The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has requested that Sean Hannity sit down with the panel as it continues its investigation into the attack.
Axios broke the news, which committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D, Calif.) later confirmed to MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson on her 3 p.m. show. Rep. Schiff said he believes Hannity “was texting with the chief of staff and that he has information that would be relevant to our committee,” adding, “He was more than a host on Fox. He was also a confidant, adviser, campaigner for the former president. And I would hope that, if he’s asked by the committee, as I expect he will be very soon, that he would cooperate with us … you will get confirmation of this very soon—we are making a voluntary request that he speak with the committee.”
The committee then tweeted out the following, just after 5 p.m. ET:
The Committee is seeking information from Sean Hannity.
Chair @BennieGThompson and Vice Chair @RepLizCheney request Hannity answer questions about matters including communications between Hannity and the former President, Mark Meadows, and others in the days surrounding Jan 6th. pic.twitter.com/wXtOGSsneg
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) January 4, 2022
The powerhouse conservative TV personality often served as an informal adviser to then-President Trump during his four-year term in office, and the Jan. 6 committee revealed last month that Hannity texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the attack to implore him to get Trump to stop his supporters.
“Can he [Trump] make a statement, ask people to leave the Capitol,” Hannity texted Meadows, according to the Jan. 6 panel.
Hannity condemned the attack on the U.S. Capitol on his Fox News show the following evening, saying on the Jan. 7, 2021 broadcast that “all of today’s perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted.” However, as Axios notes, Hannity has previously criticized the committee investigating the attack.
Two other Fox News hosts—Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade—also texted Meadows as Trump supporters attacked the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory in the 2020 presidential election.
“Multiple Fox News hosts knew the president needed to act immediately,” Rep. Liz Cheney said during the Dec. 13, 2021 hearing. “They texted Mr. Meadows and he has turned over those texts [to the committee].”
“Mark, the President needs to tell people in the Capitol to go Home. This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy,” Ingraham texted.
“Please get him on TV. Destroying everything you have accomplished,” added Kilmeade.
Neither Ingraham nor Kilmeade have been asked to voluntarily cooperate with this investigation as of publication time, and it remains to be seen whether Hannity will accept the committee’s request. His attorney Jay Sekulow cast doubt, telling Axios, “If true, any such request would raise serious constitutional issues, including First Amendment concerns regarding freedom of the press.”
Fox News did not provide comment to TVNewser.