You won't see or hear this on many main stream media outlets, but word on the street is that Sean Hannity of Fox News may have offered to pay for George Zimmerman's legal fees. The question is, can this be verified? And if it does end up being true, what are the ramifications for Hannity and Fox News in terms of "fair and balanced" reporting?
On July 16, the Special Prosecutor in the case released 149 jailhouse calls between Zimmerman and various people while he was being held on bail back in April. During those calls, George, his family, and his friends used coded messages and words to communicate, making it difficult to decipher their true meanings. In one of those calls to his friend "Scott," it becomes apparent that Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara did, indeed, know about the his hidden money, despite his attempts to tell the court he had no idea it even existed.
That money was in the form of donations from supporters. Another interesting aspect that Global Grind brought up is the person identified only as SH. This person, George told his friend, offered to pay his entire legal defense fees as long as he used an attorney identified only as JB. In fact, according to Zimmerman, SH would pay the fees whether or not he used JB. Could JB mean José Baez, the infamous defense attorney who got Casey Anthony off?
So, on top of Mark O'Mara's lies about knowing Zimmerman had tens of thousands of dollars at his disposal, Sean Hannity is being speculated as a possible donor.
Scott and George had a lengthy conversation during which they discussed the logistics of getting JB on as a new attorney (O'Mara was not supportive of it) and how they'd have to keep any support from SH quiet due to a media firestorm that would assuredly ensue.
Now, the Global Grind says their source is rock solid on the Hannity speculation, but that's still just it: speculation that hasn't been proven. What is known, though, is the fact that Hannity has been a vocal supporter of Zimmerman throughout this whole thing, and on his news show, he even admitted to talking with George but would not reveal the contents of that conversation.
On April 11, Hannity said on his show:
For a few weeks we have been pursuing an interview with Mr. Zimmerman to give him a chance to tell his side of the story. Now yesterday I was contacted by an individual that we in fact believe was George Zimmerman. He reached out to me, we spoke on the phone about his case, and I agreed not to report on the contents of that conversation. That's it.
So, here is a news reporter telling his viewers that he won't reveal the conversation that he had with his new buddy, and now he is revealed to be a possible source of financial support.
All speculation, but knowing the reputation of Fox News and its incredibly biased reporting, it would not be surprising if this were true.
Image: George Zimmerman and attorney Mark O'Mara
©2012 Reno Berkeley for Gather News.
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