Six weeks after cheering on mob harassment of CNN reporter Jim Acosta, Sean Hannity has developed a sudden concern about the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric – from liberals only. When it’s from beloved Donald Trump or his supporters, Hannity can’t find anything not to like.
You may recall that on July 31, 2018, Acosta faced a frightening mob at a Trump rally in Tampa. This was not long after a wave of Trump tweets referring to the press as the “enemy of the people.”
Instead of standing up for the American Constitution and its First Amendment protecting freedom of the press, Trump’s bedtime BFF Hannity cheered on the hostility in a lecture aimed at Acosta:
HANNITY: Jim, they’re not wrong. … The people of this country, they’re screaming at you for a reason. They don’t like your unfair, abusively biased treatment of the president of the United States. … Maybe try getting rid of the bias. Maybe examine why are people saying this...
[…]
[Y]ou’re extremely rude. Oh, and a liberal partisan hack. That’s why Americans don’t trust you or Fake News CNN. You pretend to be fair and unbiased journalists. You’re not.
Remember when Trump tweeted a video in which he appeared to body slam CNN? Hannity called it “hilarious.” When right-winger Laura Loomer, known for harassing politicians and journalists, rushed a Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar, which depicted the assassination of a Trump-like Caesar (but with the point that political violence leads to disastrous consequences), Hannity tweeted his approval and aired a softball interview with Loomer. After Trump manager Corey Lewandowski manhandled and bruised the arm of Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, guess whose side Hannity took?
But last night, Hannity got on his high horse, which we can name Hypocrisy, to whine that Democratic resistance is encouraging violence. Whether you agree on confronting Trump personnel or not, not one of the people included in a video mashup actually supported violence. We saw selectively edited clips of Rep. Maxine Waters, saying she would “go and take Trump out tonight,” (she was eager to impeach him); Madonna’s “thought” about blowing up the White House was really about the importance of more constructive resistance; Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s surprise there haven’t been more “uprisings” was a reference to demonstrations against Trump’s family separations.
Although Hannity didn’t bother to tell his viewers, the video was probably largely lifted from a Republican ad.
HANNITY: And meanwhile, right here on this program, we have long warned that it’s only a matter of time before the aggressive threatening rhetoric and tactics coming from the left is going to result, somebody is going to get hurt or killed. Here’s kind of what I’m talking about. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS, D-CALIF.: I will go and take Trump out tonight.
MADONNA, SINGER: I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course I want to punch him in the face.
WATERS: If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in the department stores, at a gasoline station. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome!
SEN. CORY BOOKER, D-N.J.: Please, get up in the face of some Congress people!
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: I just don’t even know why there aren’t uprisings all over the country, and maybe there will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Hannity went on to say that a Republican candidate in California had a switchblade pulled on him. It was a clear suggestion that this was the beginning of a trend.
HANNITY: I’ve said it a million times before and I’ll say it again, the tactics of the anti-Trump resistance have gone way too far and while [candidate] Peters was able to escape unharmed, and I always blame people for what they do, you can’t blame people’s rhetoric for what people’s actions are, but you’ve got to admit this is not helping.
The next victim might not be so lucky. But if it was a conservative, oh, they’d go nuts blaming, oh, talk radio and the FOX News Channel. I’m now holding individuals responsible. But the rhetoric is reckless, it is dangerous and it’s out of control.
I’m all for turning down the dial on inflammatory rhetoric but Hannity and Fox News should clean up their own side of the street first.
On Sunday, in a discussion about former President Obama’s speech last week, a Fox guest told a sympathetic host, “I just wanted to reach through the screen and just grab him - grab him and choke him. … I wish I had that man sitting in front of me right now, I really do, without his Secret Service, to be honest with you.” That guest was invited back for a friendly interview on a different show yesterday.
Hannity did not even mention that, much less condemn a word. Yet, it's far worse than anything Hannity complained about. So let’s face it: What Hannity is really doing here is what Tucker Carlson did last week: deliberately ginning up more animosity toward the left, with inflammatory rhetoric painting liberals as dangerous, while pretending to care about civility and decency.
Watch the masquerade below, from the September 11, 2018 Hannity.
The masses-through radio-will remind all voters of the mounting indictments of Trumpy’s buddies.
We notice that people close to Trumpy are in legal trouble. Every single one of them. All are talking to Robert Mueller. They are naming names. We mean ALL names.
We have news for this old griskin. The Grand Jury is going to be very busy for awhile-and so will the IRS.
Coming down the pipeline:
1. A popular name comes up involving the investigation.
2. Twitter goes nuts over this news.
3. A president steps down.
4. The Heels has to make a big decision.
5. Mrs. Socialite, with the overpriced designer clothes and shoes, goes ballistic after being embarrassed by hubby.
6. The first one in the family is indicted.
7. The IRS has a few questions for this man.
NOTE TO HANNITY
Insiders are taking bets on who will occupy your Fox “News” office on the ## floor once you leave.