Weeks before the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, Sean Hannity became increasingly exasperated about MAGA “lunatics” pushing Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 US presidential election results, according to a new batch of text messages between the star Fox News host and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
The never-before-seen 82 texts are among more than 2,300 of Meadows’ messages that have been obtained by CNN. They reveal that Hannity was initially a zealous supporter of efforts to invalidate Biden’s election victory before he was “fed up” with the attempts.
The text messages indicate that on Election Day (3 November 2020), Hannity, who is a long-term Trump supporter, reached out to Meadows and asked him about where the campaign needed encouragement to get voters to head to the polls.
“Stress every vote matters. Get out and vote. On radio”, Meadows told Hannity after he inquired about turnout in North Carolina. “Yes sir,” the Fox News anchor replied, saying, “On it. Any place in particular we need a push.”
“Pennsylvania. NC AZ,” Meadows then said and later added, “Nevada”. “Got it. Everywhere”, Hannity said. All these four states were hotly contested in the 2020 election, with Biden winning Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada.
The two continued exchanging the messages as results were coming in that night, with Hannity noting Biden’s lead in North Carolina and saying that “this looks scary”.
The text messages released by CNN also showed already a week after the election, Hannity started to have doubts that the Trump campaign’s efforts to contest Biden’s projected victory would be successful.
“You really think it’s possible. I’m beginning to feel down. Too much disorganization,” the Fox News host wrote on 10 November 2020.
“Arizona now down just 12,813. Still ballots to count. Very disorganized but I have been busting heads yesterday and today. Let NOT your heart be troubled, my friend,” Meadows responded.
Subsequent texts showed Hannity further questioning Trump’s election efforts even as he expresses doubt about Biden’s victory and says he intends to have his team investigate.
“I’ve had my team digging into the numbers. There is no way Biden got these numbers. Just mathematically impossible. It’s so sad for this country they can pull this off in 2020. We need a major breakthrough, a video, something,” Hannity texted to Meadows on 29 November.
“You’re exactly right. Working on breakthrough,” Meadows replied before the Fox News anchor said, “Ok. Would be phenomenal”.
By 8 December, however, Hannity expressed alarm about various legal strategies employed by Trump’s team.
“Texas case is very strong. Still a Herculean climb. Everyone knows it was stolen. Everyone”, he texted, apparently referring to a Texas case challenging election results in four states that was thrown out after the Supreme Court determined they did not have standing to bring the case.
He went on by noting that he vacillates “between mad as hell and sad as hell. Wtf happened to our country Mark”, also taking aim at those pushing Trump’s case.
“Hey my friend. How are you doing?” Hannity told Meadows as the 45th president’s chief of staff was preparing a trip to Georgia to visit those conducting an audit of absentee ballots.
Meadows replied, “Fighting like crazy. Went to Cobb county [Georgia] to review process. Very tough days but I will keep fighting.” The Fox host then noted, “You fighting is fine. The fing [sic] lunatics is NOT fine. They are NOT helping him. I’m fed up with those people”.
On 11 December, Hannity shared conspiracy theories about the “deep state”, arguing that the media had been “protecting” Joe and Hunter Biden. “They steal an election. What am I missing Mark? We r so F’d as a country”, he texted.
Meadows responded, “I am afraid you are not missing anything. The evil prevails for a time and they are rejoicing. But we must continue to fight”.
He added that he planned to set up an organisation of lawyers that “fights election laws in every state and fight Biden actions every day, starting on Jan 20”.
The CNN release of the text message came after the House committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol requested early this year that Hannity respond to questions about his communications with Trump and his staff in the days surrounding the riot.
In a letter to the Fox News host, the committee revealed its possession of dozens of communications Hannity had with Trump, Meadows and others close to the ex-POTUS between 31 December 2020 and 20 January 2021.
The panel also suggested that Hannity “had knowledge of concerns by President Trump's White House Counsel's Office regarding the legality of the former president's plans for January 6.”
Сapitol Riot
On 6 January 2021, scores of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of what the 45th president slammed as "the most corrupt election" in American history. Five people died during the unrest, and dozens more were injured, including at least 138 police officers.
Trump held a rally on 6 January outside the White House, where he made a pledge to his supporters that he would not allow the election to be "stolen" from him.
Using his now-suspended Twitter account, the 45th president later urged his supporters "to stay peaceful" and "go home", recording a video address on 7 January condemning the violence. Trump was impeached for an unprecedented second time over accusations of "incitement of insurrection", but was then acquitted in the Senate.