Shine Chosen for Dep. Chief of Staff
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Fox News executive Bill Shine will be joining the Trump administration as deputy chief of staff for communications.
That's according to a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because details of the announcement were still being finalized. A formal announcement was expected as soon as Thursday.
Shine, who left Fox last year amid questions over his handling of sexual harassment and discrimination allegations, was expected to oversee the White House press and communications shops, according to another person familiar with Trump's thinking.
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Trump has effectively been serving as his own communications director since the departure of Hope Hicks several months ago.
Shine's name had been floated for months as a potential White House hire. He and the president have been in talks over the last month, and he was interviewed several times for the post, according to two people briefed on the discussions. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the unannounced plans.
Shine was never accused of direct wrongdoing but resigned from Fox last year amid allegations that also led to the departures of CEO Roger Ailes and Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly.
The longtime Ailes lieutenant was considered vulnerable because of claims that he looked the other way as charges of toxic workplace behavior piled up. He'd been named co-president with Jack Abernethy upon Ailes' departure.
Shine is close with another Fox News host, Sean Hannity, a close friend of the president's.
Shine did not return messages seeking comment.
(KA)