[ April 19, 2024 ]
The media’s been having a field day over the news that Sean Hannity was a client of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, trying to insinuate something of an untoward nature.
But what’s the big deal?
Fox News already shrugged off the revelation, and said Hannity’s job was safe.
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And besides — what about the Bill Clinton era attorney who’s represented scores of journalists from the mainstream media? Why aren’t these same anti-Hannity media screechers talking about that bit of contextually important fact?
From the Daily Caller:
The media is up in arms this week over Fox News host Sean Hannity’s relationship with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Journalists have decided it was improper for Hannity not to disclose his relationship with Cohen while defending him on air, but many have had their own connections to a famed political lawyer.
Bob Barnett has represented scores of politicians, including Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush. He served as the Clintons’ personal lawyer while they were in the White House. In addition, he is one of the most prominent lawyers representing journalists and TV anchors.
In fact, his own website describes him as the “leading representatives of television news correspondents.” A Washingtonian article from 2008 says Barnett is “Washington’s indispensable man, the link among politicians, authors, government officials, journalists, ex-presidents, future presidents, and even foreign leaders.”
According to Barnett, he has represented famed Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jim Acosta, and Jeff Zeleny, MSNBC’s Brian Williams, Peter Alexander, and Chris Jansing, and Fox News’ Steve Doocy, Brit Hume, Neil Cavuto, Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, and Juan Williams.
Questions about Barnett’s ties between politicians and journalists have been raised before. Barnett gained major influence in the Clinton White House after the Whitewater incident and, in 1993, The Wall Street Journal wondered if journalists could properly report on the Clintons while retaining their personal lawyer.
Media critic Marvin Kitman wrote, “How exactly does a real reporter, I found myself wondering, cover the President and then sleep with his lawyer every night?”
Barnett even resigned from being the Clintons’ lawyer due to the heavy criticism, but returned to the gig in 1997 after his wife left her job at CBS.
That same year, Barnett helped now-ABC anchor George Stephanopolous sell a book proposal for $2.7 million. He went on to help Woodward and Bernstein sell the Watergate papers to the University of Texas for $5 million. He has been responsible for tons of book deals for top reporters and politicians in the game.
With all of the criticism thrown at Hannity for his relationship with Cohen — which he claims was just “brief discussions” about legal advice — it’s certainly interesting that journalists haven’t considered their own potential ethical dilemmas with Barnett.
Fox News’ Howard Kurtz wrote on Wednesday that Hannity should have disclosed his relationship with Cohen. His advice could just as easily apply to the many who have covered the Clinton family without talking about the fact that the Clintons’ personal lawyer has made them millions of dollars.
“Sometimes people in journalism, on the news or opinion side, find themselves covering folks with whom they have had friendships or professional dealings,” Kurtz explained. “If the relationship is serious enough, it may require recusal. If not, the best course is being transparent and disclosing it.”
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21 Comments
6 years ago
Hannity had no obligation to disclose his personal business. That’s ridiculous! What they are trying to do is knock off Hannity, and Ingraham and smear anyone else that speaks against the agenda or exposes how corrupt the left is.
I was not a fan of Bill O’Reilly but they were successful in getting him fired over an allegation!
It wouldn’t have mattered if Hannity had Cohen on as a guest either! His personal business has nothing to do with his interviewees. Can you imagine how awkward that would be to introduce Michael Cohen with the additional information of, yeah I asked him for legal advice but wasn’t a client. It was just a couple of questions. It would have nothing to do with the purpose of Cohen being a guest!
Do you ever hear Steponallofus ever clarify his relationship with the Clinton’s? How about including that when he interviewed Comey? Comey has been a corrupt fixer for the Clinton’s that goes back to the Arkansas days! Never mind that Comey exhonorated Hillary BEFORE he even interviewed her about her email crimes! That is a crime!
6 years ago
Reply to
felix1999
Bill O’Reilly was fired for the same reason Harvey Weinstein is ostracized…payments for sexual harassment under the table (for each, one’s talking 8 figures). Now, however, vis a vis Hannity and Cohen on the show together, I will say that a disclosure either vocally or on the screen is necessary. When SCOTUSblog writes about a case, and a lawyer from the law firm running the site participated in the case, that disclosure is made. Likewise, scientific journal articles must disclose potential conflicts of interest.
Vis a vis Stephanopoulos, that’s different as he has no active business relationship with the Clintons.
6 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
It was an ALLEGATION! After he was fired the :ALLEGATION went away. Keep up with the FACTS!
Oh stop it! A talk host has NO obligation to disclose their personal business. It NEVER happens on the networks you watch such as CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC etc.. Give me a break!
Steponallofus has a HISTORY of being with the Clintons and so does Comey. It was like a reunion as the two of them defended Hillary! Steponallofus. He is a remains a hard core Dem operative. Stephanopoulos is currently the chief anchor and the chief political correspondent for ABC News, a co-anchor of Good Morning America, and the host of ABC’s Sunday morning This Week.Stephanopoulos is a regular substitute anchor for ABC World News Tonight. Prior to that he as the Communication Director for the Bill Clinton and a communcations person for the DNC. He was later senior advisor for policy and strategy, before departing in December 1996.Stephanopoulos is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Here read the rest of his corrupt under handed assocations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George Stephanopoulos
I never hear him EVER signal at ANY time his associations with all the corrupt DEMS he has made a living off of.
I am surprised you don;t have a JEW hating comment to offer too. Thankfully you are a nobody and not in a position of authority, know nothing about laws so your liberal hypocritical opinion is meaningless! In fact I will not waste my time on an airhead like you. DEMS love people like you that enjoy pushing their lying hypocrisy.
You are blocked. I insist on dealing with intelligent honest people. You are neither.
Troll somewhere else!
6 years ago
Reply to
felix1999
Agree. its nothing but an attempt to shut his show down as he does good job of countering their frauds/Lies.
just as Sharia Police in Uk are not willing to protect those who speak truth about islam https://tinyurl.com/ya6j3phj
Instead go after those who expose the jihadi crimes and their Left/Liberal supporters !
6 years ago
Reply to
Suresh
If you conclude that, how is he any different from Harvey Weinstein or John Conyers? This is not the same as Sharia police at all.
5 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
Isn’t your mommy playing “make-believe” enough with you, aermoreira1981? She’s been SO mean, hasn’t she?
6 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
TOO funny, little aemoreira1981. If using an attorney-at-law, that someone else does, needs disclosure … If you actually knew a lawyer, aside from the one that your mommy uses, you’d be hard pressed to know anyone, other than your mommy, that was a client. Are you actually THAT stupid? Rhetorical question that it is.
6 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
WTF??? Now, this is what happens when you take psych meds laced with formaldehyde. Totally incoherent bile. How many people do you think what you have to say has any merit, besides the imaginary ones in your ward.
6 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
The majority are often wrong. 320 million can be wrong and just one person right.
5 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
Cut her some slack. Her mommy’s not playing “make-believe” enough with her. Even stamping her feet won’t get her mommy’s attention, anymore.
5 years ago
Reply to
Achmed Mohandjob
Perhaps I should. I’ll call the psych nurse on her ward and tell her the aemoirea needs more time away from the computer.
5 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
Ain’t gonna work. She doesn’t have enough of a brain to utilize that surgical procedure.
5 years ago
Reply to
Achmed Mohandjob
Good point. Perhaps whatever is up there, what little there is, can be used for experimentation. Is Dr. Mengele still around.
5 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
If that one person HATES moslems (the vilest of ALL creatures), that one person IS correct.
5 years ago
“If it weren’t for double standards, the left would have no standards at all”-Chris Plante
