In the opening monologue of his Monday Fox News Channel broadcast, Sean Hannity, host of “Hannity,” confronted attacks against him and his character head-on.
Hannity said he could no longer remain silent and that he had hired a team of “the best attorneys in this country” to work on his behalf.
Transcript as follows:
I have to start by addressing a well-orchestrated effort by the intolerant left in this country that is designed to silence every conservative voice and by any means necessary. Now, I’m speaking out tonight so that you, our audience, will understand what is really happening and what is at stake when it comes to freedom of speech in this country. Now, these tactics are right out of Saul Alinsky’s “Rule for Radicals” playbook.
Now, I’ve worked for radio for 30 years. I’ve been right here at the Fox News Channel for 21-and-a-half years. I’m very proud of that and during this time, there’ve always been efforts and attempts to smear and slander and besmirch me and other conservatives. But it has never been as intense and completely insane as it is right now.
Now, I want you to understand, every single minute, every single second I am on the air — radio, TV — there is somebody likely being paid, recording and monitoring every single word that comes out of my mouth all in the hopes that I may see something they can twist and distort and use against me and try to destroy my reputation and get my conservative voice out the air.
Now, it has only gotten worse in the age of President Trump. Now, it’s no secret I have been in supporter of the president and of course his policies. And quite simply, these liberal fascists — they can’t stand conservative voices.
Now for those of you who don’t know me well, I have a pretty thick skin. I call out people, I say things I give my point of view four hours a day. And for all these years, there has been this an unrelenting attack against me. But in light of recent events, I’ve come to the conclusion I can no longer remain silent and I can no longer let the left slander against me slide.
So, from now on, I want you to be informed of what I am doing and why I’m doing it. If there’s any person or group or any organization, any media outlet that slanders, lies about me, besmirch me and my character, I am going to be calling them out. At this point, enough is enough.
I have hired a team of some of the best attorneys in this country to work with me and on my behalf. Now, the breaking point came this weekend when an individual for over a decade has made the most outrageous, unfair, untrue allegations against me has now resurfaced making ridiculous and completely untrue claims.
Now, this person went on a radio show on Friday and made more unfounded accusations against me, which this person is now interestingly recanting after I made my statement, but it was only after I responded to these baseless and false smears. This is not the first time I have had to deal with this individual.
Now, this person has repeatedly spread lies about me. I’ll give you an example. Back in 2010, I was raising money for the Freedom Alliance, a charity that offers college scholarships to the children of killed veterans and their families. And in a blog post, the individual falsely accused me and members of the charity of skimming and stealing money that was donated.
This of course was easily proven false. And, in spite of the fact that we proved each and every single allegation to be untrue and inaccurate at the time, I was never given an apology. There is no correction that was issued.
Now, this person has made another slander accusation, and in response, I released this statement, which now the press has picked up, and I will read it for you:
Let me be clear. The comments about me on a radio show this week by this individual are 100 percent false and a complete fabrication. This individual is a serial harasser who has been lying about me for well over a decade. The individual has a history of making provably false statements to get against me in an effort to slander, smear and besmirch my reputation.
The individual is not just slandered me over the years but also many people who this individual disagrees with. This individual desperately seeks attention by any means necessary including making unfounded personal attacks and using indefensible and outrageous political rhetoric.
My patience with this individual is over. I have retained a team of some of the finest and toughest lawyers in the country who are now in the process of laying out the legal course of action we will be taking against this individual.
Now, in this fiercely divided and vindictive climate, I will no longer allow slander to go unchallenged, as I see this to be a coordinated effort afoot to silence those with conservative views.
I will fight every single lie about me about any and all legal means available to me as an American.
Now, I want you to know, my audience, the importance of what is happening here. This is not about Sean Hannity. This is not about one person. There is now a coordinated attempt to silence the voice of every outspoken conservative in this country.
If we don’t stop it right now, there won’t be any conservative voices on radio or television left. Now, I’m not the only one that these liberal fascist routinely targeted. Like me, conservatives are monitored on radio and TV, every word they say — contrary to the alt radical left stated position — they’re so open-minded, liberals.
Not true. Liberal fascism is alive and well in America today. Their goal is simple: They want to shut up and shut down and silence all conservative voices by any means necessary.
Here is the difference: Unlike the left, I don’t have any problem with what the other side says. If you want to listen to liberals on radio or TV, read their articles, follow them on social media, go for it.
Now, I’ll call them out for the bias. I will explain why they were wrong. I will debate them. But I will never, ever say they should be silenced. And I won’t support boycotts to attack their advertisers, a roundabout way of silencing them.
So let me be clear tonight, everyone who is publicly supporting President Trump is a target. This is very political. We have seen repeatedly that the left knows no limits in these efforts.
They have gone after and attacked the first lady. They have attacked members of the president’s family, every White House advisor. They’ve even attacked his daughter and his 10-year-old son.
Now, ultimately their goal is to cause as much collateral damage as they can to anybody that supports the president. They have tried to undermine the outcome of this election since November 9.
Please note, this is not about me. This is about the left concocting boycotts all in an attempt to silence prominent conservative voices. If we don’t take a stand now, if we allow this to happen now, I am telling you, America as we know it — freedom of speech as we know it is over. Let’s stop the boycotts and its silencing of opposition voices.