The world got a little more insight into what “real estate” advice Sean Hannity might be receiving from Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
On Sunday evening, The Guardian revealed that the Fox News host is also a real estate baron, with roughly 870 properties linked to him across the United States. According to the paper, Hannity amassed the properties over the last decade with a series of shell companies that dropped nearly $90 million on the purchases.
Hannity’s name is hidden behind the LLCs, but the British broadsheet was able to discover his ownership after analyzing thousands of pages of publicly available documents.
Hannity’s purchasing strategy appears to target low-income properties and homes in foreclosure. The conservative firebrand acquired many properties out of debt in 2013. Hannity has also used financing from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist with a $17.9 million mortgage on several properties in Georgia. Those came courtesy of the National Housing Act, with the Hannity-specific loans guaranteed under the Obama administration.
Despite being a practicing attorney, Michael Cohen has primarily spent the last decade working as Donald Trump’s fixer on all matters — both legal and otherwise. After a raid of his home and office two weeks ago, a federal judge forced Cohen to reveal his relationship with two other clients. One of those clients was former RNC finance chairman Elliott Broidy and the other was Sean Hannity.
In a statement on his website, Hannity defended his real estate empire.
“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,”
In an earlier statement, the Fox News said that while they had been surprised by Hannity’s involvement with Cohen, they were standing by the primetime star.
“While Fox News was unaware of Sean Hannity’s informal relationship with Michael Cohen and was surprised by the announcement in court yesterday, we have reviewed the matter and spoken to Sean and he continues to have our full support,” a spokesperson told TheWrap.