Sean Hannity, the biggest Trump insider at Fox News, says MSNBC and CNN are 'state-run TV'

Sean Hannity
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Fox News)

Most people think of "state-run TV" as propagandist television networks that are run by the government to boost the country's leader and tell his (or her, but usually his) side of any news event. Fox News star Sean Hannity appears to have a different definition.

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Hannity is one of President Trump's most loyal and influential television boosters, along with Fox News host Jeannine Pirro and Fox Business host Lou Dobbs. They are all apparently in regular contact with Trump himself, and Trump makes it known publicly that he watches their shows and other programs on two Fox networks. Hannity has even appeared alongside Trump at his political rallies, and Trump reportedly takes political and policy cues from his Fox friends.

In this case, Hannity was complaining that "Fake News CNN" and "conspiracy TV" MSNBC are "both state-run TV" because they interviewed two kind of shady antagonists of the president — Michael Avenatti, a lawyer who represented a porn actress Trump paid off, and Lev Parnas, dug for dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine with, he says, Trump's full knowledge and approval.

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Hannity's next guest, his screen said, was Reince Priebus, Trump's first chief of staff and former head of the Republican National Committee.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.