Fox News host Sean Hannity had a close working relationship with former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort, according to a court filing that was released on Friday.

The messages between the two were initially filed under seal as an attachment to a government sentencing memo in February. US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the judge overseeing Manafort’s case, ordered them to be released.

The wide ranging discussion between the two was friendly and Hannity was often sympathetic to Manafort’s situation. The FBI raid on Manafort’s home and the Justice Department’s relentless pursuit of Trump associates were among the topics broached.

The messages were sent from mid-July 2017 until early 2018 and came before Manafort was convicted of tax charges and bank fraud brought by ex-special counsel Robert Mueller. He is serving a 7.5-year sentence in Virginia.

“The media is trying to split me with DT and family by lies and untruths,” Manafort texted to Hannity in August 2017. “It is such a dirty game.”

Manafort said in another text, “I have new lawyers who are junk yard dogs and will undo a lot of this injustice. But it is going to be a painful and expensive fight for me.”

Hannity defended the communications today via Twitter.

“My view of the Special Counsel investigation and the treatment of Paul Manafort were made clear every day to anyone who listens to my radio show or watches my TV show,” Hannity said.