Bill Shine Eyed for Role as White House Communications Director

By Ted Johnson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – WASHINGTON — Former Fox News executive Bill Shine is expected to be offered the job as the next White House communications director, succeeding Hope Hicks, multiple news outlets reported on Wednesday.

An announcement is expected soon, according to the reports.

Shine was co-president of until last May, when he was ousted over concerns of how he handled sexual harassment complaints. He had been promoted as co-president after Fox News chairman Roger Ailes was terminated following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.

Fox News’ chief White House correspondent John Roberts reported that Shine was in final talks with President Trump for the job.

Shine would be the fifth person to fill the role as communications director since took office. Mike Dubke served in the role until June, 2017, after which Press Secretary Sean Spicer took over as acting director. Anthony Scaramucci had a brief tenure in the post in July, 2017, and was succeeded by Hope Hicks. She departed in March, and the position has since been unfilled.

Shine joined Fox News in 1999 and was named senior executive vice president of programming in 2014.

The possibility of Shine’s selection was met with criticism from the group UltraViolet. Co-founder Shaunna Thomas said that “for years, actively covered up Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly’s sexual misconduct at Fox News, created and fostered a toxic work environment at the network, and actively retaliated against women who reported their abuse.

“While certainly disturbing, Fox News’ Bill Shine is an unsurprising pick for the Trump White House. Since taking office, the Trump White House has been a revolving door of sexual abusers and their enablers—and Shine would be just the latest perpetrator added to those ranks.”