Martin reports: "Sean Hannity has been in touch with George Zimmerman since before he turned himself in, so it's no surprise he scored the first media interview with the suspect in the Trayvon Martin shooting."

George Zimmerman while being interviewed by Sean Hannity. (photo: Fox News)

Sean Hannity's Show Is George Zimmerman's Safe Place

By Adam Martin, The Atlantic Wire

19 July 12

ean Hannity has been in touch with George Zimmerman since before he turned himself in, so it's no surprise he scored the first media interview with the suspect in the Trayvon Martin shooting. Still it's a hell of a get for the Fox News host. TV Newser, which was first to the story, reports that Zimmerman is going to talk about what happened the night Martin died, which will be the first time he's done so publicly. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for shooting Martin in what Zimmerman says was self-defense.

It's an odd move for Zimmerman, who hasn't yet testified about the night of the shooting, to agree to discuss it on television before he appears in court. That tactic didn't go so well for Jerry Sandusky, whose conversation with Bob Costas became part of the prosecution against him. But Hannity has established himself as a friend to Zimmerman since before the suspect was ever charged. He had an off-the-record conversation with Zimmerman before Zimmerman turned himself in in April, speaking with the suspect when even Zimmerman's attorneys couldn't reach him. Hannity said then he'd been pursuing Zimmerman for weeks for an interview. Then on his show, Hannity said prosecutors had "overcharged" Zimmerman, setting himself up as one of Zimmerman's "chief media allies," according to Huffington Post.

So while it is surprising Zimmerman decided to do an interview, his choice of interviewer was a no-brainer. Their conversation is scheduled to run the entire length of Hannity's hour-long show on Wednesday night.

Comments

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.

Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.

- The RSN Team

+6 # lbrown38 2012-07-19 20:19

Shawn Hannity, you and George Zebraman need to get a life. What he did was wrong. If he don't get convicted of this crime, then God knows what really happen.

+7 # rcossebo 2012-07-20 03:06

A full hour? Wow, I wonder what they can talk about for a full hour. Hannity and Zimmerman together constitute maybe a Pea-Brain, so there will be a LOT of repeating. It will be so bad that the HOUR will be filled with 45 minutes of commercials! And if I have to state the obvious, I don't like either one of them; I think they both are liars and media whores; but that's just my opinion; thank the Good Lord we LIVE in America, the home of the free (?) and the brave (?)! Couldn't prove it by these two, brave is a real stretch with mister neighborhood watch and free, well let's just say Hannity would grant freedom to anyone who liked him, everyone else he'd lock up for life, or worse!

+5 # coach777b 2012-07-20 03:12

It's not surprising that Zimmerman would show up on Hannity's show. He 'friended' him from the start, perhaps thinking that it was a Black/White thing and he could take the side of his fans. Bottom line though is like Sandusky, his TV words will come back to haunt him in a trial. The fact that the trial is in Florida bodes well for Zimmerman. Jurors will be looking for every 'out' they can find to free him. It will be in the court of public opinion where he will be convicted. Like Casey Anthony, he will be a pariah and will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

+3 # dkonstruction 2012-07-20 07:12

i heard a clip of the interview on Democracy Now where Hannity asks Zimmerman if he has any regrets or in retrospect would/should have done anything different (like not get out of his car in the first place) to which Zimmerman says no and then adds that it was "god's plan" and that you don't question god's plan. There's a novel defense...whate ver happened to "thou shalt not....."

+1 # mdhome 2012-07-20 10:58

Yeah, I like that. If I go out and kill a bunch of people, It is all a part of gods plan, so I should go free. tell that to some who has lost love ones in an accident caused by a drunk driver.All gods plans , the ultimate "get out of jail free".

-12 # Noni77 2012-07-20 07:34

With the media showing a photo of a 12 year old instead the man Trayvon was, and continuing to do so (I've seen his recent Facebook photos and he was no small boy), plus the dishonest edit of the 911 call, I wouldn't trust the prejudiced, agenda-rabid news media either. Having said that, BOTH Martin and Zimmerman were FOOLS. Zimmerman let a gun give him more courage than he was able to back up, and lead him into imprudent actions and Trayvon's ego told him he could easily kill this little man for daring to suspect him of something. I suspect ultimately, they both will pay heavily for both stupidities.

+5 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 08:46

He made a big target that night, didn't he? Regardless of what size he is, he was still a boy - an UNARMED boy walking home with a bag of Skittles. This UNARMED boy was stalked and attacked by a strange MAN who he tried to avoid but couldn't. He tried to defend himself from his attacker and was shot dead.

What gave you the idea that Martin wanted to kill Zimmerman? What evidence do you have to suppor that? ANYTHING?

Trayvon Martin has already paid for the stupidity of thinking he could walk home safely while Zimmerman was out on the prowl. If people like you have any say, Zimmerman won't pay anything for having murdered this unarmed BOY. In fact, he'll GET PAID by fox.

0 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 09:39

Was Trayvon Martin shot for being tall in a short neighborhood?

+1 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 07:37

I wonder if hannity would have asked an adult black man on his show after killing an unarmed white kid. Zimmerman represents the rich-fat-white- middle aged-male-REPUG LICAN fantasy of trophy killing those "scary" minorities. The only thing Zimmerman did wrong to most fox viewers was not eating the bag of Skittles.

This is a little odd. Zimmerman can't say anything that differs from what he's already said. We already pretty much know his defense, so what purpose could this possibly serve? My guess is that he's hoping to put political pressure on the judge and jury so they'll let him off the hook for the manslaughter he committed.

I wonder if the judge will now screan potential jurors for having watched the fox interview.

Fox is becoming a freak show.

-4 # SMoonz 2012-07-20 08:47

I don't understand how Zimmerman is a rich fat white middle aged male repub fantasy?

I am a Latino and all I see with this guy is another Latino. He is half Jewish and half Latino. The guy has brown skin, speaks Spanish.

Also, Zimmerman is part Black himself...

-3 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 09:11

If you go back and read my comment you'll see that I said:

"Zimmerman REPRESENTS the rich-fat-white- middle aged-male-REPUG LICAN fantasy of trophy killing those "scary" minorities."

Read the whole sentence before commenting on it.

By the way, Jewish is white. Latino is mostly white, and part Native American.

How "black" is he? Not that it matters. The reason he's on hannity is that he shot the black kid who had it coming for being black in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time of day while being tall.

As a Latino you apparently don't know much about the rich-fat-white- middle aged-male-REPUG LICANS who rely on fox to fulfill their fantasies. I know them all too well. And they aren't part Jewish, part Latino, or part black, but Zimmerman is their HERO for what he did to Martin on that night.

-1 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 09:13

SMoonz, I've noticed you making comments to the affect that you're not a right-winger. Why is it that you always (and I mean ALWAYS) take the right-wing stand on every thread? It seems a bit dishonest. It's ok to admit where you stand. We all have a viewpoint. Being dishonest about yours doesn't further it.

0 # SMoonz 2012-07-20 09:45

Ok, Latino is not mostly white. Tell that to any Latino. I know that's what is put on our birth certificates but we don't see ourselves as such. In my case you won't see me calling myself white.

And yes, you are right, I am not a right winger. I am a Liberal, registered as a Democrat and have voted for people like Kucinich and Bill Bradley. However, I do look at all sides of a situation.

I haven't been commenting on threads for too long. In fact, only started this week so it is premature to say that I take right wing stands. I am sure you will see my views on other things as time goes by.

0 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 09:54

Racially, Latino is mostly white. The ancestors of Latinos are predominantly from Spain. Tell me the people of Spain are not white. Racially there are only three races. Not that any of it should be part of this discussion, but there are whites, blacks and Asians. That's it. That's all there are. You're confusing race with ethnicity.

Why, as "a liberal" do you ALWAYS take the conservative view on EVERY THREAD? Even when you are against Wall Street, it's not against Republicans beholden to Wall Street, but ONLY when Democrats do it. It seems a bit dishonest to me.

Do you have any opinions about the Martin shooting? Do you have any opinions about the facts of the case that are not controversial?

0 # SMoonz 2012-07-20 11:21

Most Latinos are mixed. I have indigenous and European blood so that does not make me exclusively white. However, the Eurocentric mentality we have here in the U.S. tries to label eveyone as either white or black.

0 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 12:14

Once again, I'm not talking about ethnicity, but race.

Once again, YOUR ethnicity has nothing to do with the argument.

Are you trying to say you know more about white racism than I do because you're a Latino? I would argue that I know more about white racism than you do because I'm white.

Are you trying to distract?

0 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 09:56

By the way, the comment was still about what Zimmerman REPRESENTS to the rich-fat-white- middle aged-male-REPUG LICAN viewers of fox. Rather than discussing your own ethnicity or arguing about his, why don't you dispute what I ACTUALLY said?

+1 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 09:38

Based on the facts of the case that are well-known to anybody who's read the news, we have absolutely ZERO evidence that Martin was engaged in anything illegal that night. We have TONS of evidence that Zimmerman pursued him for some unknown reason. We also know that Martin tried to get away. We also know that Zimmerman shot Martin to death.

Yet, with that information, the rich-fat-white- middle aged-male-REPUG LICANS who watch fox news have ALL jumped to Zimmerman's side.

WHY IS THAT?

Please explain in non-racist terms why ONLY these people have jumped to Zimmerman's side, and why ONLY these people have been quick to assume Martin must have had it coming.

Being a Latino, perhaps you really "don't understand" how this is about the racism of rich-fat-white- middle aged-male-REPUG LICANS.

Perhaps you have a theory of your own. What is it?

+1 # Billy Bob 2012-07-20 12:15

SMoonz, If you want to respond to me, why not respond to THIS comment?

-2 # ronnewmexico 2012-07-20 16:05

Right or left black white red yellow...whatever...

the place to try a person is in a court of law by determination of ones peers....

to try a person in the court of opinion.....ser ves little but to say.....we respect not the court of law and leads us always to conclude.....an y person arrested is guilty until proven innocent.. And more per capita in prison in this place than any other. Should that not be the question...why that?

Not to be tried at all certainly fair game for political action and demonstration.
Now that aside and determined with charges appropriate to the incident......l ittle is served by this matter in discussion except to provide division and question the validity of the legal......not perfect it certainly is....and who is decided to arrest and who is not, is certainly subject to contention...bu t once arrested....lea ve the courts to their business......

Hannity and those even on the left...selling something and it is not justice.
A man was killed in New York for accidentally setting off his medical alarm just a while ago.....that and many others serve more as evidence of heinous actions by various parties not exempting even our protectors the police. I'd guess one a week that....

This.... a court will decide now he is charged..Tool only now it is for varying agenda...better served the rest..which is not covered nor know of.

+1 # ronnewmexico 2012-07-20 17:58

Kenneth Chamberlain...6 8 year old frail man with many physical problems hit with a beanbag round stun gun round and then shot twice in the chest when surrounded by many many police officers, and with his niece offering to mediate the situation on scene...found no worthy of charges all the police officers by grand jury in white plains NY......

why no mention of this, nor hour of hannity devoted to this......nor seemingly anywhere else in national media?

If fox news runs it....generally it serves no good societal purpose.....or they have to run it it being to big to ignore. Zimmmerman...th ey want to run with this.

+2 # ericlipps 2012-07-21 06:57

This would be the same George Zimmerman who now says his mowingdown of an unarmed kid was "part of God's plan." Sean Hannity does his already dubious reputation no favor by cozying up to this weirdo.

Refresh comments list
RSS feed for comments to this post

THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community.