Pentagon caught by surprise by Trump's travel ban, pushes for summer rockies to get special consideration. US joint chiefs blindsided by Trump's transgender ban, Northcom caught off guard as Trump orders troops to US Mexico border. If I could introduce this for the record, Mr Chair, I worry about an administration that would take the Putin position over our intel community. I worry about the administration that would suggest it might be a great deal to consider handing over a former diplomat for questioning. I worry about an administration that is catching the Pentagon off guard, that is not consulting with General Dunford, are briefing him for a week after a summit of this importance to our military. Mr Secretary, you're aware of the NDA prohibition, the current prohibition on Russian and military Russian and US joint military operations, are you not. I'm aware of the existence of that provision. Yes. Uh. The provision prohibits any use of funds. It's in the NDA, any use of funds to support joint Russia and US military operations. And it also gives the Secretary of Defense the ability to undertake a national security waiver. If he thinks that that's the right idea. Does the administration accept the legality and binding nature of that provision of laws? I think the d D General Council will be the right person. We're gonna step back from this. Pompeo hearing with the Senate and the President meeting with europe and leaders and has come to a trade deal as he takes to the podium, deal potentially with John Bozeman. John, you're here someplace, hi, John, Thank you. Senator Mike crap Po, thank you, Mike. Senator Steve Danes, Senator Hovan thank you. They're all here. Senator Cindy Hyde Smith, Cindy, thank you very much. Senator James Light. We're gonna stay with this. As the President of the European Union UH president literally is named Junker. He's now at the podium with the President as they announced these trade deals and trade talks the e C president. Representative Kevin Brady with a new tax bill. How's it coming, Kevin? Good? Representative Mike Conaway, Mike, thank you, Mike. Represent Editive Dan new House, thank you, Dan. Representative Christie norm I have to call her Governor. Now that was a great win. Thank you, Christie. Representative David Reichert, David, thank you. So we had a big day, very big. We met right here at the White House to launch a new phase in the relationship between the United States and the European Union, a phase of close friendship, of strong trade relations in which both of us will win, of working better together for global security and prosperity, and of fighting jointly against terrors. The United States and the European Union together count for more than eight hundred and thirty million citizens and more than fifty of the global g d P. In other words, together we're more than fifty percent of trade. If we team up, we can make our planet a better, more secure, and more prosperous place. Already today, the United States and the European Union have a one trillion dollar bilateral trade relationship, the largest economic relationship anywhere in the world. We want to further strength in this trade relationship to the benefit of all American and European citizens. This is why we agree today, first of all, to work together towards zero tariffs, zero non tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non auto industrial goods. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We will also work to reduce barriers and increase trade in services com coals, pharmaceuticals, medical products, as well as soybeans. Soybeans is a big deal, and the European Union is going to start almost immediately to buy a lot of soybeans. Are tremendous market by a lot of soybeans from our farmers in the Midwest, primarily, so I thank you for that junk load. This will open markets for farmers and workers, increase investment, and lead to greater prosperity in both the United States and the European Union. It will also make trade fairer and more reciprocal, my favorite word, reciprocal. Secondly, we agreed to a strengthened and strengthening of our strategical operation with respect to energy. The European Union wants to import more liquefied natural gas LERGY from the United States, and they're going to be a very, very big buyer. We're going to make it much easier for them, but they're gonna be a massive buyer of l n G so they'll be able to diversify their energy supply, which they want very much to do. And we have plenty of it. Thirdly, we agreed today to launch a close dialogue on standards in order to ease trade, reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and slash costs dramatically. Fourthly, we agreed to join forces to protect American and European companies from better and really better than ever we've We've never done like we're doing. I can say from the standpoint of the United States, we've never done this well. But we're going to do a lot better after we do this deal. I know the deals that were currently working on. Likewise, the European Union is going to do a better, stronger, bigger. We will therefore work closely together with like minded partners to reform the w t O and to address unfair trading practices including intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, distortions created by state owned enterprises, and over capacity. We decided to set up immediately an executive working group of very intelligent people on both sides that'll be our closest advisors, and they're going to carry out this joint agenda. In addition, it will identify short term measures to facilitate commercial exchanges and assess existing tariff measures and what we can do about that to the betterment of both. While we are working on this, we will not go against the spirit of this agreement unless either party terminates the negotiation. So we're starting the negotiation right now, but we know very much where it's going. We also will resolve the steel and aluminum terror fishes, and we will resolve retaliatory tariffs. We have some tariffs that are retaliatory and that will get resolved as part of what we're doing. And with that, Joan Claude, please, Mr President Lydian, gentlemen. When I was invited but president to the White House, I had to one intention. I had the intention to make a deal today, and we made a deal today. We have identified a number of areas on which to work together, work towards. There are terrorists on industrial goods. That was my main intention to propose to come down to zero terrorists on industrial goods. We've decided to strengthen our corporation and energy. You will build more terminals to import liquefied natural gas from the US. This is also a message for others. We agreed to establish a dialogue on standards as far as agriculture, is concerned. The European Union can import more so it means from the US, and it will be done. And we also agreed to work together on the reform of d w T. This of course is on the understanding that as long as we are negotiating, unless one party would stop the negotiations, we hold off further teriffs and Twitters has existing terriffs on steel and aluminium. This was a good constructive meeting. Thank you do not well, Thank you very much, joint l and I just want to conclude by saying, this was a very big day for free and fair trade, very big day indeed, Thank you very much, everybody, Thank you, thank you. All right, that's the EC President Junker. The EU can import more soy beans, they're gonna try and get natural gas. Trade war looks like it's averted. And um, the US and Europe working towards zero uh, you know, imports, etcetera, etcetera. Um, now it it's pretty interesting. Was the you know, the president was especially looking out in both cases for energy, the industrial concessions that they gave to and energy as it relates to natural gas, which by the way, would be in Europe's best interest for national security purposes. You know, it's hard. I gotta make editor real decisions here. And these hearings with Secretary of State Pompeio is so good. Um, what just happened is a frankly amazing development and great for the economy and probably a preview of what's going to happen with other countries. But after the President met with European leaders earlier today and demanding a fair trade deal, yeah, he actually got them to step up to the plate. I mean, you know, because the President put tariffs on imported steel aluminum, saying that they pose a threat to national security. Um. And he also threatened to slap tariffs on cars. Nobody wants a trade war, by the way, the President never wanted a trade war. But nobody's ever stood up to these countries and said, yeah, we want fair trade, we want something fair. And the President has been pushing the EU, which includes many of our oldest and yeah, most committed allies, the same people that don't pay their fair shares relates that atoh, even though it's defense for them, and they were warning they were going to retaliate on American products with twenty billion dollars if Trump puts duties, etcetera, etcetera. But well, it looks like now the the concessions that Trump secured is now avoided. The trade war that everybody in the media was predicting, just like they predicted doom and gloom over North Korea, little rocket man, fire and fury, and my buttons bigger than yours and mine actually works just like they did with Vladimir Putin, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, no, we're not taking sanctions off of Putin and Russia, and nor are we gonna recognize the annexation of Crimea. But now the Europeans are agreed to lower their industrial tariffs, import more US soybeans, which helps our farmers. Also the industrial concessions the president god that helps, and steel and aluminum, and then of course the Europeans are greening now to take in more US liquid natural gas exports. And if the President had followed the advice of everybody else, don't don't skip, don't rock the boat, we would have gotten these trade concessions. So somebody's fighting for American workers here. And I know it's a little uncomfortable when you're getting a fight. I know it's uncomfortable when you say that this isn't fair and we expect reciprocity and we're tired of one sided deals and you gotta wait it out, and everybody's sweating. Well, but it helps America. It helps people in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and all these other states. UM. Anyway, so it was pretty interesting to watch this joint presser UH with this guy Junker from the European Union. It was representing them, and he made his first visit UH to the White House. The guy's name is the EG European Commissioner President. His name is Jean Claude Genkar And anyway, so they finally spoke and yeah, they reached their goal and that's now good for the American workforce. And then everybody that predicted a trade war now has egg on their face again, just like they said, the economy is not gonna work. Let's find out what the second quarter GDP is gonna be on Friday, as Barclay has had it at five point three percent. I don't think it's gonna be that high. But remember Obama never had a single year at three percent GDP growth, the only president in history and we can see the growth of the economy, the Fed saying that it's it's roaring at this particular point, Wall Street reacting positively, the Dow up two hundred, and then we've got Nasdak up, you know, literally a hundred. All good news for investors on top of the you know, there's always gonna be I'm not the big stock market guy. I don't trust the stock market. So you got all that good news. Today, we've got inter Key, an American pastor's name is Andrew Brunson, j Secular. The American Center for Law Injustice has been representing him, and the Turkish government has finally issued in order to release him from prison. Is returned to his home in Turkey, and it's the first step towards bringing him home to the United States. That's big news. Then you've got Mike Pompeo just laying out senator after senator, and we're gonna dip back into these hearing. Senator Ram Paul is up now with the Secretary of State. We're gonna move on to other issues, probably at the top of the next hour, because you know, this is where I'm balancing all this news breaking today. Let's listen to. Instead of a smaller group of issues, we have a bigger group of issues. The nuclear issues are back on the table if we have to renegotiate the nuclear agreement and the ballistic missile issue. And the point that I think that we need to think through in discussions with Iran is that I think Iran, from their perspective, we'd see getting rid of their ballistic missile program as basically unilateral surrender. It's not my viewpoint. I think it's what I believed to be their viewpoint. I think they also see Saudi Arabia as a great adversary, and I think they see Israel as a potential adversary. And so I don't think unless you know, be great if you've got all three to come together and have a multilateral agreement on not developing nuclear weapons and not having ballistic missiles, I don't see the other two coming to the table frankly to do that. And so I think in moving forward, I think it's just importantly you understand this isn't going to be easy. The first Rand Agreement also was a multilateral agreement. You had multilateral sanctions. You now have more unilateral sanctions, and you're gonna have a unilateral agreement that's sort of your own agreement. So, UM, I just think we shouldn't be so optimistic. And I guess i'd like to hear from you. How do you, uh, what makes you believe that a RAND will come to the table to discuss s ballistic missiles center right. I'm under no illusions about how important, UM A RAND views it s ballistic missile program. I I agree with you there. Uh. The question for President President Trump face was was the j c P had good enough? He concluded it wasn't remotely good enough. I think he said it was one of the worst deals in history. I don't want to get the language wrong. And so he concluded, UM, we would find ourselves in a better place with an opportunity to revisit all of these issues, the broad spectrum of issues, not just the nuclear portfolio, but the missile program, uh, their malign activity around the world, all of them in a package. UM. It did accept the understanding that there would be those that wouldn't come alongside of US. UM, but you should know there is a coalition. It's not it's not American America alone. UM. We have others who believe that this was the right decision to the Israelis, the Saudis, the Marats, the Bahrainis, other smaller European governments, not the E three themselves, but there are number of folks who are beginning to coalesce around an understanding of how we can appropriately respond to Round to take down. Uh. They're the nuclear risk to the United States as well as the risk from these other malign activities. Thank you, Senator, you don't thank you, Mr Chairman, and UH, thank you Secretary pomp Pale for your service Secretary in Pumpeo. We have quite the record of President Trump's business relations with Russia. Extensive reporting and public records show a large amount of money from former Soviet States and Russia into Trump projects. Trump International Tower and Hotel in Toronto, the Trump Hotel in Panama, the Trump Project in Soho in New York City are a few of the big examples here. And here's another one. A Russian oligarch bought a property from President Trump for candidate Trump at the time or maybe a little before, for nine million in two thousand and eight, less than four years after, President Trump paid forty one million, so more than double this money. Uh. Donald Trump Junior in two thousand and eight, stated at a real estate conference in New York, and I quote here, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets. End quote. Uh. Donald Trump tried to build a Trump tower in Moscow for thirty years. He even tweeted in Trump Tower Moscow is next. That's end quotes. In answering a question from indicted Russian operative and alleged by Maria Boutina, candidate Trump made clear as desires with Russia, statium, I would get along well with Putin and that I don't think we need the sanctions now. The Russian ambassador to the United States has said the president made and this is his quote, important verbal agreements with President Prutent and he seems to know more about um, more about Helsinki and what happened there than the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As we saw in Helsinki and throughout his presidency in the campaign, this president is extremely sympathetic to the very Russian government that attacked and continues to attack our democracy and those of our allies. It's a fact of political life today that many Americans are concerned about the unthinkable that a U. S president could have compromised a compromising relationship with a foreign power. President could clear this all up in three simple ways, releasing his tax returns and those of the Trump organization, and the taxes from the various family businesses, some of which we don't even know about. After Helsinki? Do you think that the American people deserve to know what's in President Trump's tax returns and business interests that that are intertwined with Russia. So I'm gonna try to stay out of the same political circus that you and I ended up and last time I was sitting here and simply respond by saying, Uh, this same president with which you seem to express such deep concern is engaged in a massive defense build up which threatens Vladimir Putin's regime. He instructed has to put together a nuclear post review that has said Vladimir Putin on his ear because of its robustness and the recapitalization of our nuclear program. He's kicked at sixties spies, We've been Kaspersky. I've got eleven billion dollars in the secretary. You've already actually haven't even begun described, but you've already you haven't answered my question. So let me try it a little different way. Wouldn't you want to know, as secretary of State? I mean, I I'm taking you, in your sincerity here as secretary of State, whether all these Russian financial interests, oligarchs and others are part of the decision making of the president. I mean, wouldn't you want that out in the open and to understand what went on? It's Helsinki. It's It's an easy kind of yes or no question. I don't need secondhand understandings of what President Trump is instructing his administration to do to push back against rest. I have firsthand understanding and and directive. Let me ask the question a little bit. We've opposed lordstream to We've got a four by thirty out of NATO that said that also is a big setback for Russia. I mean, I'm happy to continue the list. I'm I'm happy there, but I will I will submit the entirety of this administration's actions against Russia for the record, if I might please do back a truck up and get it on in here. Candidate Trump has failed to keep his promise to disclose his tax returns. Every presidential candidate since Richard Nixon has disclosed. Jimmy Carter even sold his peanut farm to avoid a conflict of interest. The situation with President Trump's potential foreign policy conflicts of interest is unprecedented and unacceptable, and under the emoluments clause, I think it's unconstitutional as well. But let me just ask a couple of questions about Helsinki. You talked about what you were tasked with. UM, the Director of National Intelligence CODE stated that at the Aspen Security Forum that he did not know what happened during the one on one meeting na Helsinki. Did the president personally debrief you on this conversation? Are you confident that you know everything that President Trump discussed with President Putin? That's a very easy yes or no. If you don't want an answer it all, move on to the next one. Yes or no. I'm very confident that I received a comprehensive debriefing from President Trump. Go ahead, Okay, Now do you know for a fact whether President Trump or President Putin discussed any investments in Trump properties or any Trump projects such as the previous attempt to build a Trump real estate project in Moscow. So again, I'm gonna try and stan out of the political circus. No, but were you were you? Were you task with that? You gave us a list of what you came here to talk about American foreign policy today. I have attempted to articulate President Trump. All of these business interests are entwined, sir, with our foreign policy. Yes, a foreign policy that has led to a massive defense build up, a new clear posture review that has frightened Gladi Budden, all sixties spies, I mean, Twitter, nineteen sanctions. Let me also ask you about an additional question on Helsinki. When I was a member of Congress, I tried to desperately get President Obama to do one of those things. President Trump hosted top Russian officials at the White House last year. He bragged about how he had fired James Comey. At his press conference with Putin. President Trump called Special Counselor Muller's investigation a disaster for the country. Can you tell us what President Trump discussed about the investigation during his private meeting with President to I'm not gonna talk about were you task with anything in that respect, Centator. When I'm tasked about something for American foreign policy, I promise you this committee will know okay, and you weren't tasked with anything there, Centator, When I'm tasked with something by the President relates to foreign policy, I assure you that this committee will be made aware of it. Thank you for very much. Thank you Center Gardner, thank you Mr Chairman, and thank you Mr Secretary for your service of the country and your time with us today. When you were last year, I asked you a question about whether or not you agreed with Secretary Mattis that North Korea's the most urgent security threat the United States faces and light of recent developments, do you still agree with that at the time you said that you did. Yeah, it's still it's still a real priority. We also talked about what would you believe it's the most urgent national security threat? I do. But but but having said that, I don't recall the precise timing when I was here. Uh, I think it was an April prep Yeah. So, so it is the fact that we're having conversations and we haven't had additional missile tests and nuclear testing. All right, We're gonna leave it there. Well, have full coverage of this proascinating hearings all day today as it relates to the Secretary of State Pompeo. I'm not gonna turn this into the circus that it was the last time I was here. He's got some great answers. He really has been handling himself. Well, we'll show you the highlights tonight. Also media breathless hysteria about everything, um but great news as it relates to the They're not gonna be a trade war with Europe. That also coming out today. This American pastor held what two years twenty one months in prison in Turkey because he is the crime of Christianization. He's actually now been set free and now we just gotta get him back to the US. So we'll get to all that. Seawan Spicer comes up in the next hour of the program and uh, you know they had to cancel his book event because of the environment in Massachusetts. Unbelievable. Please don't just come here today and then go home. Go to the hill today. Get up and please get up in the face of some congress people. If you take here, you ain't say nothing yet. Yeah, you have members your cabinet that are being booed out of restaurants. That's just taking up at the house. God is on our side, on the side of the children on the side of what's right, that if we can't protect the children, we can't protect anybody. And so let's say the course, let's make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at the Castle station, you get out and you get a cloud, and you got back on them and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, and I welcome any more getting their faces. Remember Obama said that, well send Mr Purchase, tear up Shawn Handy. But think about this cabinet members. Oh, we're talking about Secretary Nielsen, We're talking about Pam BONDI, we're talking about Sarah Sanders. You know, we're talking about I mean, it's never been this bad. And then you got so called leaders of Congress encouraging this. Our friend shaw on Spicery has a brand new book out. It's actually phenomenal. I've been reading. It's great. It's called The Briefing in Anyway, and he shares a lot of the stories in his new book. But he just actually had a book tour stop canceled at what's called Massachusetts. BJ's wholesale club over apparent concerns about the political client climate, which, by the way, it's pretty bad out there. And anyway, Mr Spicer, so tell us about what happened here, because I thought in America you're actually allowed to go out and do book tours and you should be able to do so in a safe environment. Obviously, don't think they don't think it's particularly safe in light of what I guess we just heard and past instances. Thanks for having me. I don't know exactly what's changed. Last few days we've got I think it's close to fifty book stop stops on the book tour right now. I've sold out a stop in San Francisco, another one in California. We've got three in Rhode Island in the next couple of days. But for some reason, these guys pulled back and said that they wanted to because of the political climate, didn't want to go through with it. I think it's unfortunate that the left is able to do that and and trying. I mean, if you notice every time someone comes out with something, uh that talks about what really happened during the election, which is, you know, my book, I think pulls back the curtain on what was going on during the campaign and the convention and the first you know, key months of that of this new administration. I think that there's an attempt to try to silence the left is trying to silence our voices on this. And uh, you know, God bless your outlet and others, your show and others for for actually engaging in discourse on such on these important matters. But I'm just I'm literally shocked that the left is that always talks about transparency and engaging, you know, literally wants to shut down the discourse. Well, the this has been now a little secret that we conservatives have known about for years, and that is, you know, all started on left wing college campuses where they wouldn't even let conservatives speak or or talk um. You know. I I look, your book is penalog of briefing politics to press the president. But you know, everybody kind of forgets that these are real people. Sarah Sanders has real children, in her particular case, getting thrown out of a restaurant because she works for the president and you don't like her views. I'm in business if I owned a restaurant and say, oh, welcome to the restaurant. Can I get you a drink? That's you know, whoever walks in who cares, you know, their money is as good as anybody's. But I mean again, that's that's just one indicator of how bad things are. But now people are being told, um, really you were at the tipping point of all of this in your work in the campaign, and then you became the first press secretary for Donald Trump, and then it was you know, full on attacks all over pop culture Saturday Night Live, you know, culminating I guess in your cameo at the Emmys. But it does take a toll on an individual, and you have a family, and you have friends, and they're watching you go through this every day. Yeah, I mean, look Sjohn, I talked about this extensively at the book. I didn't think it's appropriate as a spokesman to go out there and be talking about, you know, exactly, the the intensity that the job hadn't the toll that it's taking, because that's not why you're there. And you're there to serve the President United States and further his his his policies and advance his agenda. Uh and and make sure that you're conveying what his views are but you know, I talked about one instance in the book where I help people. You know, they a bunch of folks on the left put my house up for sale on Zillo. You know, my wife gives me a cause is uh, you know, what what do we do? And you know, it's that kind of you know, intimidation, it's that kind of attempt to to go after people that I just it's amazing to me if anyone on the right, if you or I and shoot, we've had our own experiences where they attack and criticize and scrutinize every single thing we do. Somebody does you know, goes after us on the left and it's it's excused what you know, they always talked about, well they had to do it, or here's why it's not that bad. You played the clips at the beginning of the show or this segment, rather about them them talking about getting in people's faces, pushing back, resisting. I mean that we have now gone from peaceful protesting and expressing ourselves and peacefully to now trying to encourage and incite intimidation and potentially violence in some cases. You know, why is it that I, in many ways, for myself and I'm speaking for me, um, and I get all of this, believe me, and I've had it going on for a long long time. But I also kind of view it that I signed up for it. In other words, you know what, I purposely went into radio. I give four hours of opinions every day. I know there are people that don't like me personally, don't like my opinions, and they still listen a lot of them, but or some never listen. Then they just have false impressions. But you know, I feel like you or Sarah Sanders, You're you're doing a job as a White House spokesperson, and they want to engage and fight you at a level that I've never seen before. And by the way, that job has always been horrible. It's the worst job in any administration, which is means you know you're crazy to take it. Well, it was an honor and privilege to do it, and part of the reason I wrote the book is to give people an insight into what it's like, what it's like to do that job every day, what it's like to get there, how how I grew up in Rhode Island, and then enough, you know, staying in front of the podium serving the president of the United States. But I wanted to be able to pull back the curtain. And also, I think the other thing is and here's why I thought it was really important. If you go through the section on the campaign, and it talks about how the R and C and the campaign we're working together in the data that sols the media will have you believe that every other every reason in the world, as many as Hillary has gone through, is why Donald Trump's elected. There is actual decisions that people like Brad Carson, Brad car Scales and other during the campaign, We're making des asion based on sound data. We knew where to send our team, and I wanted to codify that so that people could look at that and say, see, these guys actually ran a smart campaign. They had a great data operation. They had a smart field operation going door to door, bringing people to the polls, getting the tastabs and tea ballance or vote early. But the reality is that it was a well run machine. The media didn't want to talk about it. They don't want to acknowledge it. I needed to write this book to make sure that history recorded how well that that operation actually, how was this impacted your own family? Because one of the facts that I found out, and I think I had known it and forgotten it. Um because I live five years in Warren, Rhode Island, which is the adjacent town of where you grew up in Barrington, and you know the three towns actually, you know Barrington, Warren and Bristol is sort of way like the midway point of Portsmouth between between Newport and Providence, which people would know. And I know that like Bristol has the biggest Fourth of July parade I've ever seen in my life. I mean, it's really amazing and barring and is an amazing place as well, and so and we had that in common, and it's like, you know, this is you know, small town USA, and then you find yourself standing at that podium. Well, the irony for both of us too is that it's not exactly the hotbed of conservative or Republicans. Oh no, not at all. And until I get a kick out of, you know, when people ask me, I just never thought it was possible to get this because of where I came from, my background, and I constantly pinched myself when I was at the White House going this is an honor that I never thought was possible. Um, considering where I was from, my my my my background, and my parents weren't political, we weren't well connected. Um, but I had a great family that was like you also served in the military. You have a very strong family. Yes, And and again, I just what I loved about writing this book, Sean, was the ability to share that with others. People ask me all the time, what was the greatest thing you liked about serving in the White House, And honest to God, the best part was sharing it. Whether it was family, friends, or sometimes there's like a weak stranger on a tour and I could said, hey, Ken, I can I there anyway, I can see the briefing or whatever, and they might forget who I was, but they will never forget that moment um, And to make their lives have that special moment was something that I always will treasure. That was awesome being able to share it, knowing how special it was for me, and being able to write a book that talked about my trajectory from you know, growing up in Rhode Island tending up to the White House. Um, it really is specially to be able to share those those you know experiences with others. You know, look I know it's been hard. Uh. In particular, what is you What would you want people to know about Donald Trump being so close to him in the campaign and in the White House that they don't know because there's an image of the president that I know is very different than the man and the guy that I saw in the campaign and know it as president. I mean, if you read them, if you listen to the media, which is now all opinion, there's there's no reporting anymore. It's all a bias against him I've never seen in my life, and they under the so called guys a journalism. What would you want people to know? Two things? Number One, when it comes to the man, I write about this extensively, both personally in their actions that interactions that we had and watching him deal with some others, he can be unbelievably empathetic and caring and concerned. Um, it's it's a side that doesn't get out. Number Two, there's this view that I get on a lot of interviews that you know I heard he doesn't listen to anybody and nothing could be further from the truth. He invites input, he wants a briggers debate on the issues, but ultimately he's the decider. And I think what happens is often the media says, well, because they don't like the outcome that clearly he didn't listen to anybody. Nothing could be furtherest from the truth. He invites critique to debate, he encourages it to hear from all sides, and but ultimately, yes, he does make that decision and makes it clear once he's heard everything. Uh. And I think those are the two big takeaways that I have. What do you make of this tape that was released by Michael Cohen of him and then candidate Trump. Honestly, you know, I I look at it. Obviously, the content piece of it, which is what everyone's talking about. I'm really disappointed that somebody that he trusted is running around keeping him. UM. I just I think that that is a betrayal of trust that I wouldn't do, you know, I just I think it's the betrayal of trust. The idea that you're secretly doing this is something that I I'm rather disgusted with. UM. As for the substance of it, I mean, a lot of this was known. UM As far as I'm concerned, I didn't see, you know, every legal scholar on TV. But we're in an environment. I don't care if it's the putin UH press conference or maybe after that, the the idea that John Brennan, the former communist that is calling the president treasonists, might lose his his security clearance, which I think he should, or this particular tape and the media's reaction to it. I mean, it is ad on NonStop. You know, just go for the jugular every second of everyday, hysteria. You lived it in that room. I mean I watched the exchanges. I'm like again, I I mean, I'll debate anybody, but I couldn't do your job without telling him to go blank off. But here's the thing. It didn't start then. It started well before then. And that's the thing. I think everyone wants to look at everything in isolation. I walked through this in the book, that this was something that started well before he became the nominee, that this idea of taking him down and coming after him in very very personal and visceral ways, and then anybody around him started well before that. And what happens is everybody wants to stop and say, well, this all began with Donald Trump's you know, inauguration. It didn't happened well before this came. It happened the day that he and Malania came down the escalator at Trump Towers. All right, stay right there. Sean Spicer with Us is a new book is out, uh, and he's obviously in an environment whether I guess you know, people are afraid uh to talk. That's called The Briefing Politics to Press, Us and the President, and it's on Amazon dot com, Hannity dot com, bookstores everywhere. Well, and as we continue, Sean Spicer with Us as a brand new book, The Briefing Politics, the Press and the President. All right, so let's talk about some of the people in that room you saw every day, you know, like Jim Acosta as if he's a real objective and balanced reporter. Um, I don't you know, how do you deal with somebody that obviously has an agenda, obviously wants to pick a fight. So it's on TV that night? Well, what what do you do? I mean? I I think what I really thought was, you know, concerning me, is that the behavior that he exhibited, the antics I think are unbecoming. I think if you're a journalist and you don't call that out and say that's not representative of who we are our industry and how we should act. That's the biggest problem there. I think a costic gets away with it because his colleagues not only encourage it, but tolerated and the idea that that's why, that's how a journalist should act. We when a conservative did this to Obama in the Rose Garden, the media called it out and said that it was unbecoming. But now when a constant does it on a daily basis, and he did it last week to the President himself, he does it on a daily basis in the press briefing room, that that it's tolerated and it's acceptable. You I don't know where we've lost the decorum in the press room that you you get, you raise your hand, you get called on. There's a level of entitlement and elitism that he believes he is entitled to as many questions as he wants, as often as he wants, when he wants them. And I think that that that is unbelievable and it leads to the decay and why people really it's like it's like a cancer that metastasize and spread all over the room. I mean, I see it almost every day. But well, listen, congratulations on the book. Um go to when you're in Rhode Island. Uh, you want to go to the Black Pearl for their clam chowder. It's my favorite place on earth. And uh, we always appreciate you being with us. The books phenomenal. It's called the Briefing, Politics, the Press, the President. We'll take a quick break. We'll come back on the other side. We'll get your calls in final half hour Sean Hannity Show, straight ahead, top of the hour. We're gonna get to your calls here in just a second. You know, one of the things that really ticked me off about the Republicans after seven and a half years of Repeal Replace Obamacare. For twenty years, we talked about big ideas like Musgrave and and good men and patient power and health care savings accounts, and you know, for almost a decade, for crying out loud, we've been harassing poor Josh Umber, the doctor down in Wichita, Kansas. As he was explaining the paradigm he created, which is a medical co op where adults pay fifty bucks a month, kids ten bucks a month unlimited care. Uh, he literally negotiates directly with the major pharmaceutical companies. You leave the doctor's office with the medicine in hand and at a ninety discount that he gives back to you. And he's not making money on this, um, but uh, it is the best concierge care at the most affordable rate. And if you couple that your daily daily average medical needs with catastrophic insurance that would take care of a bad accident or god forbid, a cancer or a heart attack or something horrible, although that would be covered, but you pay a low rate because you know as high as the deductible that you will want to pay. But your everyday doctor needs are handled as an adult for fifty bucks a month. There's now hundreds of these co ops that he's helped develop around the country and apparently now they're at risk because of a bill the past in the Senate and I didn't even know about it, And uh, that's why I wanted to have you on dr number. How are you? Yeah, thank you very well, Sean. Thanks for having us and I appreciate you bringing attention to the cause. Um. Yeah, there was a bill that came out of Ways and Means Committee that's just maybe not great for supporting the direct care movement and patients overall. And so the whole coalition of doctors have been working hard to try to educate legislators on the best way to move forward. And wait, who is responsible for this? Because I know Ram Paul is very cooperative in the Senate for healthcare cooperatives, and we're hoping to fix it in the Senate. It came out of Ways and Means committee. Um, and uh. I think there was a bit of lobbying in the background by more corporate groups, uh, who are are less standard DPC and so the only one you're lobbying for is the patient to get better care at a lower cost and concierge's attention. And you know, for fifty bucks a month, I could see you every day of the week. If I was in your co op, by the way, I would harass the living daylights out of you. Oh I banged my foot. Oh I banged my knee. Oh I I got a bruise on my head. Oh, Linda hit me again. You know it was all my big connected absolutely. Um. Yeah. The bill said, for the sake of the federal definition that direct care is a form of insurance. And then tried to give it an exemption um as to not be regulated as insurance for the time being, and then put some caps on how patients can use health savings dollars to pay for affordable care. And it's just it's completely messy, uh and confuses the issue because we're clearly not insurance, insurances, insurance. We're just doctors providing affordable care um and so this really, you know, is a roadblock to patients being able to access just high quality, affordable care. Have you gotten in touch with the Freedom Caucus guys, because they're the ones that I think would understand that the most and be able to help fix it for you if you talked to any of them. We are, We're working diligently behind the scenes and working with John Goodman and other uh you know fathers of h s A uh to maximize this, and I think we'll get there, but it's gonna be you know, patients might need to really be involved and let their senators know that they want a free market in their health care system. Well, let me let me We'll put up the number of people want to call just to save Listen, I don't care if they bring health care savings accounts in which they should have done a long time ago. Anything but Obamacare is going to be better. But these healthcare cooper because it's the best idea I've ever seen in medicine. And you know what, I just know that you know all these other doctors that are duplicating your model, and you're generously helping them. You're not getting paid for it. Um. It just shows that how committed you are to healing your patients. UM. Anyway, two oh two, two to four three one is the number. We'll put it up on Hannity dot com. Keep us in the loop. And if you need any help getting in touch with these congressmen, let Linda, you know, we'll just open up the phones for her. And they get they run for the hills. So that's right, Josh, I mean you corna right, Josh. I mean your corner knows how I roll. First of all, I roll harder than anybody. I ne would tell lays either from singlepool. That's right. I'm fighting for the freedom of healthcare, that's true. I mean that's a great thing. I mean everybody could afford fifty bucks a month, and that's the thing in an unlimited care and it takes care of the blood pressure, it takes care of cholesterol, takes care of cuts and bruises and and even broken bones in most cases. I mean, for crying out loud, we've done all those things. Um you know. I just in fact, today we had a patient, she's twenty one year old with brain tumor. Her insurance was charged twenty four dollars for medicaid. I think they denied it. We're able to get it down to forty one per treatment over the course of the term, it'll be nineteen dollars. But you know, that's what we're fighting for, the ability to help our patients. And that's not partisans. You gotta say that again. Can you just say those numbers again? That is unbelievable. Okay, is this your show or mine? I'm just helping. I'm just helping out. I don't need your help. With Sean Hannity show go Ahead. Insurance was charged four thousand dollars and we can get it down to as low as forty one dollars to treatment, but over the course of the six month treatment. But you don't what the why does the insurance companies embrace you. I mean, that would be the best thing they ever did they should and I think often. Um, that's why we're confident we can fix a lot of this because we're on the right side of it. Everybody wants to support affordable care, but we do got to get to legislators to be knowledge about how this system works, and and ultimately get employers and patients and then eventually insurance companies to see that we're all on the same side and we're innovating in the direction that helps patients, proves access to lower costs. Really dramatic stuff here, all I appreciate it. Dr Umber uh Atlas M. D Wichita, Kansas. I wish you were in New York. Um, I would use you in a heartbeat. Although one of my best friends with my doctor so I have, I couldn't leave him hanging. He's well, I just harass him. I just you know, I sent him a picture the other day because you know, my my poor mother in law turned her ankle. I'm like, what should she do? What do you think? He diagnosed it on the phone, and just to be safe, we got to our picture. But she's better now. All right, thank you, sir, all I appreciate it. One Sean, let's go to uh let's say hi to is it howdy in Florida? Howdy? How are you? Hi? How you do when you're a great American? Oh? Good sir, thank you for joining us, and we appreciate you calling great. So keep it short and sweet, Yes, sir, what do you got like? Like Linda said, well, you know, I'm a problem solver, been a problem solver all my life, and so I look at this problem of the whole fist Accord and all that kind of stuff, and the I think that the recourse we should use is that the House of Representatives should impeach the fist A Court to be able to flip it up into the open air so that the way that it does business shows up. I mean, you gotta you gotta know that in the first what thirty five years, thirty eight years of the fist Accord, they only turned back twelve applications, and then somehow mysteriously in two thousand and sixteen and two thousand and seventeen they turned back thirty four in each of those years. But it's assuming the fist A Court assumes that the applicant is has got the best interests of the United States, and that they're that they're honest, and they will remember it was first rejected according to reports, the only thing that put it over the top, and Andrew mcga McCabe even said so, the only thing to put it over the top was the dossier. Without the dossier, there's no fis a warrant. Now we know that sea was never verified. Now we know it's full of bought and paid for Russian lies, and it was and everybody knew it, but they didn't tell any of the judges. So the judges were lied to and manipulated. And it's unbelievable to me that there's not consequences for this. Who's going to do the consequences. It would have to be the judges on the Fife Accord would have to turn around and say and they would have to be the ones that would put the pressure back on the Department of Justice. They would have to do it. So the only way to do that is to get the House of Representatives to impeach them so that that pressure is there of Okay, tell us what happened, who did it, why did it happen? And this doesn't need to be in a public forum, but it needs to be to the House of representatives who they are accountable to, and then turn all that upside down so that the Fife Accord goes, hey, we can't let them do this to us. They're making us look bad, and then you get the pressure the Department of Justice. Listen. I don't think your idea is bad in any way. I just think that, you know, the sad reality is what we talked about with Jason chaff Fits earlier, and what Monica Crowley said is that they're not going to do their job. And here you got Meadows in Jordan's fighting like hell to get that job done and they're still not doing it. Uh, let's say how to Bob Is in Florida. To Bob, how are you glad you called? Thanks Sean for taking my call. I want to make a quick couple of quick comments on the Greg Jared book. I ordered The Russian Hoax, The Illicit Scheme to clear Hillary Clinton and frame Donald Trunk from from Amazon in advance. It showed up yesterday afternoon. You got it on released. Good for you. Yeah, and and I really wanted to tell you a couple of surprises. So why I ordered the book was primarily because I wanted to support Greg Jared's effort. And uh, you know, I I've paid attention to this matter since it first started, so I felt I was knowledgeable on it. So I didn't think I would learn much from his book. But I encourage everybody to order it because I've learned a lot already. And Uh, this guy has written something that's very important here, and everybody who is unhappy about this whole hoax thing should order a copy today. Look, I I it's number one in the country right now on Amazon. It was the last time I looked. And there's a reason for it. And I watched this guy write the book. I mean, I have no financial interest in it except to get the truth out. And I watched him literally footnote and pound out every word of this book. And it's got everything. It's like the Bible of this the biggest abusive power scandal in the in US history, and he's got it all there, and intelligent people are gonna read it, and then the case is so overwhelming, and then you're gonna read it, you're gonna think, well, what about all the fake news people that don't cover this? Why? And you'll know why because they don't care and they don't care about equal justice and all they care about is the political destruction of any conservative at the end of the day and protecting their precious Hillary. Sad but anyway, I appreciate your call. Uh, make sure that Gregg hears about your endorsement big time. A J Houston, Texas. What's going on, baby? What's happening? First of all, as my girl says, the fake media ought to know. Nobody's paying attention to them anymore. Second of all, the Rhino Republicans better know if a good Republican running against they're gone. They can kiss the good back because we the people shot. We the people are tired of all the talking. You and the risk Joe, all these guys, y'all got the news out. Y'all got the truth out. What is taking them in that Congress don't want to do their job. Well, here's the problem. If they get elected. They want their crumbs back. They want open borders, they want to keep Obamacare, they want to impeach Donald Trump so that they want to end the they want to end investigations into the truths Now, I gotta tell you something this, This is a horrible choice for for for conservatives because that means you're gonna have to hold your nose and vote for weak people a lot of people. That's why I say they better hope a good Republican not running against them. I know if they running again, the them, we got the whole I know. Just keep what's going on. But at the same time, John, we the people. They're getting to them people chances to hide, reach and get rid of seeking. Congress's doing nothing. Don't go to y'all got it? Why don't they do the job? Man? That's what we're asking. Just do your job, keep your promises. It's not that hard. It's not that hard. You know what it's like if I if I say to my kid, my kids, all right, if you do good in school, I'm gonna take you to Disney. Well they're past the Disney I guess you never passed the Disney age, except I am. I'm over it, and that my kids do whatever was that I needed him to do that I don't take him to Disney. My kids would rightly be piste off at their dad and think their dad doesn't keep his word and his promises. And it won't be slightly they were say with, they will be pissed off. It ain't no fight in the fake news. They won't even tell you about the shooter in Canada. I mean, come calling people, we all know, come home now. Good word, y'all got keep it up and keep the truth coming, all right, big time. I gotta role here though, But listen, we love you. You're a great American. Keep up the fight, all right. All right, let's check in. Amanda is in North Carolina. Amanda, Hi, how are you glad you called? We have about a minute, Amanda, It's all yours. I don't know. It was such a joy to hear your daughter yesterday at the video. That was so fun. My my daughter beating up on me too. But yeah, thank you. You know, by the way, she's not that shy in real life. I can tell you that part I was. It was. He did come across a little bit as shy. My question is, I'm just curious, what is the what's the end game here? I mean, we all know it's fogus, we all know, I mean, but who actually I can tell you what the end game is. It's simple. This is why this is the most important midterm election in our lives. The end game is simple. They want to impete Trump absolutely do everything they can do to destroy him. They want their crumbs back, they want open borders, they want Obamacare, and they don't want the deep state that helps them get exposed. It's that simple. It's all about power. I gotta run though, Amanda. We love you, Thank you for being with us. All Right, Hannity Tonight, nine Eastern on the Fox News Channel. We'll loaded up. We have Rudy Julianni, Allen Dershwitz, Joe de Jenev has been on fire, Jesse and Jessica Herman, Kane, Sarah Carter, and so much more as we literally we break down these hearings with Mike Pompeo, the tapes that show nothing. And then of course we have a freed hostage. Nobody talks about that, and we we don't have a trade war with Europe. Tonight at nine on Hannity, Fox News News. You won't get anywhere else. See it tonight, back here tomorrow