Russian State Media Broadcasts Clips Of Sean Hannity Defending Trump
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report has been dominating the news cycle in the United States for days. Apparently, this is also the case abroad — especially in Russia, where state media is broadcasting segments of popular Fox News host Sean Hannity’s show, according to The Daily Beast.
Government-owned Rossiya 1 news channel is putting a different spin on Mueller’s findings, however, describing the special counsel’s report as a “bestseller about the absence of collusion between Trump and Russia.” The country’s state media is apparently siding with President Trump, and accusing American intelligence agencies of “hounding” him.
To spin Mueller’s report, Russian state media is relying on one of America’s most famous conservative voices — Fox News host Sean Hannity. The channel broadcast clips of Sean Hannity’s show, emphasizing the host’s monologue in which he slams “media hysteria,” defending President Trump against claims of conspiracy with the Kremlin.
According to Russian state media, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is “an attempt to threaten the current government and influence U.S. foreign policy without offering any specific evidence.”
As The Daily Beast notes, although Special Counsel Robert Mueller cleared Trump and members of his campaign of conspiracy with Russia, his report extensively details Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. In his report, Mueller writes about Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns meant to prop up then-candidate Donald Trump, and about Russian hacking attacks.
The publication’s reporter Julia Davis posted to social media an image of Russian state television’s broadcast. The government-owned channel broadcast Sean Hannity’s opening monologue, during which the host slams the “big lie” of Russian collusion.
#Russia's state TV broadcasts Hannity's commentary, attacking the #MuellerReport in perfect synchrony with the Kremlin. pic.twitter.com/pJqhLvhtqc
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) April 21, 2019
USA Today described Sean Hannity as “the most powerful and dangerous” person in the United States, because of the influence the host appears to have on the president. The publication noted that Trump and Hannity frequently speak over the phone, reminding its readers that Hannity has appeared alongside Trump during rallies.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, analyses have indicated that Donald Trump and Fox News operate in coordination — the president frequently promotes his favorite shows on the conservative network, sometimes live-tweeting its coverage, and at other times parroting Fox News talking points.
Likewise, the conservative channel has been accused of uncritically covering Trump, who is frequently “lashing out on Twitter, oftentimes employing language that can be traced back, nearly verbatim” to Fox News. In December last year, watchdog group Media Matters released a video showing Trump repeat Sean Hannity’s words.
The political class may marvel at Trump’s perceived control over Fox News, which liberal critics have likened to a propaganda outlet. But the president’s complaints suggest he’s frustrated that he doesn’t have enough https://t.co/WQvRt1jyAx
— POLITICO (@politico) April 21, 2019
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the president is receiving inspiration for his daily rage tweets about the special counsel’s ongoing investigation from Hannity’s programming,” the organization said.
