Snakeoil

Is Sean Hannity's Charity a Scam?

Donates only a tiny portion of money to injured troops, children.

For years, Sean Hannity has hosted “Freedom Concerts” across America. He has claimed that the proceeds are donated to help the children of fallen soldiers pay for college and to pay for the medical care of wounded veterans. But according to conservative blogger Debbie Schlussel, “it’s all a huge scam.” She went through the tax returns of Freedom Alliance, the charity that helps Hannity throw the concerts, and found that less than 20 percent of the money raised goes to these causes—in 2006, for example, Freedom Alliance raised almost $11 million, but only $397,900 was donated to children of fallen soldiers or to injured veterans. $979,485 was spent, meanwhile on consultants, and more than $3 million was spent on postage and shipping and printing. One person tells Schlussel that Hannity demands a private jet and a fleet of Cadillac or Lincoln SUVs to transport him to the concerts.