Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham says Fox News host Sean Hannity was “like a shadow advisor” to President Donald Trump.
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- Stephanie Grisham said Fox News host Sean Hannity was “like a shadow advisor” to Trump.
- “He definitely advised the president on many, many things to do,” Grisham told CNN.
- Grisham served as White House press secretary and later as Melania Trump’s chief of staff.
Former Trump administration official Stephanie Grisham on Thursday said that Fox News host Sean Hannity acted “like a shadow advisor” to former President Donald Trump.
“Sean Hannity, I have got to say, he was like a shadow adviser,” Grisham, who worked as Trump’s press secretary and communications director, said in an interview with CNN’s “New Day.”
“I spoke to [Hannity] all the time. I sat with him prior to interviews he would do with the president. And he definitely advised the president on many, many things to do,” she added.
The comments come after communications from Hannity emerged as part of the House select committee’s probe into the January 6 Capitol riot. The congressional panel recently revealed texts that Hannity sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows leading up to January 6, on the day of, and the following days.
“It didn’t surprise me that [Hannity] was reaching out to Meadows or anybody else. That was something that was done quite often to try to get messages to the president,” Grisham told CNN.
A spokesperson for Fox News did not return Insider’s request for comment.
—The Recount (@therecount) January 6, 2022
In a series of texts that Meadows released to the committee, Hannity appeared to express concerns about Trump’s actions before, during and after the insurrection. As rioters stormed the Capitol, Hannity texted Meadows: “Can he make a statement? Ask people to leave the Capitol.”
The January 6 committee on Tuesday sent a letter to Hannity requesting voluntarily cooperate with the investigation.
“We have no doubt that you love our country and respect our Constitution,” panel chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson and vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney wrote in the letter. “Now is the time to step forward and serve the interests of your country.”
“We are evaluating the letter from the committee,” Hannity’s lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said in a statement to several news outlets. “We remain very concerned about the constitutional implications especially as it relates to the First Amendment. We will respond as appropriate.”
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