Geraldo tells Hannity he’s 'gaslighting, changing the subject' on Jan. 6 insurrection

Geraldo Rivera appeared on Hannity Tuesday to speak about the House Select Committee on the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol and its first day of hearings, but instead, immediately turned his attention to Sean Hannity’s coverage of the insurrection. While Hannity has condemned the events of the 6th, he’s also repeatedly attempted to shift blame away from former President Trump, draw a false equivalency between the insurrection and the 2020 riots, and denigrated the formation of the committee.

“I think you’ve been — with all due respect and I love you — gaslighting, changing the subject,” Rivera said. “The subject is January 6th, and what happened to the United States Capitol and why it happened. Those two things. The fact that the Capitol was targeted, and that the prime instigator, the one who unleashed the mob, was the President of the United States.

Video Transcript

GERALDO RIVERA: I think you've been, with all due respect and I love you, gaslighting changing the subject. The subject is January 6 and what happened to the United States Capitol, and why it happened.

KYLIE MAR: Geraldo Rivera joined Hannity, Tuesday, following the testimony of four officers in front of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Rivera called out Hannity's rhetoric attempting to denigrate the investigation, and accused him of gaslighting his audience. Hannity eventually responded.

GERALDO RIVERA: The fact that the capital was targeted, and that the prime instigator, the one who unleashed the mob, was the President of the United States. For God's sakes, Sean--

SEAN HANNITY: Geraldo, you just made an accusation against me.

GERALDO RIVERA: --for the first time in centuries, the Capitol [INAUDIBLE]

SEAN HANNITY: We're friends a long time.

KYLIE MAR: While Hannity has condemned the events of January 6, he later falsely claimed that Black Lives Matter protesters attacked the White House in 2020. Hannity is also one of many making the false equivalency between the Capitol attack and the 2020 riots, changing the subject just as Rivera had accused him of doing.

SEAN HANNITY: I am saying that a riot is a riot. And if it's wrong on January 6, as I believe it is, then the 574 riots that took place that Democrats were silent about, why isn't there a commission on that?

KYLIE MAR: And as Rivera refused to make that false equivalency, Hannity was ready to move on.

GERALDO RIVERA: I supported President Trump until the period following the election leading up to the despicable events of January 6. On January 6--

SEAN HANNITY: That's-- We bring you on for your opinion.

GERALDO RIVERA: --he did something for which he owes the American people, the world and history an apology.