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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNEW: Sean Hannity revealed as secret owner behind shell companies that have spent $90m buying 870+ h
Link to tweet
Fox News host who said Trumps fixer knows real estate has a portfolio that includes support from Department of Housing and Urban Development, a fact he did not mention when interviewing secretary Ben Carson last year
When Sean Hannity was named in court this week as a client of Donald Trumps embattled legal fixer Michael Cohen, the Fox News host insisted their discussions had been limited to the subject of buying property.
Ive said many times on my radio show: I hate the stock market, I prefer real estate. Michael knows real estate, Hannity said on television, a few hours after the dramatic hearing in Manhattan, where Cohen is under criminal investigation.
Hannitys chosen investment strategy is confirmed by thousands of pages of public records reviewed by the Guardian, which detail a real estate portfolio of remarkable scale that has not previously been reported.
The records link Hannity to a group of shell companies that spent at least $90m on more than 870 homes in seven states over the past decade. The properties range from luxurious mansions to rentals for low-income families. Hannity is the hidden owner behind some of the shell companies and his attorney did not dispute that he owns all of them.
More: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/apr/22/michael-cohen-sean-hannity-property-real-estate-ben-carson-hud?CMP=share_btn_tw
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)ffr
(22,644 posts)Millions of fools eat his bullshit every week, then go to the polls to make him richer.
TheBlackAdder
(28,070 posts)american_ideals
(613 posts)Please please please can we also learn Ailes, Shine, Limbaugh, Levin, and Hewitt were in on the same deal?
Even if not, Ill take it with just one propagandist. Hannity has hurt the country and deserves a big big fall.
malaise
(267,784 posts)They are all thieves - lock up the goons making up this kakistocracy
This may not even be anything illegal. But it looks bad. Which is bad for Hannity. And good for America.
And Id be shocked if the Hannity-Cohen connection contains nothing illegal.
FakeNoose
(32,328 posts)She said there was something hugely embarrassing for Hannity that was about to come out.
This real estate thing is just telling us how he spends his money. Not embarrassing.
And as you say, it's probably nothing illegal either.
blue-wave
(4,313 posts)It only begins to describe this guy. FYI Sociopaths don't get embarrassed. They only destroy.
pbmus
(12,418 posts)After the 2008 crash when shell companies bought properties , rented them at twice, three times mortgage, never to be sold...
These companies include Ah4R, and many others...
High Card No Trump
(3 posts)is this a surprise to anyone that Hannity has shell companies and is a slum lord?
shanti
(21,670 posts)in Roseville, CA where all of the homes are owned by one company and rented out. These are NEW homes. I never knew that it was a thing until recently.
janx
(24,128 posts)has made this a part of our lexicon.
Many of us at DU have been using it long before him - from the early days of these goons.
and plenty of people recognize KAKA, but I still credit Brennan with introducing it to many people who had not heard the term before.
ecstatic
(32,566 posts)I wonder if Ben Carson gave Hannity some sweetheart deals (at trump's request, no doubt)?
malaise
(267,784 posts)and then others started using it more in 2017. Krugman used it in a February 2018 NYT February article
and since then Brennan and others are using it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/opinion/gop-character-bad-faith.html
Why do you think they put Ben Carson there - you think he even knows what they are doing around him - he's a fugging corrupt figurehead buying expensive tables. Trinkets are fine for him - the bigger boys understand the meaning of looting for profit.
add
ecstatic
(32,566 posts)spot on, way back in 2016.
malaise
(267,784 posts)ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)Ben Carson can sleep the rest of his life away in a nice cell, and Hannity can tell himself all sorts of conspiracy theories while he rots. But why are they free? I do not understand it. It's just so obvious!
malaise
(267,784 posts)eventually
OMGWTF
(3,891 posts)This abomination of an adminstration will be studied as the textbook example of what NOT to do to run the country properly.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)Why would anyone buy real estate through shell companies unless youre trying to hide something.
I smell a washing machine. Thoughts and prayers Hannity.
Doodley
(8,976 posts)FakeNoose
(32,328 posts)I have no idea if this is true, but it would be a reason for Hannity to hide his involvement if that were the case.
The oligarchs have been laundering their money in US real estate ever since the communist regime fell in early 1990's. Trump (and maybe Hannity) have been helping them buy real estate off the books. If Hannity is helping Russians launder their money - and participating in their activities - he's probably also hiding profits from Uncle Sam.
It's not against the law to own real estate, a lot of very wealthy people are doing that. However Stormy Daniels hinted that Hannity is involved in something really shady that's he doesn't want the rest of us to know about.
It would be a good reason to start BOYCOTTING HANNITY right about now!
Doodley
(8,976 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,246 posts)Josh Marshall over at TPM has been digging info on and writing about Cohen for over a year now. The latest is from a book by Seth Hennetta on Trump/Russia where Hennetta writes about Cohen's father-in-law being a big player in the Russian mob and the conduit for a lot of Russian money into NYC/US real estate. The obvious conclusion is at least some of that cash is money being laundered. IMHO, if Hannity's real estate deals were on the up and up, he wouldn't be discussing them - a lot or a little - with Michael Cohen. I'm sure there are plenty of qualified, honest real estate lawyers in NYC he could have used instead.
unblock
(51,973 posts)Yeah that's totally believable in the context of a $90 million and 870 houses
bronxiteforever
(9,287 posts)Leghorn21
(13,520 posts)47of74
(18,470 posts)To motherfucking pigs, comparing them to Hannity.
blue-wave
(4,313 posts)The guy is scum. America was suffering and he was laughing all the way to the bank. He's lower than the pond scum downhill from a pig pen.
mnmoderatedem
(3,706 posts)the housing crisis had nothing to do with Obama.
not that facts ever matter to Hannity....
NewJeffCT
(56,827 posts)Obama had a time machine and went back in time and caused the housing crisis. Didn't some other Republican blame Obama for 9/11 as well a few years back? Same thing.
Exotica
(1,461 posts)From the Guardian article...
Carson does, however, have the authority to allow Hannity from 2019 to convert the rental complexes into condominiums for sale, which could be lucrative for the television host.
He could end up making tens of millions just from turning his rentals to condos, all with Carson's help
bronxiteforever
(9,287 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)thbobby
(1,474 posts)Hannity. Well, GOP in a nutshell. Greedy bastards promoting hatred. Pretend Christians enabling slaughter of American Youth. Traitors colluding with Russia to enrich themselves. And a large part of Americans so blinded by racial hatred that they can't see or don't care they are being robbed and slaughtered.
trump, making America great again. Actually, just exposing what the GOP has been for decades.
american_ideals
(613 posts)Thats the whole mission of their party. Good phrase
janx
(24,128 posts)This charlatan's career is over.
procon
(15,805 posts)Kinda makes his claim that he only talked Michael Cohen for "minor real estate advice" sound suspicious.
Exotica
(1,461 posts)If he is renting every house and unit he could be looking at a gross revenue stream in the multiple millions a month, no clue what the net is.
dalton99a
(81,064 posts)wishstar
(5,267 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,246 posts)I knew you could.
Doodley
(8,976 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Leghorn21
(13,520 posts)tweets from Spanky45 about what a great businessman Cohen is and how lovely his family is, and also Comey Mueller Pardons Witches Leakers and so forth, endlessly.
Anyway, all hail Avenatti, and heres what he said on Real Time, star:
Heres what I think: I think that when the documents actually come out, and there are documents theres no question in my mind, there are documents with Sean Hannitys name on them the extent of that relationship, I think, will be very embarrassing to Sean Hannity, Avenatti told Maher on Friday.
Doodley
(8,976 posts)Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)Preying on the less fortunate is all they know.
safeinOhio
(32,524 posts)Did HUD handle some recent buys by him and others?
OnDoutside
(19,905 posts)Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)full-ugly republican twisted "values"
CentralMass
(15,265 posts)Generic Brad
(14,270 posts)Sounds like a little tax evasion may be ripe for discovery. If this was on the up and up he would not have hidden behind multiple shell companies.
calimary
(80,693 posts)Those who have nothing to hide - hide nothing.
SWBTATTReg
(21,856 posts)calimary
(80,693 posts)OnDoutside
(19,905 posts)2008 alone.
Generic Brad
(14,270 posts)Thats what they estimated him at.
blugbox
(951 posts)They_Live
(3,222 posts)your primary residence, right? At least, for a certain amount of time (2 years?). Unless the rules changed since I bought mine in 1992 (?). That is you're not supposed to be able to buy hundreds of HUD homes at once. Foreclosures, yes. HUD, no.
lindysalsagal
(20,433 posts)a government program that protects his investments?
Now, someone will have to find proof Hannity broke that law, (many times over) and someone helped him break it. I think that someone is Cohen. Maybe Cohen gets the russian filthy money and the U.S. HUD employee who looks the other way, and gets a kick-back from the Russian.
It's all too perfect: Hannity never takes any risk, spends other people's money, and then takes the profits, and a russian mobster cleans the money, maybe even buying and re-selling to his friends.
I hope there are reporters crawling all over this.
They_Live
(3,222 posts)in a property bought for a fraction of what it is worth. Cash flow...
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)He worked on the developer side; renovating homes that qualified for buyers like you.
It's not illegal or even bad. It's a needed business and puts people in good homes.
The issue is he took advantage of a system he claims is bad.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Sean.
kentuck
(110,947 posts)"I may have talked to him a little about real estate....I may have given him $10 to hide all my money in shell companies so I could evade paying taxes and then I could buy all these properties under an assumed name or company and I could be just like my hero, Donald Trump..."
Uh-huh...
Doodley
(8,976 posts)real estate deals.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)Like much of what he claims to own, he stole it.
Freethinker65
(9,928 posts)Leghorn21
(13,520 posts)Werent you @stevenmnuchin1 involved with 90,000 foreclosed homes during the housing crisis?
Imagine that #SeanHannity #Hannity
Hi @JamesFourM @ninaandtito @ericgarland @lauferlaw @DrDenaGrayson @LincolnsBible @aliasvaughn
Imagine that huh?Link to tweet
?s=20Indeed he was. Foreclosing on grandmas and vets over fractions of cents.
Brings the next question: If El Caribe Cohen was mobbing-up Hannity, who was mobbing-up Mnuchin?Link to tweet
?s=20
OnDoutside
(19,905 posts)Who gave him the inside track on purchasing these properties ?
How much under value did he buy them for ?
What has he done with them since ?
Did he sell any to, or rent them through, HUD ?
What influence did Ben Carson have in these ?
Exotica
(1,461 posts)OnDoutside
(19,905 posts)3Hotdogs
(12,197 posts)They are listed in local papers. It is no secret when they are at auction.
OnDoutside
(19,905 posts)3Hotdogs
(12,197 posts)OnDoutside
(19,905 posts)starphlo
(25 posts)it isn't a secret but there could be tricks going on, like getting an inside scoop before they are listed, being awarded ownership at lower prices or when others outbid you, etc. He has done something dirty.
dembotoz
(16,734 posts)be careful who your landlord is
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)wearing $10K Gucci loafers while he pisses on the poor
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Because that sounds impossible.
Nitram
(22,663 posts)kentuck
(110,947 posts)If only they had demanded his tax returns.... we may have saved ourselves this tragic disaster?
NewJeffCT
(56,827 posts)what did he do that was illegal? HUD and foreclosure properties come up for sale all the time - he sets up a shell company to limit his liability in case the property continues to lose value. Not something the average Joe can do, but it's not exactly illegal.
niyad
(112,424 posts)Beartracks
(12,761 posts)========
ProfessorGAC
(64,413 posts)Sounds like someone planning on gentrifying and flipping.
That's not investing, it's scamming!
Color me shocked!