Sean Hannity’s rant against James Comey’s upcoming book tour sounded a lot like sour grapes over the ratings boosts other shows will get while it’s a near certainty Comey will never give Hannity that opportunity.
Hannity pretended his interest in Comey interviews is all about journalism
Hannity presented his beef with Comey’s media appearances as concerns that nobody will ask the hard-hitting questions that Hannity would.
Hannity presented his beef with Comey’s media appearances as concerns that nobody will ask the hard-hitting questions that Hannity would. HANNITY: It’s the moment we all knew would happen. James Comey has finished writing his book and is now ready to cash in on his anti-Trump and for me. Naturally his first stop on his upcoming mainstream media world tour will include a morning interview with former Clinton hack turned ABC’s so-called journalist George Stephanopoulos. Of course he is the Clinton’s BFF and another with professional late-night Trump hater Stephen Colbert. Let’s just say the mainstream media can barely contain their excitement. […] Can you really expect Stephanopoulos, Steve Colbert and others to ask the tough, important questions that you of the American people deserve answers to? For example, is Colbert, Stephanopoulos are they going to ask Comey why he never investigated Hillary Clinton’s lies? The exoneration before investigation? Will the so-called journalists over at ABC ask Comey how a seasoned independent FBI Director was actually bullied into calling the Clinton criminal investigation a matter, during the 2016 election? Is Colbert going to press Comey on why he looked the other way when Bill Clinton, Loretta Lynch really held that secret meeting on the tarmac days before the FBI decided not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton? \ Is Comey going to be forced to discuss why a draft statement that he was writing, months before interviewing Hillary Clinton, exonerating her on charges in the email investigation, why was it written so many months in advance before the interview? Is Comey going to explain the lies, the outright lies? The outright omissions to a FISA court? He told President Trump about his verified salacious dossier, but months earlier, he allowed the unverified salacious dossier to be presented to the FISA court? Why would Comey withhold the fact that Clinton paid for the dirty dossier? Will the mainstream media actually address Comey’s potentially unlawful leaking of classified information after he was fired? I doubt those important issues will be pressed or even seriously addressed. Instead, I think Comey, he just might find that the career he is always been dreaming of in front of a camera with of course some of his anti-Trump friends, he wants to get hired to bash Trump every single day like the rest of media.
It’s the height of hypocrisy for Hannity to be whining about softball interviews avoiding serious issues, given his own record of cozying up to anyone in sync with his politics. Last night, Hannity’s hypocrisy prompted Media Matters’ John Whitehouse to flag Hannity’s questions for Donald Trump. Spoiler: There isn’t a tough question in the entire, lengthy batch.
Is jealousy over lost ratings what really bugs Hannity about Comey’s book tour?
No sooner had Hannity finished whining about the journalistic failures of his competition than he all but begged Comey to appear on his own show. HANNITY: With that said, James Comey, do you want to have a sit-down interview? Do you want to come and discuss your book? Do you want to discuss the questions that need to be answered that millions of Americans want to hear answers to? Come on the program. I’m offering you the full hour. I’ll offer you three hours unprecedented on my radio show. You just have to be willing to address every issue.
Hannity has been doing well at Fox lately. But he has been consistently losing to MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show in the important 25-54 demographic. I’m sure it did not go unnoticed by Hannity that Maddow had three of the top ten cable shows last week while Hannity had one – in 10th place. Other MSNBC shows have beaten other Fox News shows, too. You could almost hear Hannity calculating the ratings bonanzas for MSNBC with Comey appearances.
Memo to Hannity: When you repeatedly smear the former FBI director as a treasonous criminal, you can probably count on him deciding against including you in his book tour.
Gregg Jarrett Ridiculously Suggests Comey’s Lawyer Only Allowing Book Tour To Get His Fees
After the monologue, Fox News “legal analyst” Gregg Jarrett (whose on-air legal analysis seems to consist of reinforcing Hannity memes) attempted to add to the sourness by suggesting that Comey is putting himself in grave legal jeopardy by doing the interviews. In fact, to hear Jarrett tell it, the feds could be waiting for Comey with handcuffs the moment he goes off camera. HANNITY: All right. If your James Comey’s lawyer, Gregg Jarrett you have to be a great lawyer. You do more research than anybody I know. You’re writing a book on this case, you are up to your eyeballs in this every day. If you are James Comey’s lawyer and he is writing this book, how closely are you going through this and is there a great risk in these interviews for him that he is not thinking about right now as he dreams of fame and fortune and the position on MSNBC conspiracy theory TV? JARRETT: Comey will try to massage the facts and try to rationalize his behavior, but if I’m his lawyer, I have to be really worried because he is looking at potentially theft of government documents, perjury, obstruction of justice, abuse of power and probably three or four other at different felony statutes. HANNITY: Why would a good lawyer allow this? JARRETT: Because the lawyer wants to be paid and he better hope that Comey makes a lot of money off the book. His legal fees are going to be steep.
I’m not a lawyer so Jarrett, who is a lawyer, could be right. But it strains credulity to think that a former FBI Director, as well as a former federal prosecutor, is too stupid to keep himself out of legal jeopardy while doing media interviews. It seems even more ridiculous that Comey’s lawyer would not advise against any kind of legal peril because he fears for his fees. Or that Comey's book wouldn't be a bestseller even without media appearances.
Watch the ridiculousness above, from the March 7, 2018 Hannity.
(Transcript excerpts via FoxNews.com)
Crossposted at News Hounds.
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