Sean Hannity, once Donald Trump’s most important mouthpiece, seems increasingly outside MAGAworld.
In a just-released deposition over the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit, the Fox News star said he never believed “one second” in unsubstantiated election fraud claims stemming from the 2020 election. said. That stance directly conflicts with the beliefs of many of his primetime segments and many of his closest allies, putting Hannity in an awkward position.
Among the MAGA all-stars currently mad at Hannity are MyPillow maven Mike Lindell, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, far-right radio host Stew Peters, and reportedly There is even Trump himself.
But it happens to be an old friend and pro-Trump lawyer, Lynn Wood, who is leading Hannity’s criticism.
In a lengthy telephone interview with The Daily Beast, Wood first met Hannity in 1996 after the Centennial Olympic Park bombings during the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, when Wood acted as Richard Jewell’s agent. He said it was when he was on the job. Despite Hannity telling “the whole story” in the years after Jewel’s exoneration, Wood considered Hannity a “friend” and a “good friend” with the Fox News primetime host. I was building a relationship.
Fast forward decades later to the days after Trump lost the 2020 election. According to Wood, on November 6, 2020, the text of a clip of Wood speaking at Republican National Committee Headquarters sent Hannity his message. In addition to the clip, Wood expressed his frustration to Hannity that Fox News clipped his comments.
In response, Hannity apparently tried to redirect the conversation to something they both agreed on: Election Fraud.
“They stole it,” Hannity wrote, according to Wood’s screenshot text message.
In response to Wood’s complaint that Fox News “truncated” his remarks, Hannity also made a rather peculiar confession.
Wood said he was “very disappointed” and “frustrated” with Hannity.
“This is clearly contradictory,” Wood said of Hannity’s recent testimony in the $1.6 billion Dominion lawsuit.
The personal injury attorney turned election conspiracy theorist then posted a close-up of Hannity’s face next to an image of his pitbull rescue dog, which he dubbed “Hero.” He claimed the comparison was meant to help his supporters “connect the dots”. . new york times Reporter Maggie Haberman and former Vice President Mike Pence are often compared to his dog.
Screenshot from Lin Wood’s Telegram
But Wood isn’t alone in his crusade against Hannity.
Mike Lindell, a pillow salesman and true believer in election fraud, has also suffered terribly.
“Sean Hannity sucks,” Lindell told the Daily Beast.
“He seems disinterested in domestic election issues and is disgusted,” he added.
Lindell was asked if he had expressed such displeasure to Hannity.
Neither Hannity nor Fox News representatives responded to the Daily Beast’s multiple requests for comment.
Other ardent Trump supporters, including former Trump administration official Steve Bannon and far-right commentator Jack Posobiek, also attacked Hannity last week.
Bannon wrote Hannity should face ‘accountability’ for ‘terrible advice’ to Trump, but Posobiek filed a string of lawsuits jab On Fox News hosts, including posting a picture of Hannity with CNN hosts Don Lemon and Michael Avenatti.
“And just like that, Hannity ends his career,” Trump superfan Bill Mitchell wrote in response to Hannity’s deposition remarks.
Hannity says,scamBy a conservative commentator. Far-right radio host Stew Peters called the Fox News host a “clown” following his voter fraud boomerang. “He regularly washes and dries his Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer jockstraps,” Peters told The Daily Beast.
Conservative media outlets have also hit Hannity over his remarks about election fraud, suggesting he is part of a “fake patriot grievance.”
Others in The Telegram, including far-right “Stop the Steel” activist Ali Alexander, said Hannity is said to wear a “CIA” lapel pin on primetime shows, another , and found a strangely specific line of attack.
(While it’s true that Hannity wears a variety of pins, it’s usually unclear what exactly the pins claim to be, although right-wingers such as failed congressional candidate Kathy Barnett disagree. does not stop claim Those are “FBI” pins. )
Still, Hannity could probably have dismissed most of MAGA Misfits Toy Island’s complaints if it weren’t for one problem.
“I think it’s been a while as far as direct contact with Sean,” a Trump source said.
Tensions between Trump and Hannity predate this latest revelation, but Hannity’s clarification that he never believed Trump actually won the 2020 election was a sign that they is certain to complicate the relationship between
“Hanity was his dog for years, but like everyone else who was Trump’s bitch at some point, the second Trump found a reason to trash them, he accept it,” a Trump adviser told the Daily Beast.
Trump is still upset with Hannity because the Fox News host urged Trump to endorse Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, according to three Trumpworld sources. After Oz fell face down, Hannity found himself out of Trump’s entourage.
“A lot of the heartburn stems from the Senate election in Pennsylvania,” said a source close to Trump.
Instead of blaming his wife, Melania Trump, who reportedly insisted on supporting Oz, or the former president introspecting his own political acumen, it’s all Hannity’s fault, apparently. I decided that
“Hanity takes responsibility for Oz because it’s more convenient than blaming Melania. And now that he’s been shown to be ‘disloyal’ under oath, it’s time for Hannity to be thrown overboard.” It’s your turn.
Hannity, along with his most loyal supporters, spotted Trump’s wrath, but his fellow host at Fox News played his cards more cautiously.
According to Trump sources, Tucker Carlson is “not openly hostile to Trump, but anyone paying attention knows he’s not a fan.”
“Trump was never on the show and was rarely discussed,” the source added. “Tucker thinks Trump has many suitable enemies, but that’s about it.”
For some time, rumors have been flying around Trumpworld that the former president was planning to attend Hannity’s show after his presidential announcement at Mar-a-Lago. However, a source familiar with the matter called these rumors “absolutely untrue.”
Now, with this latest revelation that Hannity apparently isn’t buying into Trump’s lies about the election, it’s even harder to imagine the two mending things anytime soon.
