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Sean Hannity's Bestselling Book Got A Boost From The GOP
Sean Hannity’s new book, which debuted atop the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list, got a boost from the Republican National Committee.
Records from the Federal Election Commission show that the RNC spent over $400,000 in August on “donor mementos” from Barnes & Noble, BooksAMillion.com and Porchlight Books.
It’s not clear how much of that spending was for Hannity’s book, but Salon reported it was at least $145,000.
A representative for Porchlight Books told Salon, which first pointed out the FEC filings, that the RNC’s orders for “Live Free or Die” matched an Aug. 5 spending report of $26,100 and an Aug. 19 spending report of $119,250.
A Barnes & Noble spokesperson told HuffPost that it could not comment on the nature of purchases. Books-A-Million and the RNC did not respond to questions.
Hannity came under fire ahead of his book’s Aug. 4 release when fundraising emails from “Trump Headquarters” offered “priority access” to copies of “Live Free or Die” signed by Hannity to supporters who made a donation of $75 or more. Despite the network’s supposed rules barring employees from participating in campaign events, Fox News referred HuffPost to the book’s publisher when pressed at the time on their star’s involvement with the president’s campaign.
It’s not unusual for a political campaign to tie books to donations, but it is unusual for a major news network host to join such fundraising efforts. Hannity has a history of disregarding that norm ― and he’s been slapped on the wrist for it in the past.
In 2016, following Hannity’s featured appearance in an ad from the Trump campaign, Fox News said he would not be permitted to appear in any other promotional materials for the remainder of the election season. Then in 2018, after he joined President Donald Trump onstage at a Missouri rally, the network told HuffPost that it “does not condone any talent participating in campaign events.”
Hannity’s...
