Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Steve Scalise

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Congressman, let me begin with you, and ask you, you were in that meeting.
Bring us inside the meeting and you agree with my points, the president ran on this, the president took off the rules of engagement. He actually defeated the caliphate. He put the sanctions on Turkey.

And he's also keeping a promise whether Republican -- some Republicans like it or not. He's not going to engage in endless wars with countries if we don't have to.

REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA.: Well, Sean, yes. And like so many of the things that President Trump has done, he's following through on his words.
I mean, he's been a man not only of words but actions, taking on ISIS, confronting so many of the problems Barack Obama created.

When Barack Obama, by the way, was the one who called them the jayvee team.
You know, in there, you've got Nancy Pelosi trying to criticize the president when she herself let Barack Obama's policies not only on ISIS, letting them really become of age, but also what they did in Iran, letting Iran get to a nuclear weapon where they could ultimately if they complied with all the terms would be able to get to a nuclear weapon. President Trump standing up to Iran, standing up to China, standing up to North Korea, standing up to Russia, by the way, Sean.

HANNITY: He's already shown --

SCALISE: You know all this.

HANNITY: He didn't draw a line in the sand with Syria.

SCALISE: That was Obama that did the Syrian redline and then let it go.

HANNITY: He also beat back the caliphate. He acted. He also put sanctions in Iran.

I have a funny feeling one day Iran is going to hear from us. I'm just guessing. I think I know the president pretty well.

And I would also say if this gets out of control, the president will step in and do it again. But the president is not wrong in saying endless wars, everybody is all in. And then they always politicize it.

After American treasure goes fights, bleeds, dies, or loses their arms or legs and comes home disfigured, only to be stabbed in the back by our own V.A. system. So, you know what? If we're not going to fight wars to win them, we better fight them the way I'm suggesting, which is the next generation of weaponry, offensive and defensive, and that's having people push buttons and destroy the enemy and win the war.

Gregg Jarrett, let's bring you in on the issue of this impeachment hoax, what I just described you said.

GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: What's really frightening is that this is a frontal assault on one of the most cherished principles in our Bill of Rights. The due process clause of the Fifth Amendment. U.S. Supreme Court has said due process applies to congressional investigations.
That includes impeachment proceedings.

But Nancy Pelosi acting unilaterally is essentially launching a secret star chamber in which witnesses are being intimidated. They are threatened with obstruction of justice. They are told they can't have counsel. The White House counsel can't be there.

Apparently there's little cross-examination. And Republicans are unable to be able to call their own witnesses through subpoena power. All of these are egregious deprivation of rights and an abuse of power.

And yet, think of it this way. Nancy Pelosi got 275,000 votes in her election. She is holding hostage a president who received 62 million votes that put him in office.

There is something fundamentally wrong with this. Pelosi knows it, and yet she refuses to abide by precedent which federal judges and the Supreme Court cared deeply about.

HANNITY: Last question, Congressman. Do you believe as I do she doesn't have the votes and that there's a rebellion among those Democratic congressmen and women that are in Trump won districts in 2016?

SCALISE: Sean, they are scared to death to vote on this. It's why she's refused to bring a vote up so far, to shield their members and why she and Adam Schiff are trying to unilaterally hide from the public what's really going on.

I mean, think about this, Sean, and you know it. They're trying to remove a duly elected president of the United States behind closed doors, in secret.

This is not just a witch hunt. It's a sham. People know it. No due process.

Nancy Pelosi might think she can ram it through. She will not take away the will of the voters. There is an election next year. They are electing a socialist on their side coming out of their nomination.

Donald Trump has done a great job getting the economy back on track and fighting for those hardworking families that have been left behind. Nancy Pelosi is not going to be able to usurp their will.

HANNITY: You know what? I got a lot of crap when the president changed strategies on funding the wall, people said, you're just defending him. No, I said, he changed strategies. The president is keeping a promise. But when they got out of line, we know he will act. That's what I would bet on.

Thank you both, Congressman.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source