Last week, Donald Trump was all set to upstage the official January 6th commemoration hosted by President Joe Biden — and then, a series of Fox News texts became public and foiled his scheme.
Politics
From 2016 to 2020, we all thought that Donald Trump was in charge inside The White House. Now, we’ve come to learn that it was Fox News and its bevy of hosts who were actually running the country all along.
According to The Washington Post, Fox’s Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Brian Kilmeade, and even Judge Jeanine Pirro were all regularly in Trump’s ear telling him to do this or not that. In fact, a former senior administration official (who spoke on the condition of anonymity) said Trump would sometimes dial Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs into Oval Office staff meetings so they could instruct him on how to proceed on certain matters.
“There were times the president would come down the next morning and say, ‘Well, Sean thinks we should do this,’ or, ‘Judge Jeanine thinks we should do this,’ ” former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said. She added that she was surprised just how many Fox hosts had Trump’s direct phone number and spoke with him daily at The White House.
Now, WaPo is reporting that the January 6th House congressional committee is investigating a treasure trove of Fox News texts between the network hosts, Trump, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows — an investigation Trump himself only realized the committee possessed just prior to the January 6th commemoration.
“Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home,” Ingraham text during the Capitol Hill insurrection. “This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy.”
Kilmeade urged Meadows to get Trump “on TV” to call off the rioters, texting, “Destroying everything you have accomplished.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Hannity texted Meadows on December 31, 2020, and warned “I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told.”
Then, on January 10, 2021, Hannity texted Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to try to discuss strategies to rein in Trump.
“Guys, we have a clear path to land the plane in 9 days,” Hannity wrote. “He can’t mention the election again. Ever. I did not have a good call with him [Trump] today. And worse, I’m not sure what is left to do or say, and I don’t like not knowing if it’s truly understood. Ideas?”
The Fox News texts prove that not only was the January 6th Capitol Hill insurrection preplanned, but it was directly coordinated between Donald Trump and his panel of Fox News advisors.
Fox and Trump were both involved in it all along, the attack grew completely out of control, and the Fox “presidents” tried to rein it in at the 11th hour but couldn’t convince Trump to stop watching the attack (to appease his ego) and order the rioters home.
Oh, the January 6th committee is about to have a veritable field day with this new information. Stay tuned…
AP: For years, Sean Hannity has skirted ethical boundaries with his role on a television network with “news” in its name. Yet it’s never been as stark as now, with the committee investigating last year’s Capitol insurrection seeking his testimony. The Jan. 6 select committee has revealed a series of texts where Hannity privately advised former President Donald Trump before, during and after the assault, and is seeking his insight about what happened in those days. The popular Fox News Channel prime-time host hasn’t said what he will do, but he’s slammed the congressional probe as a partisan witch hunt. His lawyer has raised First Amendment concerns about the request. It’s not unheard of for journalists to offer advice to politicians — history records Ben Bradlee’s friendship with former President John F. Kennedy — but such actions raise questions about their independence and allegiance to the public interest, said Jane… Read more »