New images show severity of assault on Capitol 2:50
(CNN) -
Well, Sean Hannity, what are you going to do now that your text messages about the assault on the Capitol and Trump's conduct have been revealed?
Hannity began her Tuesday night show on Fox News with a message to the "cowardly creatures of the (political) swamp" in Washington and the "media mob." Throughout the show, Hannity promoted the segment, telling her audience, "You won't want to miss it." The suggestion, of course, was that he would issue a response to the request of the Congressional select commission investigating the Jan.6 assault on the Capitol for their cooperation. But the promotion of the segment ended up being a hoax.
In the final moments of her show, Hannity instead ranted about the unavailability of covid-19 tests.
In other words, Hannity completely ignored the select commission's request and the damning revelations contained in the letter sent to her by its top members.
But you will not be able to remain silent forever.
After the show, his attorney Jay Sekulow issued a new statement: "We are evaluating the commission's letter. We remain very concerned about the constitutional implications, especially as it relates to the First Amendment. We will respond appropriately."
Fact Check: Five Lies About The Capitol Storming
Fox was also silent on what Hannity and other stars knew in the run-up to the riots and in the days after.
Lachlan Murdoch and Suzanne Scott can dismiss Hannity as an opinion maker all they want, but she should still be bound by some editorial rules.
Who is Sean Hannity, President Trump's friend?
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What Hannity's text messages about Trump mean
Hannity's text messages to Mark Meadows, revealed by the select commission, illustrate for the umpteenth time a clear violation of traditional media ethics by Hannity.
And they show, also for the umpteenth time, how Hannity operated during Trump's years behind the scenes as a shadow chief of staff.
The revelation, perhaps, is how ineffective it was.
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As Jamie Gangel pointed out in "Don Lemon Tonight," each line in the letter was crafted on purpose.
So what about Hannity's December 31, 2020 message to Meadows that said, "I DON'T see January 6 happening the way it's being told."
Did Hannity try to convince Trump to stop thinking about his delusions?
If so, it failed.
And what about the January 10 text to Meadows and Jim Jordan that said, "Guys, we've got a clear path to land the plane in 9 days. You can't mention the election again. Never."
It is clear that Trump does not respect Hannity much, as Trump's last 12 months were marked by lies about the election.
Fooling the audience
The text messages also prove - once again - that Hannity was dishonest with her audience.
He likes to claim that he says the same thing in private as in public.
But it is clear that this is not the case.
Privately, in these text messages, Hannity expressed deep concerns about Trump.
But, publicly, those concerns were never conveyed to his audience.
Instead, Hannity was a loyal Trump cheerleader to the end.
Mark Meadows no longer wants to appear against Trump 1:22
Brian Stelter elaborated on that on Lemon's recent show, highlighting Hannity's comment to Meadows on January 10 that "I didn't get a good call with him today."
Said Stelter: "On January 10, 11 and 12, what did Sean Hannity say to his viewers" about that call?
"Did he inform you about Donald Trump's mental health? About his mental state? No. He lied and helped the cover-up."
Stelter also noted that House members have many, many more text messages from other Fox personalities. What else is to be revealed?
Trump: Hannity is wrong!
Well, this valuable friendship has come to this point, right?
As CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported, Trump issued a statement Tuesday night objecting to Hannity's claim on Jan.10 that he "cannot mention the election again."
Ouch.
"I do not agree with Sean in that statement and the facts are proving me right," Trump said, although the facts are obviously not proving him right.
What will Cheney say?
Thursday marks the first anniversary of the assault on the Capitol and Congresswoman Liz Cheney will be on several television networks this week, including Fox: She is scheduled to speak to Bret Baier on "Special Report" Thursday night.
He has not hesitated to criticize Fox on the network's airwaves in the past.
Stop calling it a news network
On a related topic: I'm going to reiterate that it's time for real news organizations to stop referring to Fox as a news network.
It is not.
It is an interview channel for right-wing personalities who have spent the last year misleading viewers about the events of January 6 with an avalanche of lies and conspiracy theories designed to wash away the events of that day.
All this while the main presenters of the chain, as we now have evidence, privately knew the truth of what happened.
The main job of a news organization is to inform viewers with the best version of the truth.
What Fox has done repeatedly - on almost every major issue - is misinform.
Assault on the Capitol