Judge Unseals Texts Between Fox News Host Sean Hannity, Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort

More than 50 pages of text messages between Fox News Host Sean Hannity and Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort were released Friday by a Washington, D.C., federal judge.

The text messages were sent in 2017 and 2018 while Manafort was facing 18 counts of tax evasion, bank fraud and hiding foreign bank accounts in the first case brought after Special Counsel Robert Mueller began his investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.

Of the 18 counts, Manafort was convicted of eight and the remaining 10 were declared a mistrial by Judge T.S. Ellis, as jurors were unable to reach a verdict on those charges.

Many of the text messages between the two men were affectionate banter, while others spoke to Manafort’s concerns that Mueller might threaten charges against Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in an attempt to motivate Trump to agree to an interview.

“He won’t agree,” Hannity replied. “The lawyers will fight tooth and nail…Anything else I would take to SC,” he added, alluding to potential challenges at the Supreme Court.

Hannity, who has access and speaks with the president regularly, warned Manafort in August 2017 that any Trump supporter would be “road kill” during an investigation into his inner circle.

Republicans have called for a second special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton, who Trump defeated in 2016, as well as the origin of the investigation into Russian interference. At one point, Hannity suggested then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions would have to spearhead the inquiry, or “he is gone.” Manafort replied, “Fingers crossed you are right.”

In another exchange in March 2018, Hannity told Manafort that Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, intended to withdraw his guilty plea to a charge of lying to the FBI. Flynn has not done so but recently replaced his legal counsel, suggesting that it is possible.

While the name and phone number of the sender of the texts were redacted in the released documents, a Fox News spokeswoman responded to questions about whether Hannity was the sender with a statement from Hannity.

"My view of the special counsel investigation and the treatment of Paul Manafort were made clear every day to anyone who listens to my radio show or watches my TV show," Hannity posted on Twitter.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who unsealed the texts, summoned Manafort attorney Kevin Downing in March to answer for the exchanges after she became concerned the attorney was funneling information to the Fox News host. Downing told the judge that beyond a brief introductory conversation with Hannity, “I did not feed information to Mr. Hannity.”

The judge apparently found no evidence of further communication between Hannity and Manafort’s attorney, though in October 2017 Hannity texted: “COME ON WITH ME WITH YOUR ATTY BEFORE THEY TRY AND ATTACK U MORE.”