Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity said Tuesday he’s backing off his speculation about the 2016 murder of Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich after talking with Rich’s family, which had appealed to the media to stop.
The decision took Hannity off a potential collision course with his network, which earlier Tuesday had removed a week-old story about the case from its website because “it was not initially subjected to the high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting.”
The report quoted a private investigator suggesting that Rich had some connection to WikiLeaks and its leaks of Democratic National Committee emails during the last campaign.
Rich’s family has said they don’t believe their son, who was shot in July 2016 in Washington, gave any information to WikiLeaks. The investigator has since recanted his claim, and the independent researcher Politifact.com has said the notion that Rich was involved in the leak was flimsy and illogical. No arrests have been made in the shooting. Washington police have said they think Rich was killed in a random robbery attempt.
Hannity, Fox’s biggest star and a leading conservative radio talk show host, has said he doesn’t believe the robbery theory. Some Trump supporters have been pushing a supposed WikiLeaks connection to counter stories about Russian involvement in the last election.
Hannity said Tuesday that he had corresponded with Rich’s brother and that “out of respect for the family’s wishes for now, I am not discussing this matter at this time.”
“My heart, my soul, my prayers, everything goes out to them in this very difficult time,” he said.
He then pivoted to talking about the “destroy Trump” media that he says is continuing to talk about the Russian story without any evidence of collusion in the last election.
Hannity sent mixed signals about whether he was actually through with the Rich story, both on his show and in a later tweet.
“To the extent of my ability, I am not going to stop trying to find the truth,” he said. He added that, “at the proper time, we shall continue and talk a lot more.”
He said “liberal fascists” were trying to urge his advertisers to leave the show. Fleeing advertisers played a role in last month’s drama over Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, who was fired by the network following reports of settlements paid to women to keep quiet about allegations of harassment.
“I serve at the pleasure of Fox News Channel and I am here to do my job every night,” he said, adding “as long as they seem to want me.”
Hannity is the last remaining star of a prime-time lineup that only a year ago also included O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly and Greta Van Susteren. Kelly and Van Susteren now both work for NBC News. Hannity was close to former Fox co-president Bill Shine, and publicly defended Shine after questions were raised about how much Shine knew of alleged harassment by O’Reilly and the late Fox chairman, Roger Ailes. But Shine left the network shortly thereafter.
Although Fox removed the Rich story from its website, its statement did not say the story was wrong. The network said it will continue to investigate the story and provide updates as warranted.
The network had no other comment beyond the published statement on Tuesday.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
Hannity was threatened with his life. He therefore had no choice but back off. Not only did he back off, John Podesta, Hillary, the DNC in general and the media are blocking any discussion of the murder of Seth Rich. This is best proof that the DNC were behind his murder who “merited” being on the list of Clinton’s Body Count. And yet, instead of putting the murderer behind bars for life, they’re still looking for the Russian ghost who leaked the DNC corruptions and Hillary’s massive corruptions to WikiLeaks.
So we are back to fairy-tale time and tin-foiled hat conspiracy theories. Hannity backed off because Fox is about to send him off to join his other racist and msycoginst chevrah who they’ve previously fired and he probably is also fearful of being sued by the Rich family for defamation . However, we don’t want to push back too hard because we might lose Aryehlah’s daily dose of comic relief. As a practical matter, I don’t think there is some great “Russian Conspiracy”….just of bunch of greedy Trumpkopfs hoping to cash in on their Trump relationships with the Russian Oligarchs eager to curry favor with the incoming administration . They were greedy and stupid for believing they could make these contacts without being detected. However, stupidity is not a crime, although as almost always happens, their efforts to cover their tracks by lying to investigators will land them in the borscht.
Oy, Gadol, when will you wake up and put some brains into your head? If these are fairy tales and conspiracy theories, what exactly is “The Russian Interference” that you and other liberal loonies are blaming Trump’s historical landslide? Have you ever thought into it? Did the Russians rig the voting machines and inserted over 10 million illegal votes and duplicate votes for Trump, like they did for Hillary? Of course not. Fraud is a trait used by the Dems only. Without it, they wouldn’t be able to win a single election because they’re the minority.
So what indeed is “The Russian Interference”? Answer: Load and loads and loads of DNC corruptions as well as Hillary’s corruptions leaked by Seth Rich (DNC staffer murdered by the DNC) to WikiLeaks who then publicized it. The liberal losers cry babies would not admit that one of theirs was the leaker, so they put the blame on “The Russians” and are calling it “The Russian Interference”. Now hopefully it woke you and other loonies up from your deep deep fantasy sleep. If this is not correct, let’s hear your version of “The Russian Interference” and murder of Seth Rich?
If this is not correct, what is your version of “The Russian Interference” and the reason the DNC and media are covering up and blocking any discussion of Seth Rich and stopping investigation into his murder?
“The investigator has since recanted his claim, ”
That’s a lie.
“and the independent researcher Politifact.com ”
They aren’t independent, and it sounds like TYW is not either.
“has said the notion that Rich was involved in the leak was flimsy and illogical.”
But the narishkeit about Russia and Trump isn’t?
Wake up, TYW, and stop kissing Dem tuchis.