WASHINGTON — Former Fox News executive Bill Shine is expected to be offered the role of White House communications director, a key position in the Trump administration that has been vacant since March, according to people familiar with the matter.
Shine had long been mentioned as a candidate for the position. Fox News commentator Sean Hannity, who is close to Shine and to President Donald Trump, played a key role in orchestrating the process, a person familiar with the matter said.
The White House is expected to make an announcement on the matter as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Shine, one of the longest-serving executives at Fox News, left the company last year in one of a string of high-profile departures amid a sexual-harassment controversy that led the company to part ways with its former chairman and chief executive, the late Roger Ailes, and prime-time star anchor Bill O’Reilly — who had both at times advised the president. While Shine himself was never accused of harassment, in lawsuits, some Fox News talent and former executives have alleged that Shine ignored complaints of bad behavior by Ailes and enabled an environment that was hostile to women.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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