Sean Hannity's deeply embarrassing 'interview' with Paul Manafort

[Nevilledog]

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Philip Bump
@pbump
No one on God's green Earth should expect Sean Hannity to conduct a useful, informative interview of a contentious subject, but somehow he nonetheless managed to conduct an interview so embarrassingly bad that it's worth noting.

washingtonpost.com
Analysis | Sean Hannity’s deeply embarrassing ‘interview’ with Paul Manafort
Given the chance to question a central figure in the Russia investigation, Hannity Hannitys.
9:54 AM · Jan 13, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/13/hannity-manafort-interview-embarrassing/

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https://archive.fo/QTDJg

Sean Hannity is not a journalist, as he himself has admitted. That he plays one on television, though, affords him the chance to have the best of both worlds in the same manner that his employer, Fox News, enjoys.

He can adopt the trappings of journalism when needed, like pushing back against a request for information from the Jan. 6 committee on the grounds that he’s an esteemed member of the Fourth Estate. But, since his show falls on Fox’s “opinion” side of the ledger — the subtlest of distinctions — he’s also free to simply advocate for Donald Trump and Trump’s allies as desired.

So on Wednesday night, his audience was treated to one of the most garish rehabilitation efforts in recent political memory: an interview of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort that was to softball interviews what Pong is to tennis. Here, Hannity had the first on-camera interview with one of the central figures of the Russia probe since Manafort was pardoned by Trump, and he used it to spread misinformation about that investigation while completely failing to ask Manafort about what actually occurred during the 2016 campaign.

Again, I do not expect Hannity to interview Manafort in good faith. I am not naive; I recognize Hannity for who and what he is. It’s also possible that Manafort agreed to an interview only if some subjects were off-limits, but I very much doubt he even needed to raise that prospect. You don’t appear on Hannity’s show for an interview as a Trump ally and worry in advance about how harsh the experience will be.

*snip*

[Eyeball_Kid]

1. If Hannity were capable of being deeply embarrassed,

he wouldn't have a show on Fox.