Fox News host Sean Hannity has come under fire for a text message exchange with Mark Meadows that appear to show him taking orders from the Trump administration official during the 2020 presidential elections.
The text exchange, sourced from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, showed Hannity had asked former president Donald Trump’s chief of staff if some places needed a boost for voter turnout on the afternoon of election day on 3 November 2020.
He had asked the White House official: “Hey, NC [North Carolina] gonna be ok?”
Hannity was told by Mr Meadows to “stress every vote matters” and “get out and vote” in the text exchange, as reported by CNN.
The Fox news host replied back saying: “Yes sir. On it. Any place in particular we need a push.”
Mr Meadows replied: “Pennsylvania. NC AZ. Nevada.”
“Got it. Everywhere,” Hannity answered.
The text exchange revealed by the committee was slammed by social media users.
“Hannity happy to take orders on what to say on his show,” wrote one user on Twitter, sharing the screenshot of the exchange between the two.
“Hard to imagine this doesn’t break campaign law somewhere…” another user replied.
“It should be a humiliation for Fox News that a major network personality is literally taking campaign directions and using his perch to help a candidate. But I’m gathering the line will be: Hannity doesn’t present himself as a news man,” journalist Sam Stein wrote on Twitter.
An exchange of over 2,300 text messages was shared with the committee probing the riots that broke out within and outside the US capitol building and obtained by CNN.
The texts reveal the efforts made by the Trump administration to help overturn the results of the presidential elections.
They include exchanges between Mr Trump’s family members — daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr — and Mr Meadows.
They also include conversations with current and former Republican members of Congress, 6 January rally organisers, Republican leaders, cabinet members, other Fox news hosts and Rudy Giuliani among others.
The former president has claimed he is not aware of the messages sent by Hannity to his chief of staff during the 6 January attacks on the Capitol.
Hannity, as the message exchange showed, “had advance knowledge” of plans for 6 January to prevent peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden, the committee said.
On being asked about the texts from Hannity, the former president had said in February: “I don’t know what messages you’re talking about but I think he’s a great gentleman, a very talented person, gets fantastic ratings and certainly he speaks very well of me.”
