President Donald Trump has officially tapped Bill Shine, a former Fox News executive who was close to ousted network chair Roger Ailes, as his communications director to replace Hope Hicks — even though Shine was named in multiple lawsuits or allegations related to sexual harassment or racial discrimination at Fox News.
“Mr. Shine will serve as Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications. He brings over two decades of television programming, communications, and management experience to the role,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday. “Previously, Mr. Shine served as Co-President of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
Shine was ousted as Fox News co-president in May 2017 over concerns about his handling of sexual harassment complaints at the network. He was a high-ranking executive at Fox when allegations of misconduct were launched against Ailes and former host Bill O’Reilly. And he was co-president of Fox News when its parent company, 21st Century Fox, paid settlements to women who had accused O’Reilly of sexual harassment.
Shine was named in multiple lawsuits or allegations related to sexual harassment or racial discrimination at Fox News, according to CNN. Laurie Luhn, a former booker at Fox News who accused Ailes of sexual harassment, said Shine made travel arrangements for meetings with Ailes. On-air contributor Julie Roginsky alleged that Shine retaliated against her for not backing Ailes in his battle against Gretchen Carlson, who sued Fox News over sexual harassment.
Being the communications director in the Trump White House is a tough gig — one that’s been conspicuously vacant since Hope Hicks departed in March. Mike Dubke only lasted three months. Anthony Scaramucci notoriously lasted just about 10 days. Kellyanne Conway had declined the post, the New York Times reported last week, citing two people familiar with the decision.
This White House isn’t particularly concerned with the treatment of women
According to the Times, White House officials are “aware that they will face blowback” if Shine is indeed appointed, given his ties to Ailes and the Fox News harassment scandals. But they think they can “weather it” — and probably for good reason.
Trump has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct and assault with seemingly little consequences, and he has largely brushed aside accusations against others. He defended both Ailes and O’Reilly amid the allegations against them.
When since-dismissed staff secretary Rob Porter was credibly accused of physical abuse by two of his ex-wives, Trump openly worried about his life being “shattered” and expressed concern that he hadn’t received due process. The president endorsed accused child molester Roy Moore in the US Senate race in Alabama.
But there has been pushback to Shine’s hiring, news of which first broke last week. Buzzfeed reports that some of the unease is coming from conservative quarters, who think Shine’s presence in the White House will dredge up the White House’s past scandals — such as Porter — and Fox News’s own dark past with Ailes.
“It’s extraordinary that the president of the United States could hire someone like this,” a senior Fox News executive told Buzzfeed. “This is someone who is highly knowledgeable of women being cycled through for horrible and degrading behavior by someone who was an absolute monster.”
The Fox News-White House pipeline is undeniable
Shine was known as Ailes’s enforcer, and was close to such Fox News personalities as Sean Hannity. (He was once Hannity’s producer.) Trump has already stacked his White House with Fox News and cable personalities, and he relies on the advice of a bizarre sort of “kitchen cabinet” from the cable network’s line up. Hannity is chief among them.
Shine received the public endorsement of Hannity, who had reportedly been advocating for Shine with Trump for months. “I think it would be great because he’s great at his job,” Hannity said on his radio show, according to the Daily Beast. “And he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known and one of the nicest people I’ve ever known.”
Shine is reportedly tasked with bringing more discipline to the White House and its communications operations, which has been without a permanent leader for months. Of course, many see the job of White House communications director as particularly toxic. This is an administration that struggles mightily to stay on message, in part because the president insists on tweeting about major issues at will. Shine, who left Fox News amid scandal, might be one of the few people left to take on the task.
That doesn’t mean that he won’t be effective. Though he hasn’t worked in politics before, some see Shine as being more effective in packaging the Trump administration’s agenda to the public — particularly his Fox News-watching base. What’s more, Shine had a reputation as being Ailes’s problem solver at Fox, a job he could reprise with his new boss Trump.