White House staffers say Sean Hannity is Trump's 'shadow' chief of staff

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• Sean Hannity, the influential and controversial Fox News host, is known by some in the White House as President Donald Trump's unofficial chief of staff.
• The revelation in federal court this week that Hannity is a client of Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney who is under criminal investigation, further illustrates the Fox star's close ties to the president.
• "He basically has a desk in the place," a presidential adviser told The Washington Post.

Sean Hannity, the influential and controversial Fox News host, is known by some in the White House as President Donald Trump's unofficial chief of staff.

Trump calls Hannity several times a week to discuss everything from policy, to personnel, to the specifics of presidential tweets, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

"He basically has a desk in the place," a presidential adviser told The Post.

Some aides think of Hannity as Trump's "shadow" chief of staff - perhaps more influential then White House chief of staff John Kelly, The Post reported.

The revelation in federal court this week that Hannity is a client of Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney who is under criminal investigation, further illustrates the Fox star's close ties to the president.

While the two have been close since the height of the presidential election, their relationship has grown tighter over the last year.

"The bottom line is, during the heat of the campaign when relationships are forged, he was always there, offering good advice, in person and on television," Trump's former deputy campaign manager David Bossie told The Post of Hannity. "The president sees him as an incredibly smart and articulate spokesman for the agenda."

Trump allies say Hannity is one of just a handful of people who can speak candidly with the president and debate him on issues as an equal.

And the relationship is symbiotic. Hannity provides the president access to an audience of three million nightly viewers and keeps him tuned in to his base and, in turn, Trump directs his supporters to watch the program.