Fox News’ Howard Kurtz Criticizes Hannity for Not Disclosing Michael Cohen Connection
Fox News’ Howard Kurtz criticized the network’s biggest personality, Sean Hannity, for failing to inform his viewers about a relationship he held with President Donald Trump’s embattled personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
“Hannity needed to inform his viewers,” he said.
Kurtz, host of the media affairs show MediaBuzz, said Hannity made a “mistake” by not disclosing his connection with Cohen in an op-ed on Wednesday. The critique arrived after Hannity admitted on his show earlier in the week that he occasionally went to Cohen for legal advice, while denying ever paying him legal fees, after his name was outed in a Manhattan court as being a client to the president’s longtime personal attorney.
“His viewers didn’t know he was talking about a friend who has given him legal advice. That was a mistake,” Kurtz wrote. “Had he done that, and mentioned the legal advice, when he started discussing Cohen as the New York lawyer became enmeshed in various Trump controversies, there would have been no issue. Viewers and listeners could factor in the friendship in evaluating Hannity’s commentary.”
Hannity is just one of a handful of people listed as Cohen’s clients during Monday’s court hearing in New York, after the attorney’s offices and home was raided by authorities earlier this month. Officials reportedly obtained recordings Cohen regularly created when speaking with his clients — a shocking revelation that seemed to spur tweets from the president claiming “attorney-client privilege is DEAD!”
Still, Kurtz defended Hannity and Fox News, saying the primetime host is “paid for his opinions.” The network made it clear they’re standing by Hannity in a statement yesterday.
“Hannity is a committed conservative and a passionate supporter of Donald Trump. He makes that clear every day,” Kurtz continued. “While he deals with news stories on his program, he is paid for his opinions.”
“Hannity speaks to the president regularly. They have had dinner. They have socialized at Mar-a-Lago. Trump promotes his show on Twitter. So no one who watches ‘Hannity’ at 9 p.m. eastern is under any illusions. This is a commentator who not only fiercely defends Trump but fiercely attacks his antagonists in law enforcement, Congress and the media,” he wrote.
[image via screengrab]
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