Hannity praises Trump's 'genius setup' against Dems, claims president setting trap with 'nonstory' about foreign info

Fox News' Sean Hannity supported President Trump's comments Wednesday that he would be willing to listen to a foreign government if they approached him with information on a political opponent, calling it a "genius setup" by the president.
"In many ways that was a genius setup because the media mob will fall right into his trap, breathlessly spewing fake, phony outrage over a nonstory for days," Hannity said during his monologue on "Hannity" on Wednesday night.
Trump made the comments to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, adding that he would not necessarily contact the FBI if such an approach was made.
"I think I'd want to hear it. ... I think you might want to listen. There isn't anything wrong with listening," Trump said in the interview.
Hannity defended the president and blasted Democrats for being critical of the president's comments but not Hillary Clinton's past actions or possible misconduct that led to the Russia investigation.
"Listening is much different than, let's see, lying, spying, and paying for Russian lies and spreading it through the media by 'deep state' operatives and then using it as a basis for a FISA warrant," Hannity said.
"Why are they not outraged about Hillary paying for Russian lies, disinformation, Comey generously using the unverifiable data from Russia to spy on the Trump campaign and get a FISA warrant?" the host continued.
Hannity also said the president's comments should force those outraged by them to address why they have not been outraged by Clinton's conduct.
"This will all get another round of fake, phony, moral selective outrage over that interview," he said, "but it's a perfect setup because if they are outraged about that and how can you not be outraged over what I just said?"
Hannity said Democrats are concerned only about Trump and not about justice.
"They are worried about obstruction of justice but only if it's Trump, not Hillary," he said. "They are worried about underlying crimes but only if it's Trump, not Hillary. They are worried about believing but only if it bludgeons Trump, not the lieutenant governor of ... the Commonwealth of Virginia over serious sex allegations."
Fox News' Liam Quinn contributed to this report.

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Trump Jr. to testify on Russia contacts before GOP-led Senate intelligence panel

Donald Trump Jr. will testify Wednesday behind closed doors before the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee, Fox News has learned, as part of what the president has called an "unfair" effort to subject his son to yet another interview on Russia-related matters.
Fox News is told that the interview will likely be relatively brief. “It’s not going to go on for three hours," a source familiar with the matter said.
Trump Jr. has already provided more than two dozen hours of testimony before Congress. He previously spoke with the intelligence committee staff in 2017, when he also sat for an interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The latest meeting comes after the committee's Republican chairman, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, subpoenaed him as part of the panel's Russia investigation. Burr received considerable blowback from some of his GOP colleagues for the move, but he told fellow senators that Trump Jr. had backed out of an interview twice, forcing the committee to act.
Fox News reported last month that Trump Jr. was prepared to make the committee hold him in contempt and had a defiant letter drafted and ready to send -- but at the last minute, the committee reached out to resolve the dispute. The draft letter cited Trump Jr.'s 20-plus hours of testimony under oath, and the thousands of documents that he has already given to congressional committees -- as well as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's exhaustive analysis of that testimony. Mueller found no evidence Trump Jr. committed a crime.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., right, joined by Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left, at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 30, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (The Associated Press)

Trump Jr. had been concerned about an open-ended time and subject commitment, sources told Fox News in May. Ultimately, the panel agreed to limit questioning to one to two hours, with narrow room for followups. A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News the panel would not agree to limit topics.
Several Russia-related matters are expected to be on the agenda. Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. some 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow before the presidential election. Trump Jr. told the Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only "peripherally aware" of the real estate proposal.
The panel is also interested in talking to Trump Jr. about that and other topics, including a campaign meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer that captured the interest of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller's report, released in April, examined the meeting but found insufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime.
Trump said in May he believed that his son was being treated poorly.
"It's really a tough situation because my son spent, I guess, over 20 hours testifying about something that Mueller said was 100 percent OK and now they want him to testify again," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I don't know why. I have no idea why. But it seems very unfair to me."
Some Republicans have said Trump Jr. should not comply with the subpoena, which is believed to be the first subpoena targeting a member of the president's family.
Burr's home state colleague, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., tweeted, "It's time to move on & start focusing on issues that matter to Americans." Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a GOP member of the panel, said he understood Trump Jr.'s frustration. Cornyn's Texas colleague, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, said there was "no need" for the subpoena.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has defended Burr, saying "none of us tell Chairman Burr how to run his committee."
Still, McConnell made it clear that he is eager to be finished with the probe, which has gone on for more than two years.
It remains uncertain when the intelligence panel will issue a final report. Burr said last month that he hopes to be finished with the investigation by the end of the year.
Fox News' Jason Donner, John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hannity slams NBC for adding Rachel Maddow as Democratic debate moderator

This has got to be a joke, right?

Sean Hannity decried NBC Tuesday over the decision to have Rachel Maddow moderate part of the Democratic debates this month.
“It literally includes the chief conspiracy theorist,” he said of the MSNBC host who will join Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Jose Diaz-Balart and Chuck Todd for the June 26 and 27 debates.
“Didn’t we tell you this would happen, that the media would refuse to hold any of their ‘fake news’ fanatics accountable?” Hannity mused.
He said NBC is rewarding Maddow’s “fake news” by giving her more air time and wondered how “real” reporters feel about being passed over by  “Tinfoil hat-Maddow, the single biggest liar, conspiracy theorist in the country, the person that pushed the Russiagate lies night after night.”
Maddow will co-host the second hour of both nights alongside Holt and Todd. Holt will host the entirety of the debate.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Hannity joked to guests Sean Spicer and Jesse Watters. “We’ll have a debate moderated by me, the Great One [Mark Levin], Rush Limbaugh, Jesse can join us, and Laura [Ingraham] and Tucker [Carlson]. How’s that?”
Spicer said he was “excited” to see Maddow at the debate because she’s “so extreme” that she will drag all of the candidates farther to the “extreme left.”
The New York Times even pointed out that opinion journalists are rarely chosen as debate moderators.

Virginia Democrat who was accused of having sex with teen secretary wins in state primary

This Is So Sick.

A Virginia Democrat, who was accused in 2014 of having sex with his teenage secretary he later married, won the Democratic primary on Tuesday for the state’s 16th Senate District.
Joe Morrissey, a former state legislator, defeated incumbent senator Rosalyn Dance by over 10 points despite Gov. Ralph Northam endorsing her in the final weekend of the campaign.
His victory in the primary comes even though he was sentenced four years ago and jailed over a scandal involving a minor. He was in his fifties at the time while the minor was 17 years old. She worked at his law office.

Joe Morrissey, right, with his daughter Bella, 3, celebrates his Democratic primary win in 16th District State Senate race with his supporters at the election party of Plaza Mexico in Petersburg, Va., Tuesday, June 11, 2019. (Daniel Sangjib Min/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Despite denying the wrongdoing, he pleaded guilty in 2015 to a misdemeanor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and admitted that prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction.
The Democrat spent six months in jail for the crime but managed to continue serving in the state legislature during the sentence.
Republicans immediately jumped on Morrissey’s victory in the primary, tweeting a mock congratulatory note and adding “You’ll fit right in with [Virginia Lt. Gov.] Justin Fairfax,” referring to sexual misconduct allegations against Fairfax by two separate women.
But despite the past legal problems, voter strongly endorsed Morrissey’s platform that consists of a number of progressive measures, including higher minimum wage and marijuana decriminalization.
“People try to blow things up more than what it is,” Voter Melvin Washington told the Associated Press. “Ain’t none of us perfect.”
Morrissey is posed to easily cruise to victory as the seat has long been held by Democrats and is considered a safe seat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Texas governor signs controversial 'Save Chick-fil-A' bill into law

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday signed the so-called “Save Chick-fil-A” bill into law, a new provision that supporters say defends the fast-food restaurant and protects religious freedoms. Opponents have argued it discriminates against the LGBT community.
Abbott, a Republican, did not hold a public signing ceremony, but he had signaled his support through a tweet a few weeks ago, DallasNews.com reported.
On May 20, Abbott tweeted a picture of a Chick-fil-A soft drink in front of a laptop showing a news article with the headline “'Save Chick-fil-A' bill heads to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk” and wrote, “So. What are the odds I’ll sign the Chick-fil-A bill? I’ll let you know after dinner. @ChickfilA #txlege”
The new law stops the government from taking unfavorable action against a business or person for contributions to religious organizations.
The bill was fast-tracked in the GOP-controlled legislature and originally was introduced after the San Antonio City Council blocked Chick-fil-A from opening a location in the city’s airport because of reported donations to organizations that protest gay marriage and other LGBT issues.
Some council members said they were taking a stand over Chick-fil-A’s values and the fact that the owners have donated to anti-LGBT causes.
In March, councilmember Roberto Trevino reportedly said the city did “not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.”
Republicans responded with a bill that would not allow cities to take “adverse action” against an individual based on contributions to religious organizations.
The bill rekindled battles over divisive social issues. The legislature was riled over a “bathroom bill” targeting transgender people two years ago. LGBT lawmakers reportedly said during emotional floor speeches that they'd had enough.

Texans holding signs supporting gay marriage outside of a Chick-fil-A in Tyler, in 2012.  (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP, File)

State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, a Democrat, said the bill was a personal insult given she is openly gay, DallasNews.com reported.
"Of course this bill is aimed at me," she said. "It's about reminding those of us who have never belonged not to get too comfortable."
Fort Worth Republican Rep. Matt Krause, the House sponsor, defended the bill as a way to protect the rights of religious Texans, DallasNews.com reported.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the "Save Chick-fil-A" bill into law Monday. (Getty, iStock)

The media outlet reported that Krause said Chick-fil-A was unfairly labeled as anti-LGBT because of its donations to organizations such as the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which also reportedly receive donations from other big companies.
The lawmakers involved did not immediately return Fox News' requests for comment.
The new law is set to go into effect on September 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ingraham: Why are we helping illegal immigrants when we can't help ourselves?

Fox News' Laura Ingraham addressed politicians who are putting America's health and well-being "at risk," specifically the government of California.
"Over the weekend, we learned that California has gone from sanctuary state for dreamers to just being a sucker state for Americans. They just announced state budget deal will now give health care benefits to many adult illegals too. Those between the ages of 19 and 25 will now be eligible for California's 'Medicaid' program known as 'Medi-Cal,'" Ingraham said Monday night on "The Ingraham Angle."
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed $98 million a year to cover low-income illegal immigrants between the ages of 19 and 25, but the state Assembly’s bill would cover all illegal immigrants over the age of 19 living in California – a proposal that would cost an estimated $3.4 billion.
The state Senate, meanwhile, wants to cover adults ages 19 to 25, plus seniors 65 and older.
Ingraham argued California is ignoring their homeless problem and homeless vets and instead helping in favor of illegal immigrants.
"Think those homeless people including homeless vets might be able to use that money?" Ingraham said.
Ingraham also pointed out that Californians will tax citizens who don't have health insurance, essentially reviving the penalty part of the Affordable Care Act.
"How they're going to pay for this by the way, by taxing citizens who don't have health insurance. In other words, reviving the penalty of Obamacare," Ingraham said.
The Fox News host also brought up the 500 migrants from African nations -- including the Republic of Congo -- that have been apprehended in Texas, at the Del Rio Border Patrol sector of the U.S.-Mexico border, since May 30, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The African migrants were recently sent to San Antonio, Texas while eastern Congo is experiencing an Ebola outbreak with over 2,000 cases reported.
Ingraham raised concerns for the health of San Antonio citizens.
"One wonders where is the concern for the health of the San Antonio citizenry? Frankly citizens across the United States. Who's going to translate their concerns to federal officials? And why is no one questioning the pressure that this will place on communities across the country that are now obligated to house, educate, and feed people from other continents when we seem incapable in some cases of caring for our own citizens," Ingraham said.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace, David Montanaro and The Associated Press contributed to this report.