Sean Hannity Under Federal Investigation For Connection To Russia Probe, Democratic Strategist Claims
Sean Hannity could be in some serious hot water, with a new report suggesting that the Fox News host and close confidant of Donald Trump is facing an unspecified federal investigation.
Scott Dworkin, a frequent MSNBC contributor and Democratic strategist, said on his podcast that he learned from a Republican source that Hannity is among a number facing investigation for connection to the Russia probe. The source claimed that Republican Congressmen Devin Nunes and Dana Rohrabacher are under investigation as well, though did not say if the investigation was connected to Robert Mueller’s Russia probe or one of the congressional panels investigating the allegations of Russia collusion.
Dworkin pointed out that Hannity has been trying to cover for Donald Trump amid the Russia investigation, including spreading the discredited theory that murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich was responsible for stealing the DNC emails and sharing them with WikiLeaks rather than an operation linked to Russia.
“It all makes sense, especially with Hannity,” he said. “Hannity was a client of [Michael] Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, and always was involved in this whole Seth Rich controversy where he tried to paint him out as a traitor, made it look like Hillary murdered him after giving Russia her emails.”
Hannity has long been a backer of Donald Trump, and their close relationship has continued since Trump moved into the White House. As NyMag reported, Hannity call Trump each night after he is done filming his show at 9 p.m. The report noted that White House staffers — named then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer — made the decision to steer Trump to watching Fox News because he became too unpredictable and riled up when watching MSNBC or CNN. Trump became increasingly fixated on Sean Hannity, who used his show to praise Trump and attack the Russia investigation.
As the report noted, many see Hannity as having a de facto place in Trump’s administration.
“Hannity admits to advising Trump, but on the air, he’s repeatedly mocked suggestions that he functions as an unofficial chief of staff and criticized the ‘fake-news media’ for not bothering to reach out to him for the truth (a spokesperson for Fox News declined multiple interview requests for this article on Hannity’s behalf),” the report noted. “More than any other figure of the right-wing infosphere, Hannity has behaved as if he were an extension of the Trump communications department, his daily stream of assertions serving to prop up Trump and, in real time, define what Trumpism is supposed to be.”
BREAKING: GOP Sources Claim Hannity, Nunes and Rohrabacher Are Under Federal Investigation #DworkinReport https://t.co/ViTtZ2I6FO
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) June 13, 2018
Scott Dworkin said he did not know the scope under which Sean Hannity could be under federal investigation, or whether he is a target for charges.
