Hannity, Ingraham knock Jan. 6 panel after revelation of texts to Meadows

Fox News prime-time hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham defended their statements about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Trump after text messages they sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on the day of the siege were revealed this week.

"I said to Mark Meadows the exact same thing I was saying live on the radio at that time and on TV that night on Jan. 6 and well beyond Jan. 6," Hannity said Tuesday on his nightly cable program.

Hannity added he considers himself to be an "honest and straightforward person" and suggested it was an invasion of his privacy to have his private text messages to Meadows made public by the committee.

"I say the same thing in private that I say to all of you," he told his television audience. "Liz Cheney knows this. She doesn't seem to care. She's interested in one thing and one thing only: smearing Trump and purging him from the party."