A series of text messages between Fox host and Trump campaign advisor Sean Hannity and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows shows the Fox network host playing an undisclosed role in overtly changing the content of his program to help promote the Trump campaign’s efforts during the 2020 election.

The issue of this is more than just journalistic malpractice; it’s a possible violation of Federal Election Commission bans on in-kind contributions to campaigns, in that Hannity is coordinating with the campaign to put a campaign message out, giving the campaign complimentary airtime which could be seen as a violation of donation laws. 

According to the FEC, contributions such as this, directed by Meadows working on behalf of the campaign, constitute an illegal donation:

An in-kind contribution is a non-monetary contribution. Goods or services offered free or at less than the usual charge result in an in-kind contribution. Similarly, when a person or entity pays for services on the committee’s behalf, the payment is an in-kind contribution. An expenditure made by any person or entity in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate’s campaign is also considered an in-kind contribution to the candidate.

Interestingly, other texts in the CNN dump of information might also prove trouble for Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who testified under oath that she didn’t communicate via text with anyone other than her family on January 6th; in fact, she exchanged at least two messages with Meadows, including one in which she claimed “We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters.”