On his Fox News program Friday night, June 1, Sean Hannity made a startling comment.  At the end of his opening monologue, he said, "I, Sean Hannity, am the next target of the Deep State."  As a source, Hannity cited Jerome Corsi, Ph.D., who made the claim in his latest book, Killing the Deep State.

For the past year, Hannity, the #1 host on cable television news, has been doggedly pursuing the truth about the attempt of the past administration and the Deep State to block the election of Donald Trump in 2016 – and when that didn't work, to impugn his capacity to govern.  A variety of "kill shots" have been aimed at Hannity's reputation during the past year, including advertiser boycotts, with the intent of having him removed from the air.  To date, none of these efforts has succeeded.

Sean Hannity on his Fox News program June 1, 2018.  Screenshot by Peter Barry Chowka.

On Friday, as he prepared to break more major new news with the help of his regular contributors investigative journalists John Solomon and Sara Carter, Hannity stopped and directly addressed his audience.  From the program's transcript:

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: And by the way, great news for me tonight. Pay close attention. Remember when Senator Chuck Schumer said that you better not mess with the Intel Community because they will get you six ways to Sunday? This is great news for me. Best-selling author, Jerome Corsi, he's the author of this book out now in book stores, on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com. It's called "Killing the Deep State."

HANNITY: You might remember [Corsi].. He was back -- remember, the group against John Kerry, Vietnam Vets for Truth? He was one of them. He's saying that yours truly, that I, Sean Hannity, am the next target of the Deep State.

Wow. Isn't it so great to know that these corrupt officials with their backs against the wall that are desperate people, do desperate things, and people that have the most powerful tools of intelligence, are now going after me? OK. Really? So sadly, after all we have learned, now we have Jerome Corsi's prediction. It doesn't surprise me. Isn't that sad? Are we the United States of America, or are we going to be the former Soviet Union or are we going to be Venezuela? I promise you this one thing, I'm never stopping ever.

Here to help break down this damming new report, is "The Hill's" John Solomon.

John, good to see you, sir.

JOHN SOLOMON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL VIDEO, THE HILL: Good to see you.

HANNITY: Quick question. Do you think that Corsi could be right?

Jerome Corsi.  Source: Twitter.

SOLOMON: I don't know. I hope not. I hope that people stay within the law at all times. Right? You don't want to see –

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Haven't you been told by people that you, certain things were happening to you?

SOLOMON: There are times people have raised questions about reporters like myself surveilled. And in the past, the FBI did illegally intercept my mail 10 years ago. There's a public record of the FBI apologizing to me for taking my mail after I broke all the stories about what the FBI knew before 9/11.

HANNITY: Yes. That's pretty scary. Again, if that is the case, if people who are trying to get to the truth and exposing corruption then become targets of the deep state and those that have these tools of intelligence, you can say good-bye to the Constitution. It doesn't exist.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: And by the way –

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: – you might have been unmasked, right?

SOLOMON: Don't know. I don't have evidence of it. And I try –

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: You've been told it.

SOLOMON: Yes, I got a report.

The rest of Hannity's June 1 program, with the input by Solomon and Sara Carter, can be read here.

Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran reporter and analyst of news on national politics, media, and popular culture.  He is a frequent contributor to American Thinker.  Follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka.