The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riots and insurrection which left five people dead is leaving no stone unturned, and is even requesting that Fox News host Sean Hannity voluntarily submit to cooperating with the panel, according to Axios.
The Jan. 6 select committee is preparing to ask Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity for his voluntary cooperation with its investigation of the assault on the U.S. Capitol, a source with direct knowledge of the plan tells Axios.
Why it matters: Hannity is one of the most prominent media figures in America and was a close adviser to Donald Trump throughout his presidency. The committee revealed last month that Hannity texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the riot to urge him to get Trump to stop his supporters.
A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on the possibility of Hannity being called, but Jay Sekulow, an attorney for the Fox News host, raised the predictable red herring of the First Amendment:
It would? How would asking Hannity to answer questions intrude on his First Amendment protections, especially since he’s not really a journalist and mainly works as a paid propagandist and peddler of conspiracy theories?
While Hannity has condemned the storming of the Capitol, he’s been silent when it comes to criticizing failed, one-term former President Donald Trump for his role in what transpired on Jan. 6. Hannity has also been critical of the House Select Committee.
We already know that Hannity was in contact with then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as the rioting was taking place:
Committee officials have said Hannity was among several Fox News hosts who were texting Meadows during the riot.
Hannity was also actively involved in the inner workings of the Trump administration, according to reports, Axios notes:
Will Hannity agree to talk with the committee? What if he’s subpoenaed? If he chooses not to, he could be held in criminal contempt and jailed for up to two years.
Within hours of taking the presidential oath of office on January 20 of next year,…
It becomes clearer each day that the person calling the shots for the incoming Trump…
When the next Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2025, one of the first…
Even though he doesn't become president for another month, Donald Trump is already making ridiculous…
When he donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help Donald Trump win the 2024…
Pennsylvania GOP state senator Doug Mastriano announced on Twitter/X that he had located one of the…