Complaints filed with FTC against Hannity over Freedom Concerts marketing practices
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From a March 29 press release from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington:
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against Sean Hannity, his Freedom Concerts, the Freedom Alliance and Lt. Col. Oliver North. Copies of the complaints were also sent to the attorney generals of the states in which concerts are scheduled to be held this summer.
CREW's FTC complaint alleges Hannity and Freedom Concerts have engaged in illegal and deceptive marketing practices by suggesting that all money generated by ticket sales for the Freedom Concerts he sponsors each summer goes to scholarships for children of killed and wounded service members. In fact, the concerts are staged by Premiere Marketing, which is headed by Duane Ward - also the head of Premiere Speakers Bureau, which exclusively represents Mr. Hannity and Lt. Col. North. After staging the concerts,Premiere donates an unknown portion of the concert proceeds to the Freedom Alliance.
Hannity has promoted the concerts on his show, making statements such as, “Every penny, 100 percent of the donations are applied to the Freedom Alliance scholarship fund.” Similarly, promoting the concert on Hannity's program, Lt. Col. North has said, “There's no overhead. There's no expenses taken out. Every penny that's donated or that's raised through things like the Freedom Concerts” goes to the scholarship fund." In addition, Hannity has pledged that all the proceeds of his new book, “Conservative Victory,” will go to Freedom Alliance.
Previously:
Conservative blogger accuses Hannity of deceptive fundraising practices