The sanctimonious media has been bashing Sean Hannity for failing to reveal his ties to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen before commenting on him in news stories, so this revelation should be of keen interest to them.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood forced Hannity’s name to be revealed to the public despite objections from Cohen’s own lawyers who said it was “likely to be embarrassing or detrimental to the client.”
They fought tooth and nail to keep Hannity’s name from being publicly disclosed, likely sensing the media would turn the entire revelation into a circus of false conclusions and innuendo.
Courtroom observers claim Wood was prepared to release the name under seal but was persuaded to make it public by a prominent lawyer who works for CNN and the New York Times!
“Judge Wood was prepared to let Ryan give her the name of Cohen’s third client under seal,” Atlantic reporter Natasha Bertrand tweeted. “At that point, an attorney for the NYT and CNN approached the podium and convinced her that the press (&public) should know.”
The judge, of course, agreed.
A note about this: Judge Wood was prepared to let Ryan give her the name of Cohen’s third client under seal. At that point, an attorney for the NYT and CNN approached the podium and convinced her that the press (&public) should know. She agreed. He played pivotal role here. https://t.co/nbJUaAw4Ys
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) April 17, 2018
The attorney in question has been identified as Robert Balin, who aside from working for CNN and the Times also represents five total news organizations, with one being the Associated Press.
Bloomberg News reports that Balin argued there was “intense public interest in the issues that are before this court.”
Wood agreed after his argument, saying “I understand he doesn’t want his name out there, but that’s not enough under the law.”
Robert Balin is the attorney’s name. Thanks everyone who commented with it!
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) April 17, 2018
Hmmm … why would a lawyer for left-leaning media outlets want to publicly embarrass Fox News host Sean Hannity?
It’s a mystery.
Wood, meanwhile, has been outed as a liberal activist herself, having officiated George Soros’ wedding in 2013. It probably stands to reason it didn’t take much of a ‘legal’ argument to persuade Wood to cave to the whims of a liberal media lawyer.
Better yet, the same media outlets blasting Hannity for not disclosing relationships failed to disclose their own.
CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz, according to Twitchy, mentioned the legal proceedings but never revealed Balin’s name or who he works for.
I was in court yesterday and if it wasn’t for the attorney representing the press, Sean Hannity’s name would have been filed under seal. Judge Kimba Wood was ready to accept the name under seal, when the attorney representing the press stood up and argued successfully against it
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) April 17, 2018
Shouldn’t CNN, the New York Times, and the Associated Press all have revealed this relationship within any reports they ran regarding Sean Hannity?
Are you surprised a liberal lawyer helped out Sean Hannity as one of Cohen’s clients? Tell us what you think below!
