Sean Hannity mocks criticism of him acting as a Trump administration puppet: “What a shocker”

On Monday, another set of texts released by CNN revealed that Fox News’ Sean Hannity, who recently became “the longest-running primetime cable news host in TV history,” functioned as a crucial propaganda link between the Trump administration and its targeted Republican voters. Hannity addressed the news on his radio show on Tuesday, saying the texts showed “everything I say on radio and TV every day” and that it wasn’t a “shocker” that he “wanted Donald Trump to win” the 2020 elections.

The newly released texts show that Hannity, on the afternoon of Election Day 2020, reached out directly to the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows asking whether Trump would win Meadows’ home state of North Carolina. As The Washington Post’s Phillip Bump noted, when Meadows replied giving him instructions, Hannity essentially parroted the gist back to his almost 14 million radio listeners.

Meadows told Hannity to use his radio show to “Stress every vote matters. Get out and vote.” Hannity responded, “Yes sir[.] On it. Any place in particular we need a push[?]” Meadows wrote back, “Pennsylvania. NC AZ,” then added “Nevada,” to which Hannity replied, “Got it. Everywhere[.]”

Sean Hannity defends his texts requesting instruction from Mark Meadows

April 26, 2022

From the April 26, 2022, edition of Premiere Radio's The Sean Hannity Show

SEAN HANNITY (HOST): You know, everybody in the media, “Hannity, what's your response to your text messages?" It's everything I say on radio and TV every day. That's my response.

LYNDA MCLAUGHLIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER): Yeah, no. That was the same thing that happened with Mother Jones, with the other -- with Manafort. It's the same exact thing.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: The funniest thing, yeah. Remember they released -- what -- 1,200 of my text messages. By the way, there is something called privacy, but I guess I should just give up on that simple --

MCLAUGHLIN: Fifty-seven pages, to be clear -- 57 pages.

HANNITY: Anyway, so, yeah, exactly, 57 pages. I remember I'm going to go through it going, “Oh, oh, crap. What did I say?" And then CNN and fake news MSDNC, they all went on the air, and they said, “I can't believe it. This -- this is like one of Hannity's monologues. He really believes -- he really believes this, Adam Schiff." And I'm like by saying that, aren't they kind of exposing themselves as not believing what they say on radio and TV, because I do believe it.

MCLAUGHLIN: Right. Exactly. They just assume everyone's lying.

HANNITY: Sean Hannity wanted Donald Trump to win. There's -- there's a CNN alert for you. What a shocker.

You can't make this stuff up. You know, people, my friends say, “Oh, man. I saw they're attacking you again. Do you care?" And I said, “I didn't see it, nor did anyone else in America see it. So why am I talking about it?"

MCLAUGHLIN: Exactly. Exactly.

HANNITY: I can't make this up.

This is not the first time Hannity has been revealed to be a faithful lackey of the Trump administration. It’s also not the first time he’s failed to show any qualms about lying to his audience for political gain. Such actions would constitute serious ethical breaches or firings at other news outlets, but Fox News is not a news outlet. The network is a continual stream of propaganda that may even endanger its audience just to fit its political agenda.

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