Sean Hannity Top Speaker at Tea Party's Fifth Anniversary Bash

Fox News host Sean Hannity will be the keynote speaker at a major tea party event in Washington next week to celebrate the conservative movement’s fifth anniversary.

Hannity, who has been a fierce supporter of the movement since its inception in 2009, will give a capstone speech at the event being staged by the Tea Party Patriots, according to Breibart.

Other guests at the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency function on Feb. 27 will include Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as conservative radio host Mark Levin.

Reps. Michele Bachmann, Louie Gohmert, Jim Jordan, Steve King, Jim Bridenstine, Mark Meadows, and Matt Salmon have also confirmed they will be attending, according to Politico.

“Sean Hannity, who joined us in Atlanta in 2009 for the first round of Tax Day Tea Parties, has been a proud and outspoken supporter of the tea party movement and championed the cause of constitutionally limited government, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty,” said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots.

“His refusal to abandon principle in favor of party subservience has been welcome respite from pundits and policymakers who cave easily in the face of adversity.”

The birth of tea party movement is credited to a statement by CNBC's Rick Santelli on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 2009.

Santelli was ranting, as he is known to do, about the homeowner bailout that was being proposed by the Obama administration.

"We're thinking of having a Chicago tea party in July," Santelli said. "All you capitalists that want to show up to Lake Michigan, I'm going to start organizing."

On Thursday, the Huffington Post revealed that Hannity had solicited donations for the Tea Party Patriots in a fundraising email sent Wednesday morning by the conservative organization.

Hannity’s political fund drive contradicts Fox News' previous attempts to prevent the host from raising money for the group, Politico reported.

But a Fox spokesperson told TV Newser that Hannity’s involvement with the tea party organization is connected to his radio show, and has nothing to do with his Fox TV show or his role with the network.

Related Stories:

• Hannity Leaving NY After All? House on Market for $3.6 Million
• Sean Hannity: What's Christie's 'Big Appeal,' Anyway?