Hannity, Ingraham make no mention of text messages to Meadows on shows

Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham on Monday made no mention of the text messages they sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Jan. 6, just hours after the communications had been revealed by the select congressional committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol carried out by supporters of former President Trump. 

Hannity hosted Meadows as a guest on his nightly program Monday evening, opening his show by describing the panel as the “hyperpartisan pre-determined outcome anti-Trump” committee and reporting that Meadows had been found in contempt by Congress. 

“One of the things that is coming out more and more clearly each and every day is that everyone condemned what happened in terms of the breach of security on the Capitol on Jan. 6,” Meadows told Hannity, before falsely asserting that Trump “acted quickly” to quell the protest that turned violent on Jan. 6. 

The committee, as it voted Monday to hold Meadows in contempt for not cooperating with its investigation, revealed a series of text messages from Hannity, Ingraham, Fox News morning host Brian Kilmeade and others in Trump’s orbit urging the chief of staff to get the president to stop the attack. 

“Can he make a statement? Ask people to leave the Capitol,” Hannity texted Meadows, according to the phone records obtained by the committee.

“Mark, president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home. This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy,” Ingraham texted Meadows, the phone record show. 

Hannity on Monday night made no reference to the text messages he sent Meadows on Jan. 6. 

Ingraham also did not acknowledge the text messages she sent to Meadows during her show that immediately follows Hannity’s.

Kilmeade also texted Meadows on Jan. 6, pleading with the chief of staff, “Please get him on TV,” referring to Trump. “Destroying everything you have accomplished.”