The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
The Factor Rundown
Guest Host
Eric Bolling
Top Story
Personal Story
Impact Segment
Factor Followup
Unresolved Problems
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Trump's Foreign Policy
Guests: Sebastian Gorka & Amb. Nancy Soderberg

Guest host Eric Bolling led off the show by asking Trump foreign policy advisor Sebastian Gorka to respond to Trump critics who say the president is flip-flopping on foreign policy.

"I really recommend people read his book," Gorka said. "It is 'The Art of the Deal.' What we have seen is eight years of divisiveness of the Obama White House dividing our nation against itself and dividing us against our allies and friends. And in just 84 days, President Trump has replaced divisiveness with the decisiveness, whether it's to do with the border, whether it's to do with manufacturing, whether it's to do with NATO or whether it's to do with our enemies and ISIS or in this case, the chemical weapons attack last week. We have changed the geopolitical reality in the world in just a matter of weeks."

Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, an official in the Clinton administration, then joined The Factor for her take.

"I think Sebastian's right that I think the president is a patriot trying to do the right thing," Soderberg said.

"But this pivot on all the things that we disagree is the world, the geopolitical world is moving to Donald Trump. It's really Donald Trump moving towards reality and away from some of the campaign rhetoric that got him elected, but is not related to facts and is frankly not realistic. And so, I think it's a good thing that he is pivoting. I think it is a good thing that he's recognizing that some of these statements were wrong. And I think it's a good thing."
Carter Page in the No Spin Zone
Guest: Carter Page

The FBI is currently investigating whether there were improper contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

One name that's emerged as part of the investigation is Carter Page. He worked as an unpaid informal foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign for less than a year.

According to the report by the Washington Post confirmed in part by FOX News' Catherine Herridge, ;ast summer, a secret court gave the FBI permission to spy on page, in American citizen.

Carter Page joined The Factor to talk about the case, and said he had done nothing wrong.


"I'm very encouraged that all of the lies that have been a drag on this administration are finally coming out into the open," Page said. "Let's see what happens. You know, so many people have lied against me from the Clinton campaign, many of their surrogates, many of the think tanks that have supported them, Brooking Institution, center for American progress, et cetera. Let's see what actually comes out but I'm not going to speculate."
Denials From Assad
Guests: David Tafuri and Cliff May

Syrian President Barah al-Assad is now denying he used chemical weapons on his own people last month.

Former State Department official David Tafuri said Assad was lying.

"He is a liar, he is a war criminal," Tafuri said. "He's had many opportunities to leave Syria and he probably never will let go and he'll end up in a ditch like Saddam Hussein or like Qaddafi. But the missile strikes last week were really important because they sent a signal that the U.S. is no longer going to look the other way when he engages in mass atrocities against civilians."

Cliff May, president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, then joined in to praise President Trump for bombing Syria.

"[President Trump] began I would say to reestablish strategic deterrence in the world, very important that not just Assad but Iran," May said. "The North Koreans and others understand that America not only has power, but it has a determination and the will to use it in its best interests at various times."
More United Airlines Controversy
Guests: Mark Eiglarsh & Arash Homampour

In this segment, trial attorney Arash Homampour actually defended in part how United Airlines removed Dr. David Dao from flight 3411 on Sunday.

"Who refuses to get off a plane when an officer asks you to get off a plane?" Mr. Homampour said. "Had Doctor Dao refused to get off -- had agreed to get off the plane as I think most citizens would do and have the dispute as to whether the airline was mistreating him or not treating him properly or whether they owe him money or don't owe him money handled after his off the plane after the plane can leave, then we wouldn't be here."

Eiglarsh disagreed, and said United was 100% in the wrong.

"United Airlines and all the airlines do legally have the right to bump passengers," Eiglarsh said. "They don't however have the right to bump their teeth, their noses, and their heads."
Tensions With North Korea
Guests: Gordon Chang and Col. David Hunt

Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test, and tensions continue to rise between the hermit state and the Untied States.

Bolling asked Fox News Military Analyst Col. David Hunt (ret.) what America's military options are.

"They're actually very limited," Hunt said. "Every war game that's ever been done always ends up with the nuclear option because the artillery and the preparation for 50 years in North Korea."

Bolling asked foreign policy analyst Gordon Chang when the U.S. would use force against North Korea.

"I think we'd react if we saw a missile that was fueled, ready to go, and we thought a nuke was on top of it, we would take that out one way or another," Chang said.
Washington Corruption
Guest: Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO)

Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) has written a new book called "Drain the Swamp: How Washington Corruption Is Worse Than You Think."

Bolling asked the Congressman for examples of Washington corruption.

"Well, one example is that in order to be on a committee or any committee, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means Appropriations, you need to pay dues," Bolling said. "You need to pay dues to a Republican or Democratic Campaign Committee and those dues determine who gets on. That's corrupt. So, to put that kind of pressure on people to pay $450,000 to be on a committee or 1.2 million to be a chair of a committee is the wrong thing, it sends the wrong message to the American people."
Sanctuary City Controversy
Guests: Kathie Dunbar & Jessica Yorko

The city of Lansing, Michigan recently voted to declare itself a sanctuary city but then on Wednesday reversed itself due to pressures from businesses.

Lansing City Councilmembers Kathie Dunbar and Jessica Yorko, who wanted Lansing to stay as a sanctuary city.

Jessica Yorko said she believed some of the battle was about the First Amendment and the freedom to use the word sanctuary.

Bolling took issue with that line of thought.

"Oh, come on!" Bolling said. "Jessica, please, this isn't about the First Amendment, this is about allowing illegals to find sanctuary."