Thread by @kenvogel

WILD: The judge in the MANAFORT case just unsealed 56 pages(!) of what appear to be regular text messages between @seanhannity & Paul Manafort from 7/2017 through 6/2018.
MANAFORT thanks Hannity for standing by him.
HANNITY responds: "anything I can do to help."

@seanhannity JUST UPLOADED: The full (56-page) transcript of text messages exchanged between PAUL MANAFORT & SEAN HANNITY. documentcloud.org/documents/6165…

@seanhannity MANAFORT: "You(r) life story, and mine, are the reasons this country was created."
HANNITY: "I would be embarrassed at myself as a son and grandson of people far greater than me not to try my best to fight hard to end corruption in this country."

@seanhannity basically, @SeanHannity comes across in these personal text messages exactly the same as he comes across on TV every night.

@seanhannity MANAFORT, after/while watching @SeanHannity on @FoxNews: "Sean, you are on fire tonight. Finally all of the lies are becoming exposed. Thank you for fighting for our country."

HANNITY: "I'm sick of these lies. COME ON WITH ME WITH YOUR ATTY BEFORE THE TRY AND ATTACK U MORE."

@seanhannity @FoxNews MANAFORT: "Hard to understand how media and the Dems allegations about our June 9 meeting being illegal and collusion with Russia, yet what Steele did in Russia was just campaign oppo research.
"This is world class hypocrisy.
"It is really important that this doesn't fade."

@seanhannity @FoxNews INTERESTING: In late night phone calls with PAUL MANAFORT, @SeanHannity appears to have shared information that was not otherwise available to Manafort, which is notable given Hannity's access to TRUMP.

It's not clear what Hannity is sharing, but Manafort appears quite grateful.

@seanhannity @FoxNews SEAN HANNITY, Esq.: In an Oct. 2017 text to PAUL MANAFORT, Hannity wrote "My interpretation is they are having a much harder time building a case on u."

MANAFORT's response: "Yes, that is true."

@seanhannity @FoxNews In spite of a gag order imposed by the judge, MANAFORT arranged for his lawyer, KEVIN DOWNING, to talk on the phone in Jan. 2018 with @SeanHannity, who says he asked Downing "to feed me everyday...He has to SEND ME STUFF."

MANAFORT's response: "He will."

HANNITY: "Every day."

@seanhannity @FoxNews OOOF: MANAFORT appears to have been caught completely off-guard by RICK GATES's decision to flip.
The day before Gates pleaded guilty & agreed to cooperate, Manafort texted @SeanHannity "Gates is in for ling haul ... Long ... Gates is totalky united with trump and m(e)."

@seanhannity @FoxNews After GATES flipped, @SeanHannity appears to try to get a feel for whether MANAFORT will do the same:
HANNITY: "Why don't u get a sweetheart deal like Gates?"
MANAFORT: "They would want me to give up (TRUMP) or family, esp (KUSHNER). I would never do that."
HANNITY: "Understand"

@seanhannity @FoxNews MANAFORT texts HANNITY about KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK: "It is my office director who is NOT aKGB or GRU operative."

@seanhannity @FoxNews HANNITY kept trying to get MANAFORT to appear on his show, including this effort:

MANAFORT: "Do you think you can use today to give my defense fund a promote?"
HANNITY: "When u and u lawyer r on. Yes. I need you to make the stateme u need help. Look at Caputo. He lost his house"

@seanhannity @FoxNews "Caputo" in last tweet refers to former TRUMP aide and ROGER STONE protege @MichaelRCaputo, who had serious financial problems as a result of the legal bills he incurred defending himself in Russia investigations.

@seanhannity @FoxNews @MichaelRCaputo Later, SEAN HANNITY declines to tweet a link to the crowd-funding pages MANAFORT was creating for his legal defense, explaining "Paul it may be problematic with Fox. I need to get the ok. Hope u understand."