RUSH: Let me get started with Charleston, South Carolina. Ed, glad you waited, sir. Great to have you on the program. Hi.
CALLER: Yes, sir. I support President Trump. You know, I voted for him and all that, but I’m just concerned about his talking to George Stephanopoulos. And I’m sorry, it was simply stupid. I mean, what in the world did he think he was gonna do talking to George Stephanopoulos? (laughing)
RUSH: I know. Look. I’m with you out there, Ed. I don’t understand it. I don’t know how anybody approved it. It makes no sense
CALLER: No, no, no. Please, don’t blame the staff. President Trump is a very intelligent person.
RUSH: I’m not blaming the staff. I’m just saying, a lot of people had to know about this, and I can’t believe that none of them spoke up about it.
CALLER: Well, and then what he said in response to questions, I mean, it just puts us on the defense. It puts you on the defense. I mean, what have you talked about all for the last hour and a half?
RUSH: Hey, what have I done for 30 years? This has been the story for 30 years. The attacks never end. It doesn’t matter who the Republican president is. I hear you! I do.
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RUSH: You know, one thing about this? This is gonna make it really tough for Pelosi to tell her staff not to impeach Trump. I mean, this is gonna… Jerry Nadler’s gonna go nuts in there. Schiff’s gonna go nuts in there. For these Democrats that want to impeach Trump, this is gonna be the icing on the cake for them, and the pressure is going to mount on Pelosi to let them go ahead and do it. Now, there’s a standing theory out there that Trump wants to be impeached, that he wants them to impeach him.
You know, there’s something that happens in impeachment that nobody is thinking about. Can I share with you what that is? By the way, do you think this is possible? Do you think Trump is trying to steer the Democrats into impeaching him? (interruption) Well, maybe. But our last caller, by the way, I totally sympathize. He turns on the radio today; he’s sick and tired of having everybody here on defensive every damn day because the Democrats are constantly on assault, and he thinks it’s a self-inflicted error.
(summarized) “Trump did not have to do the interview. He didn’t have to make this comment to Stephanopoulos. He didn’t have to cause this at all. He ought to be focused on saying in office.” I understand. That was Ed from Charleston, South Carolina, and I totally get it. I hate having… “Hate” is the wrong word. It’s just frustrating to have to come in here and remind everybody of the real truth of what’s going on here. But it’s necessary because we are in the process and in the middle of an onslaught from the Democrats on the left.
But let me tell you about impeachment. The one thing that everybody forgets about impeachment is that there’s a trial, and the trial — and I’m not talking about Nimrods that don’t know how impeachment works. I know a bunch of Democrats think that if Trump is impeached in the House that that makes Hillary president. You can laugh, you can cry, but do not doubt that there are lots of our fellow citizens who think that’s what would happen. But it isn’t. There would be a trial in the Senate.
The House would file its articles of impeachment. That would be the indictments (why Trump has committed “high crimes and misdemeanors”) and it’s political so could be anything. “He colluded!” They can allege anything. Then the House would assign members to manage each of the indictments. Those are called House managers. They are the prosecutors. And Pencil Neck would be able to bring the case on Russian collusion if they wanted to charge that, whatever it is.
You have one member of Congress (it’d be a Democrat) that would present the case. Now, the president is not just in there as a sitting duck. The president gets to mount a defense. The Senate is the jury, the chief justice of the Supreme Court is the judge, and the Senate passes judgment on whether or not the president is guilty. So the president and his lawyers go in there and call witnesses. “Mr. President, we call James Comey to the stand! Mr. President, we call Peter Strzok Smirk and his paramour, Lisa Page, to the stand!”
You think these people want any part of that, testifying under oath in an impeachment hearing about the texts that they sent to each other back and forth? Do you think Comey wants to have to explain his various misstatements of facts, prevarications before various committees in Congress? The fact that the president gets to mount a defense (some semblance of one) is one of the reasons why there isn’t a big, big taste for impeachment outside of these maniacal Democrats. But if Trump is trying to engineer being impeached — and Pelosi has said he is.
She has been trying to tell her people, “Look, the worst thing that could happen is that we impeach the guy and he’s found not guilty. That’s the worst, especially before the election. That’d be the worst thing that could happen to us, ’cause we know the guy’s guilty. I want him going to prison. We can’t put him in prison if we impeach him, even if he’s found guilty. That has to happen after he leaves office in the criminal justice system.”
So, anyway, I still… Even if that’s the objective, I don’t understand doing Stephanopoulos. I don’t understand bringing the New York Times in this, period. (sigh) There ought to be an understanding that the media can’t be converted to friendly, to supportive — that they’re nothing but opportunists — and if you give ’em the opportunity to come in and destroy you, they’re gonna take it. Here’s Maggie in Orient, Ohio. Welcome. You’re next on the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. I want to get to the point. I just want to say — picking up on what you just spoke about with Comey and Page and Strzok and Brennan and Clapper — you know, to me, they’re dirty cops, and they’re the ones who need to be looked in on. They’re the ones who possibly need to go to jail. That’s all I have to say about that. I’ll get right to the point. Snerdley said to be concise and get to the point, so…
The reason I’m calling is I think that Biden, that his son… I think that question that George Stephanopoulos asked Trump had a lot to do with Biden and his son. I think it had to do with what’s going on in the Ukraine, the information surfacing about Ukraine, the information surfacing about their dealings in China. And I think it’s like, um, they’re running interference to try and protect Joe Biden and his son. Does that make sense?
RUSH: Yeah. I’m just trying to figure out how asking Trump about accepting information from a foreign government runs cover for Biden and his kid.
CALLER: Well, those foreign governments would be the Ukraine, where they were investigating his son (audio drops). Biden had somebody fired over there, and the other thing was China and possibly information they have on him and his son there as well.
RUSH: Right. But… I know all that, but the Drive-By Media isn’t covering it. They’re not gonna cover it. I don’t know how Stephanopoulos asking about it and Trump’s answer helps further the pursuit of that case against the Biden. I’m not…
CALLER: Well, if more information comes out from those countries, and Trump gets information from them, wouldn’t that have a lot to do with the question that George Stephanopoulos asked him?
RUSH: Uh, I’m still trying to get the connection. Trump is asked by Stephanopoulos, “If you get information from foreign government, would you say, ‘Yeah, it’s fine! I’ll take it’?” And you think that means that if the ChiComs or the Ukrainians offered dirt on Biden’s kid, that we now have to accept it, and that’s how the media will have to report it?
CALLER: Well, I don’t know if he has to accept it. But if there’s something there, then that could be the possible dirt that they’re trying to run interference — you know, run interference — on, to try and keep him from finding out anything more if there is anything more about Joe Biden and his son.
RUSH: Well, let me try to — there already is information that Joe Biden funneled — using his position as vice president — funneled a Chinese government agency into doing business with his kid who didn’t know jack about the business he was in for a big, big one-time payment.
It was obviously a play made on the basis of the vice president having the power to make the deal for the benefit of his kid. It’s widely known, but it’s not gonna be pursued. He’s a Democrat. It’s not gonna be pursued. The media’s not gonna talk. You’re only gonna read about that by John Solomon or Sara Carter. You’re only gonna hear about it on Hannity.
You’re not gonna see this anywhere. The Drive-Bys aren’t gonna cover it. Stephanopoulos is not worried about it. That’s not even in his mind when he’s asking Trump about — they’re trying to entrap Trump. All they’re trying to do is get rid of Donald Trump. They are not worried about one thing happening to Joe Biden. They’re not worried about one thing happening to Hillary Clinton. They’re not worried about one matter of truth ever coming out with these people.
I’m gonna tell you, this just keeps going. I mentioned last week that we’re in a race with the people who ran this coup to try to overturn the election results. Bar and Durham are in a race to try to get to the finish line first, and they better pick up the pace. This stuff just keeps piling up every day, keeps happening every day, we need some names named. It’s about time. We know enough already to know what the FBI did. We know who the bad actors were. We know how the game was run. We know how it was rigged against Trump. We know he was spied on.
They’re collecting data, they’re doing their investigation. These things take months! You know, we don’t have months on this when we’re talking about the court of public opinion. And public opinion is being established and formed each and every day with stories like this.
But look, I don’t mean, Maggie, to depress you. But don’t make any bets on seeing that Joe Biden and his kid’s story and funny money from China ever in the New York Times. Just like Crazy Bernie would not condemn Hillary’s emails when he had a golden opportunity in a debate, he would not do it. They’re not gonna do it ‘cause none of them are clean and pure as the wind-driven snow.
If one of them starts ragging on Biden and the deal he did for his kid, Biden’s gonna unload on what he knows about the — None of ’em are clean. They’ve all got skeletons. They’re politicians, for crying out loud. They’ve all got skeletons in their closet. They’ve all made shady deals somewhere. They’ve all got more money than they should have based on their government salaries. They’ve all used the power their position grants them to grease skids for family members and friends.
It’s the way of the world! That’s another thing Trump represents upsetting. That’s one of the reasons you want in the club, to be able to take care of yours and your own. If you got a bunch of kids that are absolute reprobate losers, you can make sure at least they’re gonna have enough money to be losers and not have to earn their own living in life if you have the right connections.
And to hell with getting into college. Screw that step. Just get some foreign government to hire ’em to do something they’re never gonna do, pay ’em $2 million, invest it wisely and you don’t have to worry about the reprobate kid anymore. Membership in the Washington establishment has a lot of perks and a lot of benefits. But only if the establishment’s up and running and in charge of things.
To the people in the Drive-By Media and in Washington, D.C., the deal made between Joe Biden and his kid is one of love and compassion and something any parent would do for a child. And as far as they’re concerned, Maggie, there isn’t any crime, there’s no impropriety, there is no conspiracy. That is what you get to do when you rise to certain heights of power. This is how you get to use it. This is what you get to do. This is why everybody wants to be in the Washington clique.
They’re not gonna turn on Biden and his kid, especially when one of Joe’s sons has died. They’re not gonna do that. Joe just loves his kids. And besides that, the thing benefited the Chinese and kept them from nuking us and it kept them from getting mad at us, Joe struck a great deal. So what if his kid benefited. Somebody tell me Chelsea Clinton hadn’t been — 600 grand from NBC for showing up and never having been on TV. It’s how the world works there.
But, yeah, in the alternative media, you’re reading about the scandal with Biden not just with the ChiComs, Ukraine as well. Meanwhile, here’s Manafort going to jail for the rest of his life. You’re scratching your head, what the hell for, when over here Biden’s basically doing all that and more and is running for vice president with that on the resume. He’s qualified to deal with other nations. Looks at experience in helping grease the skids for his kid in Ukraine. What? Well, you don’t need to know the details. Just know that Joe had the smarts to pull it off. The guy knows how to work with our friends and with our enemy.
Oh, okay.
Meanwhile, here’s Trump talking Stephanopoulos (paraphrasing), “Yeah, if some reprobate in Norway calls me I’d listen to him.” Oh, my God. This guy’s gotta go. This guy’s an existential threat. This guy is scum. He’s gotta go. We can’t have this kind of guy in our club.
And it does boil down to why the hell was he talking to them? Well, he wanted to show Stephanopoulos the new paint job for Air Force One. Very proud of that. Which it does look good. I have to tell you.
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RUSH: Jackson, Ohio, Larry, it’s great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Hello, Mr. Limbaugh. And before I start, I have to say dittos, dittos, dittos, and more dittos.
RUSH: Thank you very much, sir. Appreciate that very much.
CALLER: You’re welcome. I truly do love the show. If the president, who can run rings around those leftist hacks in the mainstream media, if he can’t go into the belly of the beast and confront them directly, how does he ever go toe-to-toe with the ChiComs or the Norks or stare down Vladimir Putin over installation of missile defense in Poland?
And besides, for people who only listen to the Drive-Bys and the mainstream media, he has an opportunity to reach that audience and speak directly to them about media lies. And they can’t possibly hope to keep up with the president anyway. He runs circles around those jerks. They’re just wedded to their leftist political dogma.
RUSH: Hey, I love all perspectives. I think one of the things that’s helped me over the years is making sure that I talk to people on the phones here because you’re the first guy today to not worry about this at all. If Trump’s afraid of talking to Stephanopoulos, you don’t want Trump to be afraid of talking to Stephanopoulos. I don’t think Trump’s afraid of it.
My point is, what is there to gain by it? It’s my old adage, you could be hurt by something you do and not be hurt about something you don’t do. I would maintain to you that not doing Stephanopoulos would not hurt him at all, but doing Stephanopoulos, particularly knowing who Stephanopoulos is and how ABC cuts and pastes and mischaracterizes, the downside is much greater doing Stephanopoulos than not doing it.
CALLER: Yes, but he has an opportunity to reach that audience that he wouldn’t normally reach and tell them about media lies. Some of that has to stick when he says you’re fake; your polls are fake and phony.
RUSH: But they’re only reporting one thing: The president says that he would do it again. The president would accept foreign contribution, that he would accept foreign information again. That’s the only thing they’re reporting. That’s all anybody thinks the president said to Stephanopoulos.
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RUSH: Henry in Denver. It’s great that you waited. Appreciate your patience. Great to have you here.
CALLER: Hello, Mr. Limbaugh, it’s the greatest moment of my life. I just wanted to tell you. This is a hypothetical, a hypothetical situation, what happened with Trump in the interview. If they impeach the president of the United States —
RUSH: Yes.
CALLER: — over a hypothetical situation and a comment that’s gonna really show the Dems what they really are. I do not believe that will happen and I’m a supporter for him straight up. I have not lost confidence in him. He’s one of the greatest presidents ever.
RUSH: Did you vote for him?
CALLER: I voted for him and will vote again 2020.
RUSH: So this thing with Stephanopoulos doesn’t bother you today?
CALLER: It doesn’t bother me. It’s a hypothetical. He doesn’t lose his First Amendment rights just because he’s president.
RUSH: You know, this is actually a very good point. Henry, thank you. I’m glad you used that word. Trump’s answering a hypothetical. As we’ve been pointing out, he hasn’t even done it yet. Remember the Mueller report says that the Russians made countless attempts and Trump turned them down, he didn’t do it. So Stephanopoulos is asking him, “Would you do it?” “Hell, yes, I’d do it.” Would you call the FBI?” “Hell, no I wouldn’t call the FBI.”
So now CNN is running a graphic all day quoting Trump saying that he’s an honest guy and they’re trying to make it look like Trump’s a liar. They got this graphic headline: Trump: “I’m an honest guy.” And viewers are supposed to think that Trump is so full of it, but what did he lie about? He didn’t lie to Stephanopoulos about anything. He doesn’t lie to them, period.
I mean, he asked the question, “Well, if you get a call from a foreign source, would you –” “Yeah, yeah, I probably would.” That’s not lying to them. Trump wasn’t dishonest in his interview with Stephanopoulos. CNN is attempting to make it look like he lied through his teeth in this interview and all he did was address a hypothetical.