Sean Hannity Bashed Obama For Foreclosures But Liked Buying Them

ATLANTA, GA — When conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity was named as a fellow client of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, Hannity was roundly criticized for failing to reveal his relationship even as he blasted the federal probe into Cohen. Hannity even shrugged off the widespread criticism, saying he only sought occasional real estate advice from Cohen and never paid the lawyer for that advice.

But a new report from The Guardian newspaper linked Hannity to a slew of Georgia-based shell companies that spent $90 million or more over the last 10 years to buy more than 870 properties spanning seven states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont.

The shell companies were registered to the Atlanta-area offices of the wealth management company Henssler Financial, the report said.

"The properties range from luxurious mansions to rentals for low-income families," the newspaper said. "Hannity is the hidden owner behind some of the shell companies and his attorney did not dispute that he owns all of them."

Also of interest, is that Hannity was buying foreclosed properties even as he bashed then President Barack Obama over America's foreclosure rate.

As recently as 2016, the popular TV host rebuked Obama over Obama's contention that the economy was improving. Among Hannity's claims to the contrary was that there were "record numbers of foreclosures" during the Obama presidency.

But Hannity himself bought dozens of foreclosed properties for a discounted price, and did so with the help of the federal Department for Housing and Urban Development, which backed Hannity's multi-million dollar mortgages to buy some of them. That tidbit of information was not revealed when he praised HUD Secretary Ben Carson on Hannity's own show in June 2017.

Cohen's office in Manhattan was the target of an FBI raid this month. Among the items seized were documents on payments that Trump allegedly made to an adult film actress, as well as emails, tax records and business papers.

Hannity maintains he and Cohen strictly talked about real estate.

“I’ve said many times on my radio show: I hate the stock market, I prefer real estate. Michael knows real estate,” Hannity said on TV.

Neither HUD nor Fox News would comment about the matter to The Guardian on the record.

Hannity said in a statement his firms, which are known as limited liability companies, are "REAL companies that spend real investment money on real properties."

"It is ironic that I am being attacked for investing my personal money in communities that badly need such investment and in which, I am sure, those attacking me have not invested their money. The fact is, these are investments that I do not individually select, control, or know the details about; except that obviously I believe in putting my money to work in communities that otherwise struggle to receive such support.

I have never discussed with anybody at HUD the original loans that were obtained in the Obama years, nor the subsequent refinance of such loans, as they are a private matter. I had no role in, or responsibility for, any HUD involvement in any of these investments. I can say that every rigorous process and strict standard of improvement requirements were followed; all were met, fulfilled and inspected."

Hannity's real estate attorney Christopher Reeves told The Guardian in an email that the purchases were highly confidential and that most people would prefer to keep their legal and personal financial issues out of the public.

"Mr Hannity is no different," he said.

Fox News previously said it didn't know Hannity had what the network called an "informal relationship" with Cohen. The network said it reviewed the matter, talked to Hannity about it and continues to fully support him.

Click here to read the full report.

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