This is a rush transcript from “Hannity,” April 29, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: President Obama promised to change the way Washington works. It has been 100 days, and many of us are still waiting for him to clean up the nation’s capital.
The National Review’s Jim Garrity pointed out that an astonishing number of the Democratic Party’s old fixtures are embroiled in scandals that the president has done very little to clean up.
Tonight, we give you the grand tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
All right, believe it or not, we aren’t the only ones marking the president’s first 100 days in office.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now is the time to act boldly and wisely.
HANNITY: In a new television ad, the DNC is claiming that the president has laid a “foundation for change.” But if you take a good look around the Democratic Party, you won’t see too much change. You won’t even the foundations for it.
Rather, you will see some political scandals that have been festering for far too long. And I’m sure that you’ll be shocked to hear that the majority party has done surprisingly little to get its own house in order.
Now, first, we go to Connecticut, where you can thank poor, old, scandal-plagued Christopher Dodd for including a provision in the stimulus that allowed your tax dollars to pay for the bonuses of those AIG executives.
In the midst of that crisis, Senator Dodd did what any responsible adult would do. He shifted blame.
SEN. CHRIS DODD, (D-CONN.): As many know, the administration, among others, was not happy with the language, wanted some modifications to it.
They came to us, our staff, and asked for changes. And the changes at the time did not seem that obnoxious or onerous. None of us, I certainly didn’t have any idea about AIG and these retention bonuses.
HANNITY: And don’t forget that we’re still waiting for Senator Dodd to come clean about that VIP treatment that he received from Countrywide Mortgage.
Now, he promised to release documents to support his claim that he really, truly, honestly did not benefit from being on the Countrywide’s “Friends of Angelo” VIP list. But guess what? We’re still waiting. Meanwhile, in this time of financial crisis, Mr. Dodd continues to serve as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
But that’s not the only scandal brewing. Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Charlie Rangel is being investigated by the House in not one, not two, but four areas.
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL, (D-N.Y.): One thing we know for certain. This is not going to happen again.
HANNITY: Way to go, Charlie. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Congressman Rangel’s alleged ethics violations include his failure to report income taxes on a Caribbean villa and his use of four rent-controlled apartments in Harlem, New York. But don’t worry. He was all class when questioned about these issues.
RANGEL: Why don’t you mind your goddamn business.
REP. JACK MURTHA, (D-PENN.): I have said for two years we should close down Guantanamo. They are no more dangerous in a prison in my district than they are in Guantanamo.
HANNITY: And then there is the liberal lion Jack Murtha, who is the subject of a federal investigation for funneling over $250 million in federal earmarks to the clients of a lobbying firm founded by a former Murtha aide.
That firm, by the way, was recently raided by the FBI. Congressman Murtha miraculously received nearly $143,000 in campaign contributions from that lobbying firm and its employees. Now, I’m sure it was just a coincidence.
This administration has seen so many of its nominees derailed that it’s understandable if you had not forgotten about good old Bill Richardson.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D-N.M.): As you all know, I have asked the president-elect not to move forward with my nomination at this time it.
HANNITY: Well, the feds certainly haven’t forgotten about him. Governor Richardson remains the subject of a federal grand jury investigation for his role in a pay-to-play scheme.
After donating $110,000 to Governor Richardson’s campaigns, the California-based CDR group, run by an enthusiastic Richardson supporter, received $1.6 billion in business from the state of New Mexico.
I am sure the two events were totally unrelated.
And who could forget Rod Blagojevich, Blago, or Tom Daschle, or Kwame Kilpatrick, William Jefferson, Jesse Jackson Jr., tax cheat Tim Geithner, and the rest of the classy bunch?
I think it was Nancy Pelosi who said she just could not wait to tackle the culture of corruption in Washington. And, of course, the anointed one of all that change who said this —
OBAMA: You understand that in this election the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result.
Change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments. I believe that is hard as it will be, the change we need is coming.
HANNITY: You know the funny thing about all of that change that you promised, Mr. President? It looks an awful lot like just more of the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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