Sean Hannity Is Essentially Serving as Trump's 'Shadow' Chief of Staff: Report

Cody Fenwick
and
 AlterNet
April 18, 2018

With the revelation that Fox News host Sean Hannity has been a client for President Donald Trump's attorney and fixer Michale Cohen, many are realizing that the ties between the two men may be even closer than they appear on the surface. A new report from the Washington Post found that aides believe the president relies on Trump as a "shadow" chief of staff.

These claims are bolstered by the fact that official White House chief of staff John Kelly has fallen out of favor with the president and may not be around much longer. When Trump is upset with his staff, the report says, Hannity is one of the first people he calls.

Reports also suggest that Hannity has worked with lawyer Jay Sekulow, one of the president's top lawyers handling the Russia investigation. Victoria Toensing and her husband Joseph diGenova, two lawyers who were almost brought on to Trump's legal team last month, appear to have ties to Hannity as well,

But according to the new article in the Post, Hannity's strongest ties to Trump are his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Both have appeared on Hannity's show, and one official said they are the "glue" keeping Hannity and the president together.

The public side of Trump's fondness for Hannity is plain for everyone to see. Hannity lavishes praise on the president on air and attacks his enemies, and Trump frequently directs his Twitter followers to tune in to the Fox host's show.

Aside from the obvious mutual appreciation, though, the Post reveals that one of conservative media's most enthusiastic bomb throwers actually wields a powerful influence over the policies coming out of the Oval Office.

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