CNN's Anderson Cooper finds it odd Hannity never mentioned Cohen connection

On CNN Monday night, Anderson Cooper wondered aloud why Fox News' Sean Hannity never disclosed to viewers that he was a client of President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, despite having countless opportunities to do so.

It was revealed in court on Monday that Hannity was Cohen's mysterious third client, a fact Cohen's lawyer fought to keep private. Hannity is one of Trump's fiercest supporters, often using his TV and radio shows to boost the president and denigrate those he sees as his enemies (right now, Special Counsel Robert Mueller and former FBI Director James Comey). "It would seem the president and Sean Hannity share more than dinners and frequent phone calls and a mutual love of Fox News programming," Cooper said. "They also share an attorney. This did not come out willingly in court."

Once his name was out there, Hannity quickly tweeted that Cohen "has never represented me in any matter." Hannity said he'd asked Cohen legal questions, "almost exclusively about real estate," but he "assumed those conversations were confidential." "So what he seems to be saying is, 'I was not really a client of attorney Michael Cohen's, but our conversations are confidential because he is an attorney and I am his client," Cooper recapped.

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Regardless of the exact nature of their relationship, "let's not forget one week ago today, there was a raid on Michael Cohen's office and Hannity reported on it on Fox News as if he had absolutely no connection to the story," Cooper said. "No disclosure, no disclaimer, not even a casual mention that, 'Oh yeah, this guy also represents me in some form or fashion.'" Then came the dig at Fox News' famous slogan. "Not disclosing a business or legal relationship with someone you report on and had on as your guest at least 16 times since Donald Trump declared his presidency, that doesn't sound either fair nor balanced," Cooper said. Catherine Garcia