by WND
Fox News host Sean Hannity is responding to news reports that he has links to shell companies that have spent $90 million purchasing houses across the U.S., and he says he’s under “attack” for investing in struggling communities.
As WND reported, Hannity was named as a client of President Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, last week. Hannity said his legal discussions with Cohen were focused on the issue of real estate.
“I’ve said many time on my radio show: I hate the stock market,” Hannity said on television. “Michael knows real estate.”
On Sunday, the London Guardian reported that it had reviewed thousands of pages of public records concerning Hannity’s investments.
“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 Guardian reported. “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 criticized Barack Obama for the U.S. foreclosure rate.”
The Guardian also reported that Hannity had received support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. The shell companies formed in Georgia reportedly purchased properties in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont. Hannity received assistance in securing $17.9 million mortgages with HUD-insured loans, which were originally guaranteed under President Obama’s administration and increased by $5 million under the Trump administration.
On Monday, Hannity posted the following response to his website, Hannity.com:
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.
The LLCs are REAL companies that spend real investment money on real properties.
Hannity’s real estate attorney, Christopher Reeves, told the Guardian that he’d “struggle to find any relevance” concerning Hannity’s real-estate investments.
“I doubt you would find it very surprising that most people prefer to keep their legal and personal financial issues private,” Reeves told the paper. “Mr. Hannity is no different.”
As WND reported, Hannity’s critics and left-leaning organizations have been targeting the Fox News host since it was revealed he had the same lawyer as Trump at one point. The revelation had the far-left organization Media Matters targeting Hannity’s advertisers.
Via http://www.wnd.com/2018/04/im-being-attacked-hannity-responds-to-media-blitz-over-his-properties/