Searching for Answers - September 11th, Hour 1 - podcast episode cover

Searching for Answers - September 11th, Hour 1

Sep 12, 202529 min
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Episode description

The Sean Hannity Show opens with the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus, an event that has left millions grieving. Sean frames this tragedy as a targeted attack on free speech, describing Kirk as a patriotic voice and a man of deep faith whose loss echoes nationwide. The show features tributes from figures like President Trump, who awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Vice President J.D. Vance, who shared moving, personal memories. With law enforcement pursuing the suspect who has been identified as a college-aged shooter, with evidence suggesting political motivation. Hannity highlights both the outpouring of support for Kirk's family and the broader crisis facing civil discourse in America. This episode serves as both a memorial to Charlie Kirk and a call for unity and resolve in the face of violence.

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Transcript

Speaker 1

Now America is embracing a new ethic and a new creed. Let's roll.

Speaker 2

The phrase New York's Finest and New York's Bravest mean something out, doesn't it.

Speaker 3

This is a time to reflect and be thankful for where we are.

Speaker 4

Today, and through the fun we will rebuild New York City. She Yet, after America was attacked, it was as if our entire country looked into a mirror and saw our better.

Speaker 1

Selves twenty four years ago. Today it's it's it seems like yesterday. We all know where we were, we all know what happened. We watched that day unfold. And this anniversary coming on the heels of the political assassination of a person that was one of the most gentlest souls ever. New Charlie kirked pretty well and had great conversations with him, and all he wanted to do, you know, prove me wrong, inspire, you know, let's have a dialogue, a debate what college

campuses should be. Twenty four years ago today we lost two thousand, nine hundred and seventy seven of our fellow Americans. It led America into war. We lost many more there. We're still losing people to nine to eleven related illnesses and the you know, in the worst of times, and I remember saying this at the time, we saw the best in people. A city like New York, as politically divided as it could be, was was a different place than it is today. It was we were you know,

we were all united. I'll never forget, you know, all the people. It was all hands on deck to help the first responders. And we're still losing people today to nine to eleven related illnesses, and our thoughts and our prayers go out to all of those families. You know, my daughter was born thirteen days prior to nine to eleven, thirteen days. She just turned twenty four, and it's remarkable a time has passed, and I think in many ways

this country has gotten worse off. What happened the day that Donald Trump came down that escalator at Trump Tower with Milania. Things have changed and they have gotten progressively worse. You know, I'll lay out the insanity of the left. In response to this political assassination of Charlie Kirk. We were expecting a press conference and an update from law enforcement, but apparently there are some new developments. Our hope is the development is that they found this guy. They have identified.

I can give you the latest from this morning. They you know, went into great specificity, in great detail that they are exhausting every lead. We now have a video of the gunman, we have pictures. We now know the gunman fled into a neighborhood. We now know the suspect, you know, blended in with the college crowd. They believe the law enforcement is confident that they will track them down. I think that's probably. They must be on a very

close They've got to be on a lead here. The weapon used to assassinate Charlie has been recovered in a wooded area. They FBI is very clear they believe this to be a targeted assassination. They don't believe the community at large is at risk. The images now have been made public a young person and when learning more and more over time, there's no doubt. I think the more and more we learn about this, and we have videos of this guy on the roof, there were two videos

I got late last night. Didn't sleep much. I'm sure like many of you, didn't sleep much. And I'm looking at these videos over and over again. One you can see somebody captured a video of somebody running on the roof and now that we have a picture of the suspect that looked like the same type of clothing that was worn, well no more, probably at some point during this program today. And you know, we're going to discover

what the motivation is. One of the targets has to be free speech, but I don't know, it may be a lot deeper than that. I don't want to rush the judgment here, but the FBI Salt Lake City Special Agent in charge, Robert Bole said during a press conference that they have recovered the gun and that this is a college day shooter. And you know, when we get more information on that, we will will share it with you.

But we do have video capturing, you know, this guy lying in wait and then fleeing the rooftop after Kirk was shot. Whoever fired that weapon from the distance had to either be a trained assassin or somebody that was very familiar with firearms and spent an awful lot of time practicing. Not hard, It wouldn't take a lot of time to become you know, the sophistication of the weapons that are used, and high powered rifles like this, it's

not hard to become a good shooter pretty quickly. The I'm glad that they released the images of this person. Quote they're calling it a person of interest, but they FBI did release the images of this person. They're asking for the public's help and identifying this person of interest in connection with the shooting. If you haven't seen it, we'll put it up on Hannity dot com. You could take a look if you're in Utah, you know, please

look and see if you recognize this individual. Uh, but believe to be college age, continues the officials working around the clock. I mean, it's an all hands on deck moment, FBI saying they recovered it. The weapon, a high powered bolt action rifle. Uh. And they're convinced that that was the weapon that was used to kill Charlie. Again, our prayers go out to his family. It's I'm sure they they all remain in a state of shock. How could you not uh? And you know, the ammunition, ammunition used

by the assassin. We Wall Street Journal reporting investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and anti fascist ideology inside of the rifle authorities believe was used. And you know, the older you know, uh hunting rifle discovered in the woods. As I said just a moment ago, cops are saying that the first suspect in the shooting who they released, was a well known radical activist who confessed to the shooting.

I did talk to people that I know out in Salt Lake City that were very familiar with that individual. That was the guy in the blue shirt that had been detained, and he'd actually said an arresting officer quoted him as saying that he shot him. But it appears and they've let him go. Appear he didn't even though he confessed to it, apparently obviously suffering from some type of problems. But these bullet inscriptions, I don't know what to glean from it, and I don't want to rush

to judgment on it. Certainly will know, probably sooner than later, what they were about. Officials telling Justinnews dot com they're making significant strides and solving all of this. I think that's the reason for the delay in this press conference. Supporters of Charlie Kirk have started a ghosts send go fund with the aim of raising a million dollars for his family, and we can put a link to that

on Hannity dot com as well. And President Trump has honored Charlie Kirk with the Presidential honor of Medal of Freedom. It is amazing the response from around the world that has been coming in. And I'll give you some of the details of that. A lot of credit to Vice

President JD. Vance. The Vice President and the second Lady will fly to Salt Lake City to visit Charlie Kirk's family and friends, and also, according to a source, Charlie's casket will be flown back on Air Force too to Phoenix, Arizona, likely on Thursday night, along with his family. That would be tonight and Turning Point headquartered in Phoenix. Friends and

followers gathered at headquarters and held a vigil. The president the Vice President shared a very deeply personal remember and so Charlie was deeply touching and he was a close confident of JD. Events. They were longtime friends. And I'll get to that in a little bit of time as well. The other development, you know, the thing that you know really stands out to me. And I was talking to Don Junior earlier. He'll be on TV tonight with me. Don was very close to Charlie and and he's you know, right,

look at what he's lived through. Look what his family has lived through. We heard from Eric yesterday and he I could just tell and the sound of his voice, it's like, this has gotta stop. They tried to kill his father twice. They killed one of his best friends, probably really admired Don Junior. They did many many events together, like Eric Trump, like the whole Trump family. Look at what the whole Trump fan he has had to live through.

And this is the saddest part of all. And we'll get into the politics of this and the insane rhetoric of the left even today. You know, I have a whole packet here of left wing madness and people just absolutely losing their mind. You know it is all right, Yeah MSDNC did fire their analyst, Matthew Dad. We played those comments yesterday. You have a trans DC comic celebrating

Charlie Kirk's assassination thoughts and prayers, you nazi bitch. I mean, what kind of person would would respond this way to a thirty one year old, you know, husband and father of two young children being assassinated and all he had wanted to do was have a dialogue with the left. Proved me wrong, That's it. What a brilliant, genius idea. Anyway,

we have a lot more to get to today. Thoughts and prayers obviously with and they do mean something for those on the left saying, oh, I'm sick of our thoughts. I'm not sick of thoughts and prayers. I'm praying for our country. I'm praying for Charlie. I'm praying for his family. I'm praying for his friends, I'm praying for his relatives. They deserve our prayers. And he was a strong Christian and a strong believer. All right, I just kind of call.

I spoke to law enforcement on the ground. They still believe that the assassin is still at large. The press conference has been delayed. There is progress being made. I'm not getting specific answers, but my source just told me that the person is still at large. The person of interest will continue to follow it. We'll update you. We'll have updates on the nine to eleven remembrances around the country. You'll get your calls in as well. Eight hundred and ninety four one.

Speaker 5

Shawn, Americans do not yet have the distance of history. Responsibility to history is already clear. To answer these attacks and rid the world of evil.

Speaker 1

I hear people say we don't need this war war and it's not a war.

Speaker 6

Actually, I say, there's some things worth fighting for.

Speaker 3

We are very grateful and thankful that we live in the country with this freedom of speech, that people who are either for or against a war can speak out.

Speaker 1

What about our freed everything is? When black and this piece of ground, everything came down. We didn't get to keep by backing down.

Speaker 7

Glass Ip Parking and people got hurt.

Speaker 1

You say, on, realize the mess we're getting. These goes there goes well you start to preaching. Let me ask you this, my friend, have you forgotten? Oh my god? Hold another play just through you know, the explosion is incredible.

Speaker 2

For good.

Speaker 8

I saw this plane come out of nowhere and just wream right into.

Speaker 1

The side of this windstower, exploding through the other side.

Speaker 4

There's been an active war declared upon America.

Speaker 8

My terrorists, you forgot.

Speaker 1

I can hear you.

Speaker 5

He ripped and all hear you and the people knocked the building down.

Speaker 1

You're home forgotten?

Speaker 6

No no, no, no, no, no, say I'm gonna die.

Speaker 8

Say your prays.

Speaker 2

Aware that.

Speaker 1

I'm pretty up.

Speaker 8

For God, And there are dozens of residents that are sitting on the hill behind the Pentagon, almost like they're waiting for the Fourth of July fireworks, but instead they're staring dumbs out in it like what looks like a war zone. I mean, you see bodies flying out of the sky and you can't do nothing about it.

Speaker 1

You tell me, there's no words to describe what's going.

Speaker 3

On out there?

Speaker 9

Have you got?

Speaker 5

America is a nation full of good fortune, was so much to be grateful for, but we are not spared from suffering. In every generation, the world has produced enemies of human freedom. They have attacked America because we are freedom's home and defender.

Speaker 2

Have you forgot?

Speaker 5

And the commitment of our fathers is now the calling of our time.

Speaker 1

Twenty four years ago today, nine to eleven one, two thousand, nine hundred and seventy seven of our fellow Americans were murdered that day by radical islamis on the heels of the political assassination of a really truly special and great America. And Charlie Kirk, you know I have in front of me ex post of Charlie Kirk. Let me read it to you. Assassination culture is spreading on the left. Forty eight percent of liberals say it would be at least

somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk. You know, fifty five percent said the same about Donald Trump. In California, activists are naming ballot measures after Luigi Mangioni. The left is being whipped into a violent frenzy. Any setback, whether losing an election or losing a court case, justifies a maximally violent response. Wow, and we played for you yesterday. I won't play it again today. The idiocy on MSDNC this one of their contributors. I guess Matthew Doubt has been

fired as a results idiotic comments we played JB. Pritzker blaming Donald Trump. I mean the left has absolutely positively lost their mind. Matthew Dowd suggesting that Kirk's own rhetoric war responsibility hateful thoughts lead to hateful actions. You have another MSDNC reporter, Alan Smith wondering if conservatives might now do something similar to take over Washington as it did

in response to dose. Staff are getting mugged. You know, when when you close your presidential argument with that's you know, Donald Trump is a racist and a Nazi and a fascist, and Hitler and Staler and Muzsolini, what what what else is there left on the menu to serve up in terms of rhetoric and vitriol, It is incredible. Even by the way, ms D n c's I guess, new President is that they're breaking off from NBC inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable.

Have they been listening to the rest of their on air people? You know, why are they airing the likes of you know, AOC and company. Listen to what AOC had to say. Republicans voting against gun control. You have no right to blame anybody else. Let's immediately turn this into a gun debate, even though the Second Amendment can't

be any more clear. And I'm sure on the fight the oligarchy tour with Grandpa Bernie as they flew around on their private jets that they had armed security everywhere they went.

Speaker 7

Listen, people can fingerpoint all they want, look at the record, look at the actions of what we are doing. I don't think a single person who has dedicated their entire career to preventing gun safety legislation from getting passed in this House has any right to blame anybody else but themselves for what is happening.

Speaker 1

Wow, that is really ugly, twisted and sick. You know, Donald Trump getting the blame repeatedly January sixth references. These are the same people didn't utter a word when five and seventy four riots took place in the Summer of Love. So twenty twenty five hundred and seventy four riots, dozens of dead Americans, thousands of injured cops. They would hit with bricks, bottles, molotov cocktails, and billions of property damage. Not a word. No, the person they end up supporting

and voting for. They're not going to stop writing. They shouldn't stop writing. We're not going to stop.

Speaker 3

They're not going to stop. And that's this is a movement.

Speaker 9

I'm telling you.

Speaker 3

They're not going to stop. And everyone beware because they're not going to stop it. They're not going to stop before election day in November, and they're not going to stop after election day. And that should be everyone should take note of that on both levels, that this is they're not going to let up, and they should not and we should not.

Speaker 1

Oh, okay, no criticism of that, none at all. Not really, let me keep going. Seth Molten blaming Republicans, drum pardoning January sixth. They can't. They just keep going and going and going. Democratic strategists Joyed Cheney, you know, saying that Charlie Kirk wasn't admired and loved by all on BBC. Then we'll go back to MSDNC. Now, I just you know, read to you the comments of the new president saying it's inappropriate and it's insensitive, unacceptable to blame Charlie. Okay,

let's listen to some of their other programming. And Nicole Wallace, I don't no idea what happened to her. Used to be a Republican but probably just loves the career in television like Liberal Joe. Listen to these comments with her and a guest.

Speaker 6

Democrats across the board are saying, we need to come together, we need to turn down the rhetoric, we need to stop this political violence.

Speaker 1

Oh they're not.

Speaker 6

It's shocking to me that so many Republicans are not doing that, not following the lead of Speaker Johnson, but actually following the lead of Donald Trump, who's just trying to you know, call out extremist left wing groups.

Speaker 1

Blame this on Democrats.

Speaker 6

We heard that from my colleague Nancy Mace before we even know who the shooter is. That's not a way to solve this problem. If the President is serious about stopping political violence, then maybe he should start by rescinding the parties for all the domestic terrorists who came to the Capitol on January sixth, to kill cops, to kill

Speaker Pelosi, to skill to kill Vice President Pence. Let's have an honest conversation about the origins of this political violence and why it has risen so dramatically since Donald Trump's first turn. We need to have that conversation if we're serious about stopping him.

Speaker 9

It is a really shocking moment. You know, and I was thinking, you know, I've never shared a Trump post in my life. I will contemplate sharing this one. But what I will say with the caveat he wasn't admired and loved by all, So that's an exaggeration. But the truth is it doesn't matter.

Speaker 8

It doesn't matter.

Speaker 1

There's only so much of this that I really can take. But I mean, how prescient of Charlie Kirk's assassination culture is being spread. The amount of rage and hate and insanity is beyond the pale and the left. They're not going to stop because they won't even acknowledge the basic fundamental things that they are saying. You know, is wrong on so many different levels. I mean, I can give you more and more examples of this. You know, as

an article ms d n Z failed. You know the moment after you know by we didn't even know if he was alive or dead at the time. You know, it's it's unreal. Then you have Pritzker, and you have AOC and the squad. These these are the leaders of this party. Where are the moderate voices? Do they exist anymore? You have a trans DC comics writer Gretchen Felcher is the name Martin celebrates Charlie Kirk's assassination thoughts and prayers, You Nazi bitch ms DNC suggesting the FBI pivot to

illegal immigration, which contributed to the Kirk's murder. What does that mean? Uh, it's just sad. Jasmin Krockett dismissing the illegal immigrant murder victim as a random dead person, so heartfelt, unbelievable. I know a lot of you probably feel like I do. I just I'm numb to it at this point. It is dehumanizing and if you don't think calling people repeatedly Nazi, fascit fascist, racist Hitler Stalin Mussolini has an impact on

people's brains. It does. People are very suggestible, and these thoughts get in their head and then by the time they act on murderous impulses, they actually believe in their twisted minds that they're doing good. That's why it's got to end. But it's not going to the left. Phone stop. I'm convinced maybe I'm a fatalist here eight nine one, Shawn is on number. If you want to be a part of the program. You know, it's uh, it's pretty amazing. Let me get a couple of calls in here, Steve

and Texas. Steve, you're on the Sean Hannity Show. Thanks for calling.

Speaker 2

Bright Hey, it's a great honor to speak with you, and thank you for taking my call today. Charlie Kirk once famously said, when discourse ends, violence begins. And now that we've literally seen this, what can we do if the left isn't willing to have that discourse and come to the table. I mean, can't stoop under their level, but we can't let them keep doing the violence that they're that they just showed us yesterday either like, when's

it going to end? It's got in some way, and I just feel like we're stuck in between a rock and a hard place.

Speaker 1

Understand that there there's an there is a motive here, and that is intimidation. They the problem is is they ran up against people that are not going to be intimidated. I'm not going to be intimidated. Charlie was never going

to be intimidated. You know what other person on the face of this earth, Donald J. Trump, you know, comes within a millimeter of dying being shot in Butler PA has another assassinate, would be assassin at his at West Palm Beach Golf Club, you know, Trump International, and you know his his response is to stand up and say fight, fight, fight. I think you followed that courageous exis. Charlie Kirk led a courageous life. He went into a hostile environment after

hostile environment. You know, you know proved me wrong to have a discussion, a dialogue in these indoctrination centers around the country did so much good. It was such a brilliant idea on his part. Remember when I ran into him at the White House the last time I was there, I said what you did for this campaign is incalculable in terms of the support and help. And he did it at of bravery. You never cower. You know our framers, our founders, every soldier, every man, woman and child, every

first responder twenty four years ago. You know they were all heroes. Land of the free, home of the brave. That's how we live, that's how we roll. Amy Kentucky, thank you, Amy for calling.

Speaker 10

Hey, Sean, thank you for taking my call. Just wind up. You agree with me? This seems different than any of the political violence that happened before. I think it's a real turning point where we realize that what they're capable of and what they will actually do, the links they'll go to even different than the assassination attempt on President Trump because they actually killed Charlie Kirk for doing nothing

but community, trying to communicate. And so it's scary because he's leaving behind two beautiful little girls and a beautiful wife, and I just wonder what's going to happen to them. You know, I hope God holds them in his heart and just is with them.

Speaker 1

I pray I all all our love, all our prayers, all our thoughts are with them. I'm sure there's going to be, you know, efforts to help the family, especially if they're a need. I don't but they probably are not. I mean, Charlie was successful. But you know, I'll gladly support anything that anybody brings up at the appropriate time. And as a matter of fact, there's something up there now on what does a go fund go. It's called give seo, give sen give sen Goo. I don't know, go Sendo gives seen goo.

Speaker 9

Go fundme is corrupt and they do bad goth gift Sengo is Christian based and they're.

Speaker 1

Great, Okay, but we have a link up there if people want to donate, I will be donating. And you know, but you know, understand if you're in the public eye and it's not something we talk a lot about, and maybe maybe I need to. You know, I've been doing this, you know, on the radio. I started many many years ago, decades ago. I'm going to be coming up on my thirtieth thirty complete years on Fox, starting my thirty first year in October. And you know, a lot has happened, Botwase,

white Powder, all of it. I just don't talk about it on the air. This is not new and it's not going to stop those of us that feel strongly about our views. They're not going to silence us. They're not going to intimidate us. And that is part of the goal of the radical left. And we're going to win in the arena of ideas because we have better ideas and we're going to fight, and we're going to learn, and we're going to fight smart, and we're not going to be like that. We don't have to be like them.

They you know, look at how the media legacy, media mob I said it died on election day. It did die on election Day, pretty amazing because people don't trust them and they earned all of that distrust and they earn it more every day with their coverage like yesterday. Eight hundred nine four one. Shawn is our number. If you want to be a part of the program, come back the latest and the investigation with John Solomon as we continue our coverage of the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

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