Michael Cohen's Third Client Is Sean Hannity

So, today it was revealed that Donald Trump's attorney Michael Cohen's mysterious third client is Sean Hannity.

Cohen's own attorneys had acknowledged that he represented Trump and Elliott Broidy, but they were insistent on not revealing his third client — until a judge compelled them to disclose that it was Hannity, who has been using his platform at Fox News to rail against the FBI raid on Cohen's offices and hotel room, without disclosing his conflict of interest.

Naturally, the question is: What sort of legal work was Cohen — known as a fixer, who arranged hush-payments with women on behalf of both Trump and Broidy — doing for Hannity?

One obvious possibility is that it was related to sexual impropriety and/or harassment, given that sexual harassment is endemic at Fox News — although Hannity claims he never used Cohen's legal services for "any case that involved me and a third party."

But I suspect it's rather more complex than he would have us believe.

I don't think it necessarily involved a pay-off to a third party. More likely Cohen was a go-between for Trump and his Russian backers and their propagandists at FOX. My guess is that the relationship more about incentives than pay-offs. But just a guess.

— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) April 16, 2018

Yes. Additionally, I think it's possible that Cohen ended up as Hannity's attorney because Trump asked Cohen to be present while he discussed something with Hannity, thus trying to establish confidentiality regarding whatever their subject of discussion was.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) April 16, 2018

IOW, Trump needed to discuss, say, Wikileaks with Hannity, and so he invited Cohen along to try to create a situation in which disclosure couldn't be compelled, under the auspices of client privilege. (Never mind that it doesn't necessarily work that way, depending on the topic.)

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) April 16, 2018

I don't know that for certain. But I am certain that this —

Sean Hannity just explained on his radio show that his conversations with Michael Cohen were privileged because, "I might have handed [Cohen] 10 bucks and said, I definitely want privilege on that."

— Susan Simpson (@TheViewFromLL2) April 16, 2018

— is 100% bullshit.