Should Fox's Sean Hannity Be Busted For Illegal Campaign Financing?





This was my comment on the coverage of the House Select Committee on January 6th request for cooperation by Fox "Entertainer" Sean Hannity, who it appears was deeply involved as a consultant to Donald Trump before, during and after the Capitol riot up until this very day. I posted this on Professor Heather Cox Richardson's page in response to her letter today. 

["Because Hannity has admitted that he has engaged in on-the-air and other Fox related activity not as a news journalist, but as an advocate for electing and re-electing Donald Trump, that has legal implications.

I was a political organizer and fundraiser for 35 years, and raised millions of dollars for Congressional and Presidential campaigns, all of which fell under regulation of the Federal Election Commission, so I have a fairly good knowlege of Federal Campaign finance law. Since Hannity's activity in advising Trump is by his own admission not journalism, he should be designated as an unpaid campaign volunteer. 

This means that his personal time, on the air time slots designated to Trump coverage, working lunches, consultations, conferences, dinner parties, hotel bookings, travel, printing and copying, space or equipment rentals, mobile phone usage, any expenditure by him or his employers related to his unpaid volunteer labor must be considered "Payment in Kind" political campaign contributions, therefore subject to FEC regulation and campaign finance law.

Hannity's consulting and advocacy related activities for the Trump Campaign could be investigated as illegal and unreported campaign donations, subject to fines and criminal penalties. Likewise, for other Fox "entertainers" engaged in similar advocacy and consulting. I've said this before, but Fox should be treated not as a Media corporation but as a PAC, which is subject to FEC regulation.

That opens the door for a whole array of steps to reign them in which do not threaten protected free speech or press freedoms.  It also would set a precedent for insuring that private media corporations which should have a responsibility to the Public Interest can never again be used as a propaganda outlet for a campaign or political party, and engage in  flagrant lying and illegal funding of such. Are there some election law people out there who might take this up? Asking for our Posterity."]

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