Fox News Staffers Reportedly Shocked by Hannity-Cohen Revelation: ‘This Is Bad’
Pretty much everyone was shocked yesterday when Sean Hannity was announced as Trump lawyer Michael Cohen‘s third client. And yes, that includes people at Fox News.
We already knew that to some degree, as was made clear by the awkwardness of how some of Hannity’s colleagues covered this news, but a new report from Gabriel Sherman in Vanity Fair gives some more insight into what the internal reaction was:
“What the fuck? This is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen,” one staffer told me. “This is bad,” another Fox staffer said. “It violates every rule of journalism”…
According to employees I spoke to, a range of theories swirled through the newsroom. Did Hannity have a woman problem like Cohen clients Trump and Elliott Broidy, the former Republican fund-raiser who paid $1.6 million to a former Playboy model who had an abortion amid an affair with Broidy? “Everyone’s first impression was the same: you only hire Cohen for one reason,” one staffer said. Another staffer speculated Hannity hired Cohen to help him fight left-wing groups that were orchestrating an advertiser boycott after Hannity fanned the Seth Rich conspiracy last year. “Hannity was paranoid and hiring lawyers,” the staffer said. Still another theory posited that Cohen perhaps brokered a meeting between Hannity and Julian Assange last year.
Some of Hannity’s colleagues, like Juan Williams and Judge Andrew Napolitano, have publicly criticized Hannity for not disclosing his relationship with Cohen.
Sherman reports some staffers were “frustrated” that Hannity wasn’t disciplined by the network.
Fox News made clear in a statement today that the network is standing by Hannity: “While FOX News was unaware of Sean Hannity’s informal relationship with Michael Cohen and was surprised by the announcement in court yesterday, we have reviewed the matter and spoken to Sean and he continues to have our full support.”
You can read the full report here.
[image via screengrab]
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