CNN on Tuesday devoted significant chunks of time on its morning show “New Day” to exploring Fox News host Sean Hannity and his ties to President Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Cohen’s lawyers admitted in a New York courtroom on Monday that Hannity was one of his clients. That sparked a wave of press speculation about why Hannity would need a lawyer like Cohen, who among other things helped secure a nondisclosure agreement with porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Hannity said on his show Monday night that his relationship with Cohen was “minimal” and related to questions about real estate. He said he was never billed by Cohen for seeking occasional advice.
But CNN explored the issue in several morning segments.
Early in the morning, CNN legal analyst Carrie Cordero argued that Hannity shouldn’t enjoy any legal privilege through his dealings with Cohen. Cordero said it wouldn’t be normal for a lawyer to work in confidence for a client without being formally retained.
“If the statements that I saw from Hannity yesterday are accurate statements, I don’t think it looks like there is any legal privilege between” him and Michael Cohen, says legal analyst @CarrieCordero https://t.co/hh6RVh0Lp9 pic.twitter.com/FGA5w7lZVW
— New Day (@NewDay) April 17, 2018
Later, CNN media analyst Brian Stelter said Hannity should have disclosed to his viewers that he had a relationship with Cohen, someone he was covering on his Fox News show. Stelter said Hannity blurs the lines between reporting and entertainment.
“I think he’s a really interesting phenomenon,” says @brianstelter of Sean Hannity. “He does blur these lines. He says he’s not a journalist, he says journalism is dead, and yet he calls his show real news and says he has anonymous sources, so he tries to have it both ways” pic.twitter.com/2uDfQLtvJe
— New Day (@NewDay) April 17, 2018
After that, CNN had American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, who was pressed by CNN host Alisyn Camerota if Hannity is a journalist. Schlapp said he doesn’t see Hannity as a journalist, and that he therefore isn’t required to disclose his connection to Cohen.
“I do not consider Sean (Hannity) a journalist,” says American Conservative Union chair Matt Schlapp. “I think he views himself as someone who’s had to break a lot of news” about the FBI https://t.co/hh6RVhimgH pic.twitter.com/ErLSCOk1WT
— New Day (@NewDay) April 17, 2018
Schlapp also said the informal nature of Hannity’s questions to Cohen make it less important for Hannity to disclose his relationship with Cohen.
Camerota said that doesn’t go far enough.
“We disclose anything that might even have a whiff of a conflict of interest,” she said of CNN’s standards. “That’s what journalists are supposed to do.”
