Current Events > Sean Hannity has amassed a real-estate empire

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https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/apr/22/michael-cohen-sean-hannity-property-real-estate-ben-carson-hud?CMP=share_btn_tw

When Sean Hannity was named in court this week as a client of Donald Trumps embattled legal fixer Michael Cohen, the Fox News host insisted their discussions had been limited to the subject of buying property.

Ive said many times on my radio show: I hate the stock market, I prefer real estate. Michael knows real estate, Hannity said on television, a few hours after the dramatic hearing in Manhattan, where Cohen is under criminal investigation.

Hannitys chosen investment strategy is confirmed by thousands of pages of public records reviewed by the Guardian, which detail a real estate portfolio of remarkable scale that has not previously been reported.

The records link Hannity to a group of shell companies that spent at least $90m on more than 870 homes in seven states over the past decade. The properties range from luxurious mansions to rentals for low-income families. Hannity is the hidden owner behind some of the shell companies and his attorney did not dispute that he owns all of them.

Dozens of the properties were bought at a discount in 2013, after banks foreclosed on their previous owners for defaulting on mortgages. Before and after then, Hannity sharply criticised Barack Obama for the US foreclosure rate. In January 2016, Hannity said there were millions more Americans suffering under this president partly because of foreclosures.

Hannity, 56, also amassed part of his property collection with support from the US Department for Housing and Urban Development (Hud), a fact he did not disclose when praising Ben Carson, the Hud secretary, on his television show last year.

Christopher Reeves, Hannitys real estate attorney, said in an email he would struggle to find any relevance in Hannitys property holdings, which he said were highly confidential.

I doubt you would find it very surprising that most people prefer to keep their legal and personal financial issues private, said Reeves. Mr Hannity is no different.

Spokespeople for Hud and Fox News declined to comment on the record.

The real estate holdings linked to Hannity are spread across more than 20 shell companies formed in Georgia. Each of the companies uses a variant of the same name, which combines the initials of Hannitys children. Public records show the companies have bought up dozens of properties in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont.

Among the most valuable are two large apartment complexes in Georgia that Hannity bought in 2014 for $22.7m. The developments are in the cities of Perry and Brunswick, which have higher poverty rates and lower median incomes than the US averages. One- and two-bedroom units in Hannitys apartment complexes are available to rent for $735 to $1,065 per month, according to brochures.

The Georgia purchases were funded with mortgages for $17.9m that Hannity obtained with help from Hud, which insured the loans under a program created as part of the National Housing Act. The loans, first guaranteed under the Obama administration, were recently increased by $5m with renewed support from Carsons department.

Hannity, who is reportedly paid $36m per year for his television and radio shows, was criticised this week following Cohens court hearing, after it became clear he had defended Cohen and Trump on the air without disclosing that he also consulted Cohen for legal services.

He also declined to note his financial interest when he hosted Carson on Fox News last June for a discussion about Hud and housing. Hannity praised privatisation plans pushed by Trump and Carson.

Also, Jesus Christ I had no idea Hannity was making a higher salary than Lebron.
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Does that mean he was criticizing the programs / situations that were enabling him to acquire all that property? Not sure if that speaks good things of his character.

But holy fuck at how much money he has.
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Antifar posted...

Christopher Reeves, Hannitys real estate attorney

why did he go to Cohen for "real estate" questions when he has a specific real estate attorney?

hmmmmm
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Another rich scumbag. What a surprise
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Any other network would make a public display of firing his ass with just half this scandal.
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Wow. Smart with his money. While it may be hypocritical to attack programs that benefit you personally on the side, I can't say I wouldn't be leveraging them myself while I could.

This guy is rolling in the dough. Real estate, man. Real estate.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

Does that mean he was criticizing the programs / situations that were enabling him to acquire all that property? Not sure if that speaks good things of his character.

But holy fuck at how much money he has.

I don't really think we needed this to come out to accurately determine his character.

And how fucking funny would it be if he actually has more $$$ than Trump does lmfao.
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That's it, I'm not voting for Sean Hannity this November.

Seriously, who cares?
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Good for him, I am proud of him

Of course the conservative party of corruption doesn't care.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

Does that mean he was criticizing the programs / situations that were enabling him to acquire all that property? Not sure if that speaks good things of his character.

But holy fuck at how much money he has.

It depends on how you view it. One could consider it hypocritcal, but also consider it admirable that he used his platform to criticizes policies that hurt people even if doing so could hurt his income.

I don't pay much attention to him so IDK
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Imagine if Tapper said this
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