Sean Hannity.Photo: Taylor Hill/WireImage
The House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021,attack on the U.S. CapitolwantsSean Hannityto voluntarily answer questions about his communication with former PresidentDonald Trumpand others.
Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheneywrote a letter to the Fox News hoston Tuesday, stating that their committee has information that indicates Hannity, 60, “had advance knowledge regarding President Trump’s and his legal team’s planning for January 6th.” (A rally of Trump supporters had been scheduled for that morning near the White House, where Trump spoke. Later that day some of the attendees marched to the Capitol, leading to the rioting.)
In their Tuesday letter, the lawmakers cite “dozens of text messages” in their possession and revealed a few in their letter.
“On January 5th, [2021,] the night before the violent riot, you sent and received a stream of texts,” the letter states. “You wrote: ‘Im very worried about the next 48 hours.’ With the counting of the electoral votes scheduled for January 6th at 1 p.m., why were you concerned about the next 48 hours?”
Reps. Thompson and Cheney refer to text messages Hannity also sent to then-White House Chief of StaffMark Meadowsthat they say suggest concerns of Trump’s White House attorneys about the legality of broader plans for Jan. 6 and the attempt to overturn election results in Trump’s favor.
In the months after he lost toJoe Biden, Trump mounted numerous legal challenges and a national pressure campaign on elections officials, none of which succeeded in changing the results.
“We can’t lose the entire WH counsels office. I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told. After the 6 th. [sic] He should announce will lead the nationwide effort to reform voting integrity. Go to Fl and watch Joe mess up daily. Stay engaged. When he speaks people will listen,” Hannity wrote on Dec. 31, 2020, according to the letter.
A second text cited in the letter refers to then-Vice PresidentMike Penceand theefforts to persuade him to intervenein the certification of the election results.
“Pence pressure. WH counsel will leave,” Hannity wrote to Meadows on Jan. 5, according to the letter.
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty
“What communications or information led you to conclude that White House Counsel would leave? What precisely did you know at that time?” the investigators ask Hannity.
Meadowsinitially provided informationto the committee for the investigation but washeld in contempt of Congress for failingto cooperate after gettingsubpoenaed in September.
An attorney for Hannity said his legal team is evaluating the letter. “We remain very concerned about the constitutional implications especially as it relates to the First Amendment,” Jay Sekulow said in a statement provided to PEOPLE. “We will respond as appropriate.”
The letter emphasizes that the inquiry doesn’t intend to violate Hannity’s rights. “We stress that our goal is not to seek information regarding any of your broadcasts, or your political views or commentary,” lawmakers wrote. “We have deep respect for the First Amendment to our Constitution.”
Hannity has been a staunch defender and close confidant of Trump. Although he has tried toshift blame for the attackaway from the former president, Hannity also condemned the violence during his broadcast.
Sean Hannity.Paul Zimmerman/Getty
“All of today’s perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Hannity said on the air last Jan. 6. “But every good and decent American, we know, will and must condemn what happened at the Capitol, and moving forward, we have to do a dramatically better job protecting the innocent men and women who work there.”
Any direct communication Hannity had with Trump about planning events on Jan. 6 — as well as in the days that followed as his presidency neared its end — is also of interest to the committee, according to the letter.
The letter also implies investigators believe Hannity may have information about suspected discussions within the Trump administration about removing Trump from office.
“We would like to question you regarding any conversations you had with Mr. Meadows or others about any effort to remove the President under the 25th Amendment,” the letter says, citing media reports on the efforts Hannity apparently sent to Meadows via text.
source: people.com
