Frum Forum: Evidence Shows Accusations Against Sean Hannity Are Not True
by Big HollywoodDebbie Schlussel posted a long piece last evening about a charity that Sean Hannity is affiliated with, accusing them of malfeasance and mismangement.
Frum Forum has done an exhaustive investigation of the charity in question, Freedom Alliance, and found enough evidence to substantially rebut each of Schlussel’s claims. I’ll approach them one by one.
Schlussel Accusation: Sean Hannity improperly benefited from Freedom Alliance by charging private jets, hotel stays and luxury cars.
Freedom Alliance’s press release today stated categorically that they have “never provided planes, hotels, cars, limos, or anything else to Sean [Hannity] … to be clear Sean pays for all his own transportation, hotels, and all related expenses for himself and his family and friends and staff.” We are satisfied that this is true.
It is true that Freedom Alliance spent $60,000 on aviation services in 2006, but there is no evidence that this was for Sean Hannity’s benefit, and it seems unlikely that the money was used to lease a Gulfstream 5. Rates for G5 aircraft average around $8,000 an hour. $60,000 would not buy much at that rate.
We have also been able to confirm that Sean Hannity has no operational control over the organization. Nor is he even a member of the group’s board.
If Schlussel stands behind her statement, then she will have to do better than a quote from a blind source, who is, as she admits, a friend of a friend.
Schlussel Accusation: Too Little of Freedom Alliance’s Spending Has Gone to Program Outcomes.
Frum Forum has intensively investigated Freedom Alliance’s 990 Forms, which have been submitted to the IRS and checked by an independent auditor.
Debbie Schlussel alleges that only $1 million of the organization’s $8.8 million in revenue was going to soldiers and scholarships in 2008. This figure is the product of a misleading and selective reading of the organization’s tax forms.
The numbers that Schlussel cite refer to direct financial transfers to individuals – that is, if there is a direct grant that Freedom Alliance gives to a soldier. This does not include all the positive work that doesn’t involve a direct grant.
Freedom Alliance also spends money on non-cash benefits for military families, involving things like taking soldiers to sporting events and sending care packages to troops.
The highest paid employee earned $152,000 in 2006. The second highest paid employee earned $83,000. In 2007, Freedom Alliance spent about $1 in $7 on salary and benefits.
Total staffing costs may seem high, but they are not out of line with what is spent at many other charities. For example, the Armed Services branch of the YMCA spent about $1 in $2 on salaries and benefits in 2008.
Be sure to read the whole thing here.
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77 Comments
Yo, Debbie! Your 15 seconds of "fame" is up!
Debbie "Attention Whore" Schlussel is the real scam-artist in this matter. This is from the same ogre-yentl who continues to pal around with Little Marxist, Pro-Jihadi Green Footballs (LGF). Debbie may not be ideologically Leftist, but her attitude and smear-tactics resemble that of a trollish jackass.
Isolate, marginalize and attack. Nicely done, Comrade Schlussel. Too bad you're an idiot.
Yo, Debbie! Your 15 seconds of "fame" are up!
This is not the first time that Ms. Schlussel has made accusations with little evidence (I am thinking of Valero with the Citgo/Chavez cabal). She is one of the right's loosest cannons.
Wonder why Debbie is doing this? Did she finally lose it?
But … but … Schlussel's a conservative, so we're supposed to believe her!
The left has their talking points now, evidence will not sway them. Trolls pop up in 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 …
This sounds as bad as Harry Reid going after Rush over the "phony soldiers" comments..even though Rush was right about Jesse MacBeth.
does her piece qualify as slander if untrue? her piece is long and winded, but littered with charges and an assumption or two. she still has it up for all to see so i'm guessing she's still standing by her story, unless of course she's working on a retraction(doubtful).
I said it before & I'll say it again, Debbie is on her own little planet most of the time. She probably pissed Sean and or the Freedom Alliance won't let her play with the big kids.
If you want lies to be believed, you must remember to tell lots of really big ones–"Surely no one could possibly wish to distort the truth so badly!" Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Rod Blagojevich have shown this to be their saving grace on many of their statements.
Schlussel–a consummate weirdo if there ever was one–has now used this propaganda technique rather well for whatever it is she is trying to accomplish. Way to go, gal.
Sorry for the long rant, thought I'd post it here.
I posted the following at Schlussel's blog. It appeared, then promptly disappeared, then appeared again briefly when I checked with a different browser, then disappeared seemingly for good. This, along with a disproportionate preponderance of comments vilifying Hannity and fawning over Schlussel for "great reporting," leads me to the obvious conclusion that the blog is being scrubbed or moderated diligently and stringently to maintain "proper balance."
Here's my post that disappeared over there:
******
Let me see if I get this straight.
(BTW, I am not a Hannity fan — I stopped watching his show years ago when I found myself sympathizing with a despicable liberal simply because Hannity kept browbeating him with the "answer yes or no" premise and wouldn't even let the guest state their argument in their terms. That kind of debate tactic only weakens the position.)
Anyway, let me see if I get the gist of all this.
Schlussel claims Hannity and the charity are basically corrupt. She makes allegations that Hannity was basically living high on the hog jetting around on the charity's dime. Not much was paid out, she says. There are a lot of allusions to maimed UNNAMED soldiers receiving insultingly low amounts of "aid." There are also various other accusations couched in scathing language, some talk about overhead, consultants, and what Schlussel insists are not just questionable, but damnably bad practices for a charity.
The charity answers in very simple fashion by saying unequivocally that Hannity pays out all his own travel expense, donates his time basically without recompense. It also says a lot of money has not been paid out, because it remains in a pool that is earmarked for college funding for children of veterans, and a large percentage of these children are not yet of college age, hence the money is still undistributed.
Shclussel calls this response "weak."
Hannity-hating liberals foam at the mouth.
Am I missing any major points, or misrepresenting anything? Do I have the gist of it?
Then there's the American Spectator.
The American Spectator, which, apparently, initially rushed to embrace Schlussel's claims with open arms, is backpedaling faster than a bribed Democrat.
For instance, from American Spectator's website: "ANOTHER UPDATE: Further exculpatory information here. Schlussel's story seems to be falling apart."
Reference link:
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/03/19/hannitys-big...
And it's a hard blow to the American Spectator's credibility to flip-flop this way.
Add to it, Hannity is presumably a wealthy man with, presumably, solvency. And, oh, I don't know, presumably Hannity has some moral conscience. Just saying, love him or hate him, he does come across as someone with some genuine strength of convictions. Just going by my own ability to judge character, but I can usually read a person well. I didn't need Rush Limbaugh to tell me Al Gore was a charlatan.
Just saying. When you got commenters reacting to this story by gleefully ridiculing Palin and sanctimoniously bringing up Limbaugh's past narcotic addiction as "part of the fun," you have to wonder which "nerve" you're making tingle.
The frothing Hannity-haters might want to wait to see how this holds up before passing judgment.
I expect both parties will dig their heels in. Woe betide the one in the wrong.
******
Sorry for the long rant, thought I'd post it here.
I posted the following at Schlussel's blog. It appeared, then promptly disappeared, then appeared again briefly when I checked with a different browser, then disappeared seemingly for good. This, along with a disproportionate preponderance of comments vilifying Hannity and fawning over Schlussel for "great reporting," leads me to the obvious conclusion that the blog is being scrubbed or moderated diligently and stringently to maintain "proper balance."
Here's my post that disappeared over there:
******
Let me see if I get this straight.
(BTW, I am not a Hannity fan — I stopped watching his show years ago when I found myself sympathizing with a despicable liberal simply because Hannity kept browbeating him with the "answer yes or no" premise and wouldn't even let the guest state their argument in their terms. That kind of debate tactic only weakens the position.)
Anyway, let me see if I get the gist of all this.
Schlussel claims Hannity and the charity are basically corrupt. She makes allegations that Hannity was basically living high on the hog jetting around on the charity's dime. Not much was paid out, she says. There are a lot of allusions to maimed UNNAMED soldiers receiving insultingly low amounts of "aid." There are also various other accusations couched in scathing language, some talk about overhead, consultants, and what Schlussel insists are not just questionable, but damnably bad practices for a charity.
The charity answers in very simple fashion by saying unequivocally that Hannity pays out all his own travel expense, donates his time basically without recompense. It also says a lot of money has not been paid out, because it remains in a pool that is earmarked for college funding for children of veterans, and a large percentage of these children are not yet of college age, hence the money is still undistributed.
Shclussel calls this response "weak."
Hannity-hating liberals foam at the mouth.
Am I missing any major points, or misrepresenting anything? Do I have the gist of it?
Then there's the American Spectator.
The American Spectator, which, apparently, initially rushed to embrace Schlussel's claims with open arms, is backpedaling faster than a bribed Democrat.
For instance, from American Spectator's website: "ANOTHER UPDATE: Further exculpatory information here. Schlussel's story seems to be falling apart."
Reference link:
(don't think BH's filter will allow the address here; see original American Spectator "Big Ripoff" story)
And it's a hard blow to the American Spectator's credibility to flip-flop this way.
Add to it, Hannity is presumably a wealthy man with, presumably, solvency. And, oh, I don't know, presumably Hannity has some moral conscience. Just saying, love him or hate him, he does come across as someone with some genuine strength of convictions. Just going by my own ability to judge character, but I can usually read a person well. I didn't need Rush Limbaugh to tell me Al Gore was a charlatan.
Just saying. When you got commenters reacting to this story by gleefully ridiculing Palin and sanctimoniously bringing up Limbaugh's past narcotic addiction as "part of the fun," you have to wonder which "nerve" you're making tingle.
The frothing Hannity-haters might want to wait to see how this holds up before passing judgment.
I expect both parties will dig their heels in. Woe betide the one in the wrong.
******
Little to no evidence and she was trolling these parts the other day…. I guess she wanted to see the buzz she started…. a ANNOYING BLOGGER…. and yeah she is a lwayer and a mensa member…. but big deal… check and RE-check your source.. a "FRIEND" whatever…
At last this site seems to have realized that Debbie Schlussel is no one to be allied with.
Poor Debbie—–for years, many among the conservatives have distanced themselves from her; bet she did this just to get traffic for her website—and with over 400 hundred comments (probably more than she has gotten in her site's entire existence), it worked!
Can any honest, unbiased thinking person – be they left or right – say this is a surprise to anyone?
I stopped paying attention to Ms. Sclussel when she decided that she needed to slam all other Conservatives annointed herself the only "real" Conservative. She now spends most of her time trying to discredit "the competition". What she does is no different than what left-wing moonbat bloggers do with an even more twisted agenda.
I'm really disappointed in Debbie Schlussel here. She's a tenacious individual, who has done brave work exposing Islam, but this is desperate — and it takes away from the impact of the good she is doing.
Keep the ego in check, Debbie — stop letting personal feeling interfere in your work. I'm not saying be a collectivist twit like a liberal and fall lock step with the movement, but come on …
Freedom Alliance spent $60,000 on aviation services in 2006
Wow. Who is bankrolling the FA? I see it was founded by Oliver North – a pretty sketchy character when it comes to "freedom." And I see a "Rothschild" on the staff.
Sean Hannity does not talk about 3 things: The FED, The New World Order, Michael Savage. Sean is a phony and a closest door globalist. History will prove this!
Lemme see. You're a blogger and "Conservative activist" toiling in near obscurity to most people outside of Michigan….you need to drive up your ratings and "click traffic" to the ol' blog…hmmmm, how do we accomplice this…hmmm: OH YA!
ATTACK Sean Hannity and Freedom Alliance with HEAR SAY inadmissable eveidence – a tactic a journalist – let alone an attorney – should know better than to do…
It takes a few miniutes of looking at the IRS docs to see that F.A. is just a charity like many others. They do good work and the reasons why outside interests CAN'T give more than a $1000. to any individual military personnel speaks volumes to the shoddy and lazy attempt made to disparage the Freedom Alliance.
I suggested last night in a related piece that as a lawyer, she has more to lose than just making a apology and a written retraction.
If I were a Freedom Alliance board member of a lawyer associated with Freedom Alliance I'd be looking into a suit.
Of course that diverts money better used on wounded soldiers and scholarships.
(psst Randy…there's a J E W hiding in the bushes outside your Mom's house…get a paintball gun, GO GO!)
I've said it once and I'll say it again – Debbie Schlussel is useless.
Poor Debbie, she cant hep it, she was born with a silver stilletto in her mouth!
"THE NEW WORLD ORDER" is tinfoilville, and Savage/Wiener is an arrogant, bombastic jerk.
Randy, been reading "THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION" again?
I haven't read this piece because I gave up on Schlussel a number of months ago. She is the best muckraker working in the USA today describing what happens when Islam takes over your community, in her case Detroit and Dearbornistan.
However, she develops beefs with nearly top drawer reporter in the country. I don't recall for sure what her accusations about Hannity were, but I believe that she originally complained he used her work against Islamo-fascists without crediting her, which is her also her most common complaint.
She also repeatedly bitches that first tier reporters hit on her constantly. Again, I believe, but am not precisely sure, that Hannity is also on that list.
She is an Orthodox Jew who if you point out sins of Jews or Blacks that aren't on her approved list accuses you of racism.
Given her work on Islam in America she is worth paying some attention to. If you want to know a suspected Muslims ties to terrorism, she is maintaining an excellent source library. If you want the truth regarding race relations, she is a clichéd hack.
I'll try to remember Debbie's fartcloud of words when I purchase my Freedom Alliance concert tickets. In the meantime, it would be great if we could all stop referring to Debbie as a Conservative. Asshat – yes, Conservative – never. Sean Hannity, however, is a Conservative to the bone and a great American!!
I haven't read this piece because I gave up on Schlussel a number of months ago. She is the best muckraker working in the USA today describing what happens when Islam takes over your community, in her case Detroit and Dearbornistan.
However, she develops beefs with nearly top drawer reporter in the country. I don't recall for sure what her accusations about Hannity were, but I believe that she originally complained he used her work against Islamo-fascists without crediting her, which is her also her most common complaint.
She also repeatedly claims that first tier reporters constantly harass her about giving them sex. Again, I believe, but am not precisely sure, that Hannity is also on that list.
She is an Orthodox Jew who if you point out sins of Jews or Blacks that aren't on her approved list accuses you of racism.
Given her work on Islam in America she is worth paying some attention to. If you want to know a suspected Muslims ties to terrorism, she is maintaining an excellent source library. If you want the truth regarding race relations, she is a clichéd hack.
No…she's Schluss-less
People on the left are insane. It's sad sometimes. Just sad…
Ms. Schlussel makes some VERY SPECIFIC accusations of NON TRANSPARENCY & CRONYISM based on the tax return. No poster here seems to want to address these FACTS.
This is not a political issue. It's an issue of basic honesty and forthrightness.
Don't blame the messenger. The postings I read are no different than those on 'progressive' blogs: no substance, failure to recognize facts, ideological support of a celebrity.
The FACTS are posted on her website.
what's hearsay about a tax return??
I read the IRS stuff. The "hearsay" is the "freind of a friend" revelation concerning Ollie North and Hannity.
You 'hafta' read the various elements of this story, try to keep up.
First, Schlussel is not a liberal — not by any measure. Second, Schlussel is an attorney — who used to represent professional athletes. Third, Schlussel can be a bit of drama queen. However, may I suggest that Schlussel at least knows how to read a tax return? Do her critics (and Hannity's defenders)? We shall see. Am I saying Schlussel cannot be wrong here? No. Do I hate Sean Hannity? No. Is it possible that Sean has been playing fast and loose with his celebrity status while trading on public sympathy for the troops and their families? Yes. No one should be above being audited. Hannity makes it very clear on his show that he lives large and enjoys doing so — no problem, as he has earned it. However, I'd hate to see if the figures I read on one blog are true: Namely that a $50 Freedom Concert ticket has a line printed on it saying that $4 of that total will go to help the troops. I really don't like that ratio, IF it is true. So, I suggest we let this play out a bit longer. Suggestion: Stop with the kneejerk Schlussel bashing. Suggestion: Stop with the kneejerk Hannity whitewashing. Let's see what the books show. All charitable activities are subject to audit. If ANY charity's ratio of overhead to actual charity work is abysmal, it deserves to be singled out for criticism. My guess is that the entire Hannity concert thing could probably use a little belt-tightening and house-cleaning. This does not mean his entire effort should be discounted, either. Do I really think that Hannity foots the entire transportation cost for himself, his family, and his entourage for all these concerts? Perhaps he does, but… I do wonder. Let the audit begin.
"Useless?" Hardly a term that applies to someone who tirelessly exposes the illegal antics of Muslims in the Detroit area — as well as the abysmal job Government-appointed officials are doing to investigate, expose, and prosecute the guilty parties in these crimes. She is doing the reporting that Fox News and Big Whatever refuse to do about Muslim organized crime in the US.
I read all the allegations on her website (probably the reason she started all this) and they're unsubstaniated to this point. If there's a real smoking gun – fine – I wanna see it.
So far reasonble explanations refute her claims. Hannity, with his huge visability and national prominence wouldn't be so stupid to suck funds from this charity, and why would the charity be that stupid? – I don't see it.
I read all the documents, and calling people that don't agree with you stupid or ignorant doesn't help your cause.
So far she's shooting blanks. From what I've read she's a Michiganer that's doing, or has done – some good work vis a vis Islam and it's infestation of Detroit. That's cool.
This seems more like a vendetta that went off half cocked.
Schussel should just spend her energy investigating democrats if they actually donated the tainted money from Madoff and Shu to charity.
Why don't you go ahead and fully register and earn that bright red score and open youreslf up to the same scuritiny that most of us here are subject to? Let'd see your whole comment stream not just your Hitler Youth "screedings" posted here.
(Go ahead we won't tell M o s s a d!)
The line about living large is the tell. Try harder next time.
I knew it and said as much! Someone owes me 20 bucks..
The tell, huh? Nice snarky attempt to deflect the thrust of my arguments, which, if you thought you could refute, you would. Incidentally, none of my arguments above hinge on whether or not Hannity lives large or not, although you know good and well he does. Surely you are not trying to assert that Hannity lives in self-imposed monastic poverty, are you? Unfortunately for your argument, that is not the issue at hand, even though you apparently somehow wish to make it so. The issue is what he does with the charity: Try to stay on topic, even if it challenges your mental powers. Again: Let's see what the books show. Again: Let the audit begin.
I really wish people would just be honest!
So, because some obscure conservative firebrand blogger makes an accusation without a single shred of evidence (she only has hearsay), you think they should be audited?
I can play this game too. Man in tx, I heard, beats his wife. Send the cops over – he's guilty, because I heard someone say this in a bathroom stall last week.
Is this enough "evidence" to send the cops to your place?
Schussel – Ann Coulter with out all the subtlety.
Couldn't understand why the right took her seriously, or the way some of us were excoriated when we felt her "Watchmen" rant was not only misguided, but stupid flame-bait, and went to war with the L.A. Times over it. I'm not surprised she puts as much thought into her reporting as she does her movie reviews or her "culture warrior-ess" pose she strikes everytime she's trolling for links. She was only taken seriously because of her target, not because of anything she actually said, which was nearly always devoid of anything worthwhile.
How ironic, David Frum, King of the RINOs, is the one pulling Hannity's rear out of the fire.
nobody's mentioned Sean is donating all profits from his new book to this organization…..funny how that works isn't it?
Overall I give this troll a -53.9 out of 5 on the Makes Sense to Me scale
I do give it a 785 out of five on the Boring Idiocy scale.
Hey 1redcent
Do you know who that troll was….. He was Edgar from the first MEn In Black movie.
When the messenger insists on loudly and viciously smearing other members of her movement with little or no provocation as a matter of routine, then I'm afraid she's letting herself in for some pretty serious questioning.
I used to like reading Debbie's movie reviews. Some of them were pretty on the mark (Hello, "Munich"). However, her political stuff has turned me off. It's this endless "if you don't agree with me completely, you're a horrid person."
Reminds me of LGF, actually.
Schlussel's energy and talents are best directed at the creeping shari'a law spreading through the country. That's where she excels. Going after Hannity, even if she is correct, is a poor use of resources.
With all the lawyers Hannity has befriended (Coulter, Levin, Ingraham), I'd be watching my back if I were Schlussel.
No, it's libel, because she wrote an article. Written defamation is libel. Slander would be if she did an interview and made these accusations by word of mouth
I agree. I would prefer her to spend more times exposing Islamists in America and their attempts to bring (or creep in) sharia laws into the US political landscape than wasting her times attacking everyone on the right.
Stop it, Debbie! I meant it. You're also a good film critic, though pretty blunt, but lay off the attacks on the right.
Sean should sue.
Personally, I prefer her bluntness because we often skirt the truth in the name of making nice. When it comes to Islam, she does not have that problem. Nor do I mind her assaults on the right when it is deserved. RINOs, look out. Here comes Debbie.
However the same quality that allows her to skirt normal etiquette because not to do so violates the truth does not serve her well when reality is not necessarily black or white.
She has a beef from the past with Hannity personally, but knowing how she operates, I won't bother with her accusations today. Although I can't quite remember if Hannity is one of the reporters (and there were at least 3) she accused of harassing her for sex, I am 100% certain that her vendetta against her perceived enemies always sound lawyerly but often are illegitimate.
Her attacks on Stephen Crowder over his youtube vid on Detroit were equally lame.
Schlussel has no sense of humour!
Schlussel is jealous of everyone who is more successful than she. She relentlessly attacks Sean, calling him Sean Vannity, Michelle Malkin, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs, all without merit other than accusing most people of "stealing her stuff." Her constant attacks on Sarah Palin are worthy of the Daily Kos. She is a very bitter person whom I think must need to get laid. LOL
You are right on. This women resents any Conservative that is having sucess especially Conservative women. I get tired of her constant bashing of Sarah Palin and telling Palin how to raise her children. The last time I looked Schlussel isnt married and doesnt have children,(how could any man live with this hag).
Palin is out trying help change the country for the positive, as is Michelle Bachmann. She claims to be Conservative but i think she is a fraud, and sides with Media Matters and Daily Kos, more than any Conservatives!
Right On!
Oh that's funny! But he only wishes he was!
Is she suggesting that Hannity "hit" on her? I refuse to believe that. Maybe she is angry because she did the "hitting" and he turned her down, and now she has scorned woman syndrome.
During the time that I remember Schlussel complaining about famous conservative news broadcasters harassing her for sex. I was taking 4 meds (which ended a few months ago) that caused serious, temporary memory problems. So precision is a lost cause, and I am not going to research her actual words.
What I am absolutely certain of is that at least three times she complained about harassments. It is possible that she was complaining about Rush, O'Reilly or someone else and I confused it. I quit taking it seriously because it began to seem like an MO (though I could be totally wrong).
When I think back to those harassment, Hannity comes, but I could just as easily be confusing that with her claim of him using her research without attribution. I think that she is upset that he didn’t validate her up into big time media.
Two positive points in her favor: 1) she often spends time at the gun range; and 2) she once entered a mosque and secretly recorded a mullah urging his congregation to destroy America.
I just don't read her posts any more.
hahaha! too funny. and a pair of baby designer pants.
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Shlussel should study all facts and make sure that she can back up what she says about anyone. Too much talking and too little evidence can really damage one's credibility that even when she is speaking the truth, no one would even bother to listen anymore. Will Cityville
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