After hitting back at Ben Sasse on Wednesday for criticizing him in an upcoming book, Fox News host Sean Hannity doubled down on the Nebraska Senator with a Thursday blast from the not-so-distant past.
Really Senator @BenSasse “Mr.Civility” you lecture me but went on Maher’s show, and said NOTHING WHEN a racial slur was used? https://t.co/f1Xm1lApTN
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) October 17, 2018
“Really Senator @BenSasse ‘Mr.Civility’ you lecture me but went on Maher’s show, and said NOTHING WHEN a racial slur was used?” Hannity tweeted, referring to a June 2017 appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher” wherein the HBO host used a variant of the N-word while Sasse looked on without responding.
After his appearance, Sasse did express regret for not confronting Maher in a series of tweets.
Am walking off a redeye from LAX.
3 reflections on @billmaher
1. I’m a 1st Amendment absolutist. Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines.— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 3, 2017
2. But free speech comes with a responsibility to speak up when folks use that word. Me just cringing last night wasn’t good enough.
(2of4?) https://t.co/e4Bw8s8tV2— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 3, 2017
3. Here’s what I wish I’d been quick enough to say in the moment: “Hold up, why would you think it’s OK to use that word?…
(3of4?) https://t.co/mQL6wMEd7W— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 3, 2017
(4of4)
“…The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It’s therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don’t use it.” https://t.co/kEZm5vPFHK— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 3, 2017
Sasse’s book, “Them: Why We Hate Each Other — and How to Heal,” characterized Hannity’s show as “polititainment” that boils down to the concept of: “Liberals are evil, you’re a victim, and you should be furious.” Around 20 pages of the book were devoted to criticizing the Fox News host. (RELATED: ‘He Totally Conned Me’ — Hannity Punches Back At Ben Sasse After Book Criticism)
“Unfortunately, I went to bat for Ben Sasse, who has proven to be the single biggest disappointment in politics today. He totally conned me like he conned the people of Nebraska,” Hannity told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.