Sean Hannity Is Asked to Cooperate in Jan. 6 Inquiry as Panel Details Texts

“I’m very worried about the next 48 hours,” Mr. Hannity wrote.

Mr. Hannity was one of several Fox News stars who became informal confidants to Mr. Trump over the course of his administration, frequently conversing with the president by telephone and over meals in the White House.

“He was more than a Fox host; he was also a confidant, adviser, campaigner for the former president,” Representative Adam B. Schiff, a California Democrat and member of the committee, said on MSNBC on Tuesday.

Last month, the committee revealed that Mr. Hannity had contacted Mr. Meadows on Jan. 6 as rioters overtook the Capitol, asking: “Can he make a statement? Ask people to leave the Capitol.” The Fox News stars Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade sent similar notes asking that Mr. Trump take steps to quell the violence. In Fox News prime time on Jan. 6, Mr. Hannity told his viewers that “all of today’s perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” adding: “Every good and decent American, we know, will and must condemn what happened at the Capitol.”

A spokesman for the committee declined to say on Tuesday if additional Fox News hosts would be asked to answer questions. Mr. Hannity is the most prominent media star so far that the committee has contacted about testifying. The committee previously issued a subpoena for the conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones, who has sued the committee to try to stonewall the investigation.

The letter to Mr. Hannity was signed by Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the committee chairman, and its vice chairwoman, Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming.

“We have no doubt that you love our country and respect our Constitution,” Mr. Thompson and Ms. Cheney wrote. “Now is the time to step forward and serve the interests of your country.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/business/sean-hannity-jan-6-committee.html