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<\/p>\nFox News host Sean Hannity insisted to viewers that he says “the same thing in private that I say to all of you,” after the release of a Jan. 6 text message he sent to Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, as the siege on the Capitol unfolded.<\/p>\n
In the message, Hannity urged Meadows to try to get Trump to speak out to try to get the rioters to stop.<\/p>\n
Hannity wrote, “Can he make a statement, ask people to leave the Capitol?”<\/p>\n
On his show on Tuesday, Hannity said, “Surprise, surprise, surprise: I said to Mark Meadows the exact same thing I was saying live on the radio at that time and on TV that night on January 6th and well beyond January 6th. And by the way, where is the outrage in the media over my private text messages being released again publicly? Do we believe in privacy in this country? Apparently not.”<\/p>\n
Hannity’s response came as the House of Representatives was preparing to vote on a resolution to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress.<\/p>\n
Meadows provided the committee investigating January 6th with thousands of pages of documents, including text messages he received on that day from Hannity and other Fox News hosts, as well as from lawmakers and Donald Trump Jr. Meadows, though, has declined to appear before the committee to answer questions.<\/p>\n
The texts were revealed on Monday, as the January 6th Committee held a hearing on Monday to sanction Meadows. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the committee’s vice chair, read Hannity’s message aloud, along with those from Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade.<\/p>\n
Ingraham wrote, “Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home. This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy.”<\/p>\n
Kilmeade, wrote, “Please, get him on TV. Destroying everything you have accomplished.”<\/p>\n
On his show, Hannity blasted Cheney, and called for the release of texts between Cheney’s family and Trump over a potential pardon for Scooter Libby, who was Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff. “Let’s release any and all emails and texts,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Clearly, Liz Cheney has lost her way. She will lose her seat, and then i am sure will make a fortune at Hallburton or some other big conglomerate and make millions probably doing next to nothing,” Hannity said.<\/p>\n
But Hannity and Ingraham have been criticized for downplaying the January 6th siege since then, even though they expressed alarm as the events unfolded.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the release of the text messages and told reporters that it was “disappointing and unfortunately not surprising” that “some of the very same individuals who were willing to warn, condemn and express horror over what happened on Jan. 6 in private were totally silent in public. Or, even worse, were spreading lies and conspiracy theories and continue to since that time.”<\/p>\n
Hannity, however, denied that what he said in private differed from what he said in public.<\/p>\n
On his show on January 6th, Hannity condemned the violence and said that “all of today’s perpetrators must be arrested an prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” But he went on to call the election a “trainwreck,” and cited a Gallup poll that showed 83% “do not have faith in these election results.”<\/p>\n
He also has questioned why there wasn’t the level of concern over other riots and disturbances, like those that took place after the killing of George Floyd in 2020.<\/p>\n
Later in his show on Tuesday, Hannity featured a segment with Geraldo Rivera and Dan Bongino, in which the host called the January 6th Committee “corrupt.”<\/p>\n
Hannity said, “The question is why this riot and not 574 other riots. The question is, is there any privacy in this country anymore, or do they get to release thousands more individual private citizens’ texts?”<\/p>\n
Rivera responded, “I beg you, Sean, to remember the frame of mind that you were in when you wrote that text on January 6th, and when Laura did, and when Brian did, and when Don Jr. did. Remember the concern you had. Remember the frustration at our beloved 45th president. Where was he? Why can he be doing this? Why doesn’t he say something?”<\/p>\n
Bongino said to Rivera, “The backstabbing of the president you are engaging in is really disgusting, and it is really vile that you pretend to be this guy’s friend and you continue to do this.”<\/p>\n
Rivera then interjected, “I resent that. I supported Donald Trump until he abandoned democracy.”<\/p>\n
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