Sean Hannity Defends Taking Stage at Trump Rally Amid Backlash: ‘This Was NOT Planned’
Fox News’ Sean Hannity is defending himself for appearing on stage with President Donald Trump on Monday night when he claimed beforehand that he wouldn’t do any such thing.
What I said in my tweet yesterday was 100% truthful. When the POTUS invited me on stage to give a few remarks last night, I was surprised, yet honored by the president’s request. This was NOT planned.
What I said in my tweet yesterday was 100% truthful. When the POTUS invited me on stage to give a few remarks last night, I was surprised, yet honored by the president’s request. This was NOT planned.
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 6, 2018
Hannity also says Fox News reporters covering Trump’s Missouri rally were exempt from his “fake news” slam against the media.
To be clear, I was not referring to my journalist colleagues at FOX News in those remarks. They do amazing work day in and day out in a fair and balanced way and It is an honor to work with such great professionals.
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 6, 2018
Hannity has drawn a great deal of criticism for campaigning on stage when he previously insisted he would only hold a live show at the rally and interview Trump backstage. Critics specifically say that this statement from Hannity seems quite false in retrospect:
In spite of reports, I will be doing a live show from Cape Girardeau and interviewing President Trump before the rally. To be clear, I will not be on stage campaigning with the President. I am covering final rally for my show. Something I have done in every election in the past.
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 5, 2018
While Hannity claims that the on-stage invite was a surprise, it’s worth noting that he explicitly said “I will not be on stage campaigning with the President” after the Trump Campaign promoted his presence at the rally as one of their “special guests.”
Mediaite has received a statement from a Fox News spokesperson saying the network didn’t approve of Hannity or Jeanine Pirro going on stage for Trump.
“FOX News does not condone any talent participating in campaign events. We have an extraordinary team of journalists helming our coverage tonight and we are extremely proud of their work. This was an unfortunate distraction and has been addressed.”
[Image via screengrab]
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