Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Let’s finish the job.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

White supremacy is terrorism.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / Sean Hannity Conspired With Paul Manafort To Launder Information Through His Show On Fox and Then Back Into Manafort’s Legal Filings in Court

Sean Hannity Conspired With Paul Manafort To Launder Information Through His Show On Fox and Then Back Into Manafort’s Legal Filings in Court

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Earlier today new documents were unsealed from the Manafort case. They are chat logs from 2017 and include text messages between Hannity and Manafort during the investigation into and prosecution of Manafort. They can be found at this link or below.

Manafort_Texts

Among other interesting, not so interesting, and explosive information in them, it appears that Manafort was using Hannity and his Fox News show to launder information into his legal filings with the court. This was done through Sara Carter, who claims to be a national security specialist (she isn’t), but who is a protege of the execrable John Solomon who has been laundering right wing conspiracy theories since the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Here’s the specific section that was tweeted by Brad Heath and that Mariotti is referring to:

Here’s another one tweeted by Heath where Manafort is complaining about former Attorney General Jeff Sessions with an empathetic Hannity.

I haven’t had a chance to read through all 56 pages yet, but it is very interesting that Hannity is Client 3, in touch with Julian Assange in an attempt to get information to broadcast, and is in touch with Manafort in an attempt to get information to broadcast that is then laundered back into Manafort’s court filings.

Just one more bit of evidence about how Fox News coordinates the information that it broadcasts with Republican and conservative movement elites and notables. Makes you wonder who else Hannity regularly texts with and what about?

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

92Comments

  1. 1.

    japa21

    Of all the despicable, deplorable people at Fox, and there are plenty, Hannity may well be the worst of the lot.

  2. 2.

    trollhattan

    At one point, Hannity tells Manafort: “I’ll be in the cell next to u.”

    For the love of God, if you will but grant us a single time Hannity is correct, let it be this.

  3. 3.

    germy

    Has hannity responded publicly to this latest news? Or is he keeping silent?

    EDIT:

    Okay, here he is:

    My view of the Special Counsel investigation and the treatment of Paul Manafort were made clear every day to anyone who listens to my radio show or watches my TV show.— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) June 21, 2019

  4. 4.

    Another Scott

    About the 27th least surprising thing today.

    It’s almost as if Fox News was set up to be a mouthpiece of the GOP and its operatives:

    A memo entitled “A Plan for Putting the GOP on TV News,” buried in the the Nixon library details a plan between Ailes and the White House to bring pro-administration stories to television networks around the country. It reads: “Today television news is watched more often than people read newspapers, than people listen to the radio, than people read or gather any other form of communication. The reason: People are lazy. With television you just sit—watch—listen. The thinking is done for you.”

    It’s just one 15-page section in a 318-page cache John Cook, at Gawker, pulled out from the Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush libraries.

    The documents are a fascinating look in the construction of image building. Even back then, Ailes had his signature impassioned style, writing that they were responsible for the life or death of America.

    Cook writes:

    The documents show Ailes to be an engaged, brilliant, and often catty adviser with an obsessive, almost evangelical focus on the power of television to manipulate people for political purposes.

    The records have been in the public sphere for some time, and much of this information was suggested in the January Esquire profile of Ailes:

    “It’s a shame a man has to use gimmicks like this to get elected,” Mr. Nixon is supposed to have remarked to Mr. Ailes. “Television is not a gimmick, and if you think it is, you’ll lose again,” Mr. Ailes is supposed to have remarked to Mr. Nixon. And there the modern conservative movement — not the ideological entity but the telegenic one — was born.

    […]

    Sorry for the potential side-track.

    Thanks for digging into the weeds on this.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  8. 8.

    TenguPhule

    Just one more bit of evidence about how Fox News coordinates the information that it broadcasts with Republican and conservative movement elites and notables.

    People are routinely convicted with less evidence then this.

  10. 10.

    Another Scott

    DDale8:

    Daniel Dale Verified account @ddale8

    Trump says in his statement on Carroll’s allegations, “I’ve never met this person in my life.” Her article features a photo of them beside each other.

    2:31 PM – 21 Jun 2019

    Just another day ending in “y”. :-/

    Every woman in the USA, and every man who has ever loved a woman, should (if the[y] can) read the excerpt of her upcoming book. And get (more) outraged.

    Grrr…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne

    A year or two ago — honestly, I have no sense of time in this timeline — it was disclosed that Sean Hannity was one of a very few “legal clients” of Michael Cohen. He later claimed, I think on his TV program that evening, that Cohen was an acquaintance and he (SH) had chatted briefly with him (MC) once or twice, just in general, about real estate. Anybody remember more details than I do? Would the Hannity-Cohen relationship be part of this business, or is it mostly unrelated?

  14. 14.

    Another Scott

    @SiubhanDuinne: LawAndCrime:

    But the Hannity episode has taken it up as notch. We don’t really know the full story, but Michael Cohen actually told the federal court, in response to the judge’s direction that he do so, that Sean Hannity was one of his three clients. Hannity, however, has resisted the claim. He has said the following to his FOX audience, and anyone who will listen:

    Michael Cohen has never represented me in any matter. I never retained him, received an invoice, or paid legal fees. I have occasionally had brief discussions with him about legal questions about which I wanted his input and perspective.

    I assumed those conversations were confidential, but to be absolutely clear they never involved any matter between me and a third-party.

    Now, Hannity seems to want to have it both ways. While we do not actually know, it seems he wants his communications with Cohen protected, while at the same time does not want to say he was a client, if he was. We can all understand that last part, given that he obviously didn’t make such a disclosure to Fox executives or his viewership while bashing the FBI’s “raid”, Mueller’s “witch hunt” and the government’s “unprecedented abuse of power.” And we can certainly understand, assuming Cohen had Hannity-related documents among what was seized by the FBI, that Hannity would not want the FBI and prosecutors who are investigating the case to see them, more so if they present a troubling scenario for him.

    But Hannity is right in this regard – even if he never paid Cohen, was never billed by Cohen and had no retainer agreement with Cohen, it does not make his communications as lacking confidentiality; these things are not essential to establish the duty of confidentiality required by the “attorney-client” relationship. There can be an “implied” attorney/client relationship and it often does turn on the “client’s” subjective (albeit reasonable) belief as to the confidentiality of the conversation.

    Right? Who knows…

    FWIW.

    HTH!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  15. 15.

    germy

    @trollhattan: I thought her name sounded familiar, and then I remembered: I bought one of her books a few decades ago, a biography of Hunter S. Thompson.

  16. 16.

    germy

    "I never met that woman" is a defense to be employed only after a very rigorous search for any record of you having met her, including but not limited to looking at the pictures in the article you're reacting to.— CockedAndLoadedHat (@Popehat) June 21, 2019

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @trollhattan: @Another Scott:
    Thanks to you both for the links. I guess what I’m really wondering is whether any part of the Hannity-Cohen relationship intersects with any part of the Hannity-Manafort relationship. And I realize I’m asking for speculation.

    I guess we’ll know, sooner or later.

  18. 18.

    germy






    Dave Sirota claims he lost his sight for a few hours, and then regained it, so he couldn’t have written the tweet from Bernie. Although he could see well enough to retweet it.

  19. 19.

    trollhattan

    @germy:
    Which goes a long way in explaining the hot tub story. She researched HST like HST researched the Hell’s Angels.

  25. 25.

    MattF

    Color me unsurprised. Long-term contact with Manafort or Cohen is a strong indication of criminality.

  26. 26.

    germy

    @debbie:

    He used that line for a couple of accusers during the campaign, I believe.

    I think you’re right, and as I recall there was also photographic evidence with some of the women.

    “I’ve never met that woman I was photographed with!” He’s a world-class bullshitter. I’ve bought used cars from men like him.

  27. 27.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @trollhattan:

    She researched HST like HST researched the Hell’s Angels.

    Not for the first time, my puzzled initial reaction betrays my age: To me, “HST” will always be “Harry S Truman.”

  31. 31.

    germy

    i hate it when i spontaneously go blind for 6 hours at a time but then make a full recovery— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 20, 2019

    My eyeballs fell out but then I found them. What's going on?— Cathedral Engineer ⛪️ (@owenrumney) June 20, 2019

  32. 32.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @germy:

    It gets better worse

    google search: “Sanders: Warren Is Surging Because She’s Got Ovaries”

  33. 33.

    chopper

    dear sean,

    you are a toilet seat that smokes a cigar
    forever that is what you are
    a toilet seat that smokes a cigar

  35. 35.

    Renie

    Please just tell me this means Hannity is going to jail or at least off air. I despise him

  36. 36.

    japa21

    @germy: That is an insult to used car salespeople. I never met a one with the banal evilness, dishonesty and overall amorality that Trump exhibits. Not saying they are the paragon of the opposite of those characteristics, but they don’t come close to Trump.

  37. 37.

    debbie

    @germy:

    FWIW, getting dilated for an eye exam usually means waiting about 6 hours before your pupils go back to being normal-sized, at least in my experience.

  38. 38.

    Chyron HR

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    Imagine what it’s like to be Bernie Sanders–a man who chose to destroy America (and quite possibly human civilization entirely) just to ensure that there would be a Democratic primary in 2020. And now he’s in third place.

  40. 40.

    germy

    @debbie: During the time he claims he was vision-impaired, he retweeted Bernie’s tweet (the one we suspect he wrote himself).

    Later, he deleted the vision tweet.

    He’s a fundamentally dishonest person.

  43. 43.

    joel hanes

    Remember also that Cohen had exactly three clients :

    Trump — to quash stories of his louche behavior

    Eliot Broidy — to provide an alibi for Trump supra by pretending to be the perp

    Sean Hannity — for what, exactly ?
    Hannity claims to have “talked with him”, but denies that money changed hands.

  44. 44.

    NotMax

    @zhena gogolia

    Have not yet watched any of it (although reviews seem to rate it okay) however thought you might possibly be passingly interested in this unusual Prime find: Gogol.

  46. 46.

    joel hanes

    @debbie:

    My ophthalmologist has this camera machine that makes a hires image of the retina, without dilation. He says that he very seldom has to use drops at all any more.

    But I remember atropine and dark-camera-film disposable sunglasses.
    Things had auras.

  47. 47.

    A Ghost To Most

    Anybody who tries to tell me that repealing the Fairness Doctrine didn’t play a central role in the ascendance of these fascists just might get cut.

  48. 48.

    joel hanes

    @A Ghost To Most:

    Rise of cable, to which the Fairness Doctrine never applied IIRC.
    Of course, Reagan made sure that it didn’t apply to _anything_ ….

  51. 51.

    Quinerly

    From the article:

    “Hunter S. Thompson … now, there’s a good candidate. I know. I wrote his biography. Does Hunter, the greatest degenerate of his generation, who kept yelling, “Off with your pants!” as he sliced the leggings from my body with a long knife in his hot tub, make the list? Naw.

    And if having my pants hacked off by a man lit to the eyebrows with acid, Chivas Regal, Champagne, grass, Chartreuse, Dunhills, cocaine, and Dove Bars does not make the list — because to me there is a big difference between an “adventure” and an “attack” — who, in God’s name, doesmake my Hideous List?”

  53. 53.

    Suzanne

    @japa21:

    I never met a one with the banal evilness, dishonesty and overall amorality that Trump exhibits.

    The ex-Mr. Suzanne sold used cars for a while after we broke up. I can’t decide how he stacks up next to Trump. His politics are better, but that doesn’t make him not a lying liar.

  54. 54.

    Wapiti

    @Roger Moore: Personnel is Policy. If we elect Sanders, we get Sirota in some function or fashion. Therefore, let’s all work for and donate to candidates who haven’t hired David Sirota.

  55. 55.

    Duane

    @MattF: Hanrattity was all over the wikileaks stuff during the presidential election. He carried water for Putin. The sooner that rat bastard goes to jail the better for us all.

  57. 57.

    plato

    The next brit pm

    Police were called to the London home of Boris Johnson and his partner in the early hours of Friday after a neighbour reportedly heard a loud argument.

    The Guardian said Carrie Symonds was heard telling Mr Johnson to “get off me” and “get out of my flat”.

    The Metropolitan Police told the BBC it “spoke to all occupants of the address, who were all safe and well”.

    Ms Symonds is allegedly heard saying the MP had ruined a sofa with red wine: “You just don’t care for anything because you’re spoilt. You have no care for money or anything.”

  59. 59.

    Adam L Silverman

    I have finished dinner. I am a damn good cook. You all do not know what you’re missing. That is all.

  60. 60.

    chris

    Seems like today we have seen the four horsemen and rape AND Sean Hannity. This is too much, time for a Kitty. Those feet!

  66. 66.

    SFAW

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I am a damn good cook. You all do not know what you’re missing. That is all.

    And yet, we never seem to hear anything from the “survivors.” If there are/were any.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @chris:

    Yikes! What the exactly fuck kind of cat is that? Reminds me of an illustration in George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin, a book I adored as a child but whose illustrations freaked me the fuck out and still do.

    Edited: to edit

  69. 69.

    Quinerly

    @debbie: you and I have the same take on this. Nothing really surprised/shocked me except the Dove Bar reference. I did a double take, paused, and re read.

  70. 70.

    SFAW

    @Quinerly:

    Yeah, I thought that description of Hunter, along with the explanation of why he was not on the Most Hideous list, was excellent. Also seemed to be written in a style not unlike Thompson’s own.

  73. 73.

    Jeffro

    I wonder when it will dawn on America that all we have basically done for almost three years now is to continue to unearth criminal activity after criminal activity by Trumpov & co. Non stop, multiple times a day.

    I mean seriously that’s it

  79. 79.

    A Ghost To Most

    @joel hanes: Allowing cable news to live free of broadcast standards was part of their evil plan. I fail to see why the way you receive news content (wire vs radio) imposes (or eliminates) the standard. DirecTV is radio based, but is treated like a wired provider.

  80. 80.

    chris

    @SiubhanDuinne: The Princess and the Goblin. Dawg, that takes me back more than 50 years. My mother read it to us and I read it again. It’s a free ebook on Google books and I’m going to refresh my very hazy memory. Thanks, SD.

  84. 84.

    lurker dean

    @SFAW: wow, that’s a classic reference i haven’t heard in decades. a goofy friend used to claim that lanier couldn’t shoot a corner three pointer because his feet wouldn’t fit between the three-point and out-of-bounds lines, lol.

  87. 87.

    Sm*t Cl*de

    @Sab:

    @chris: Is that a lynx or a bobcat?

    Canadian Lynx.

    I continue with my campaign to convince people that the plural is “lynges”.

  88. 88.

    J R in WV

    @chris:

    Hungry little bobkitty. Big feet. V cute.

    Makes me remember the guy who rescued a trapped kitty caught between his fence and a shed in the back yard not long ago. He wasn’t from here, and didn’t know there were wild cats as small as a bob cat. Had a dozen photos of the cat in his apartment, while he tried to find kitty’s owner. Didn’t get hurt, amazingly. Some people are just good folks, will rescue a wild bobcat, just because they’re good folks.

    Then there are Trumpetts.

  90. 90.

    chris

    @J R in WV: I was going with lynxkitty but maybe.
    I saw those pictures and was amazed. He must have picked up the bobcat. And it let him! I would have freed it from the fence with my welding gloves but he carried it home! Imma try to pick up the next one I see, if I can catch it ;-)

  91. 91.

    lurker dean

    @Gin & Tonic: that’s some good knowledge! but now we have a mystery, we need to confirm it was from the corner. i think even lanier’s feet fit between the top of the key and half-court lol.

  92. 92.

    PaulWartenberg

    This type of behavior out of Hannity – most likely encouraged and abetted by Fox Not-News – violates every journalistic ethic out there (and yes, there ARE supposed to be ethics, I got a B in Journalism school on that topic). There is no difference between this and some 20-something fabricating news stories like that one guy, Stephen Glass.

    I swear to fcking GOD someone better have standing to sue the whole network for Journalistic Malpractice. https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2012/how-to-protect-against-journalism-malpractice/

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