'America This Week': Rudy Giuliani on 9/11 and Marianne Williamson's hot mic
WASHINGTON (SBG) – On the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani joined "America This Week" host Eric Bolling to reflect on that day and what he told then-President George W. Bush when he arrived at Ground Zero.
Giuliani, who became known as America's mayor in the aftermath of the attacks, recalled telling President Bush that he wanted to personally execute Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaida terrorist organization.
"He said, 'What can I do for you Rudy,' meaning to help me. And I said, 'If you capture Bin Laden I'd like to be the one to execute him," Giuliani told Bolling.
"I didn't plan it. I didn't rehearse it. It was just, like, the raw emotion of three days later having witnessed...thousands of people slaughtered by Islamic extremist terrorists. I had a certain degree of justifiable anger," he said.
Giuliani also weighed in on the abrupt removal of John Bolton, President Donald Trump's third national security adviser. He noted that the two had different worldviews in that Bolton was a "classical Republican interventionist" whereas Trump wanted more restraint.
Bolton's removal came in the aftermath of revelations that President Trump intended to invite the Taliban to Camp David for peace talks as well as rumors that the president could consider easing sanctions on Iran to get the regime back to the negotiating table.
"It could have been Venezuela, it could have been North Korea, it could be a disagreement they had on striking Iran, maybe," Giuliani speculated.
Finally, Giuliani, who represented President Trump through the latter half of the Russia investigation commented on former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's sentencing scheduled for Dec. 18. Asked what sentence Flynn should get, Giuliani said the case "should be dismissed."
"It was a game to try to squeeze Flynn to support their false charge of Russian collusion. They should apologize to Flynn, drop the case and apologize to him. Its a tragedy a miscarriage of justice," Giuliani insisted.
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson also joined Bolling for the second time in two weeks to respond to a hot mic comment captured after last week's show. After the interview was over, Williamson asked an aide why it was that conservatives "are nicer to me...than the lefties are." She went on to say she understood why the right calls people on the left "godless" and continued, "I didn't think the left was as mean as the right. They are."
Williamson was caught off guard, admitting she was "shocked" to hear her off-camera remarks played on air. "I'm running for president. I don't expect—it's not a walk in the park," she said in response to the friendly fire from within her party. "It's tough out there."
The spiritual guru turned presidential candidate will not be on stage Thursday for the third Democratic debate but she offered her opinions on American foreign policy as well as the departure of Bolton.
Describing him as "hawkish" and eager to solve diplomatic issues with airstrikes, Williamson said it was "a good sign and very encouraging" that he is no longer advising President Trump.
Williamson then blasted the Trump administration and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a multibillion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia, which has been engaged in a "genocidal" war with Yemen for more than five years.
Arguing that the United States has "abdicated moral leadership" for the sake of a Saudi arms deal and attacked Pompeo's defense of the U.S.-Saudi partnership. "If you have strategic partnerships with people who do not share your values, particularly when those strategic partnerships are over billions of dollars in arms deals, that means you have sacrificed your values," she insisted.
"That's why I think the first thing we need to do is to restore America's moral leadership in the world in terms of our foreign policy," Williamson stated.
Congress returned to Washington this week and gun control legislation is at the top of the list of priorities for Democrats following a rash of mass shootings in recent weeks. Kayleigh McEnany, the national press secretary for the Trump 2020 presidential campaign explained where the president stands on proposals for universal background checks and red flag laws.
"We can find ways to fix the problems we see across this country," she told Bolling, "but what we can't do is deprive innocent Americans who want to protect themselves of their Second Amendment rights."
McEnany argued that the House-passed legislation for universal background checks would not have stopped "a single mass shooting" but would "harm innocent families" by criminalizing the transfer of a firearm within a household to an individual who did not pass a background check.
President Trump previously said he supported robust background checks and reportedly backed off under pressure from the National Rifle Association. McEnany denied the NRA had any role in shifting the president's views. "We need to look at things that would work instead of making this a political talking point," she said.
McEnany indicated the Trump was open to red flag legislation proposed by South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham that would allow for a court process to temporarily suspend and individual's right to possess a firearm if they're deemed a danger to themselves or society.
"America This Week's" segment "Pulse of America" featured reports from Sinclair Broadcast Group's national reporters and affiliated stations around the country.
In Lancaster, Pennsylvania WHP's Emily Damiano attended a local ceremony to honor the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Firefighters from all over the region come to participate in the 9/11 stair climb, walking up an equivalent number of steps as the 110 stories of the World Trade Towers. The proceeds of the event benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
In Washington, D.C. national correspondent Kristine Frazao reported on the shift in the 2020 Democratic race where new polls from early voting states show Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren taking a slight lead over frontrunner and former Vice President Joe Biden. While some have blamed Biden's recent gaffes for the slump in the polls, experts say a lapse in support for Biden could change the whole primary contest.
WPEC's Jim Grimes reported from the Bahamas on the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Grimes surveyed the damage on the island and spoke to residents who described Dorian as the worse hurricane to hit the island archipelago in their lifetimes. More than 1,000 Bahamians left their homes and recently landed as refugees in the Port of Palm Beach, many others continue to wait for their opportunity to escape the wreckage.
Vanity Fair special correspondent and best-selling author William D. Cohan joined Bolling for "Balls and Strikes," a weekly segment featuring debate and discussion on the state of national news media.
"America This Week" is an hour-long program featuring interviews with lawmakers, administration officials, and politicians with unique insights into the issues that matter to Americans. The show also features news stories from Sinclair Broadcast Group's stations around the country to give viewer's reports on relevant events from right where they are happening.
The program streams on all Sinclair sites every Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT/ 4 p.m. PDT.
