Sean Hannity (left) and Michael Cohen, via Twitter
Stormy weather for Sean Hannity
by Tom Sullivan
Sean Hannity (left) and Michael Cohen, via Twitter
A Politico headline writer after my own heart arranged pixels to say, "Trump After Dark: No Cohen of Silence edition."
That headline, of course, appeared above reporting that Fox News anchor Sean Hannity is Michael Cohen's mysterious "Client Number Three." That information came out yesterday under judge Kimba Wood's order in the Southern District of New York court in Manhattan. Henry Jackson writes:
It’s not clear what Cohen did for Hannity, though the Fox News host has been pretty dogged in backing Cohen of late. But as POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Lauren Nahimas report, the revelation came amid an already incredible showdown between Trump and his own justice department over access to files seized in the raids on Cohen's home and office last week.
“Hannity's connection to Cohen was revealed after the conservative commentator — one of Trump's staunchest defenders — fiercely criticized federal officials for the raids, without disclosing his own connection … It was not immediately clear what sort of legal work Cohen did for Hannity. The conservative media figure, who seemed taken aback by the disclosure as he addressed it on his syndicated radio program Monday afternoon, eventually said most of the advice related to real estate.”
From now on I will only refer to Sean Hannity as "Client Number Three"
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) April 16, 2018
Stephen Colbert quickly observed that Cohen's work for his other two clients involves buying silence from mistresses. Stormy Daniels, one of the women for whom Cohen arranged hush money on behalf of Donald Trump, was in court yesterday with her attorney Michael Avenatti. Upon the announcement of Hannity's name, reports Quartz, much of the court burst into laughter. Avenatti did not:
Avenatti, who was sitting next to a Quartz reporter, wrote a message in large letters on an envelope and pointed it towards Daniels: “Now we know why Fox News have not been covering.” Daniels, the porn star embroiled in a legal dispute with Trump and Cohen, nodded swiftly.