Former Fox News Co-President Bill Shine Named White House Communications Director

WASHINGTON — The former co-president of Fox News will be the latest communications director in a post that has been often re-filled in President Trump’s term.

The White House said in a statement today that Bill Shine, Fox’s former senior executive vice president of programming who was promoted to co-president of news and business by chairman Rupert Murdoch in August 2016, will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications.

Shine was forced out at Fox in May 2017 amid allegations that he helped cover up the sexual misconduct of former Fox News president Roger Ailes.

The brief White House statement noted that Shine “brings over two decades of television programming, communications, and management experience to the role.”

Tweeted Donald Trump Jr.: “On your marks, get set…. how long till the liberal media and snowflakes start taking shots at the great Bill Shine? Competent, hard working and a believer in making America great again!”

The first person to fill the role of communications director in the Trump administration was former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who ceded the role to Washington PR exec Mike Dubke in March 2017. That lasted 88 days before Dubke stepped down.

Spicer filled in again in an acting role before Trump appointed Anthony Scaramucci on July 21, 2017. The Mooch lasted 10 days before resigning in the wake of an expletive-laced interview he gave to the The New Yorker, including what he later called “colorful” descriptions of Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon.

Hope Hicks, who served as Trump’s spokeswoman during his presidential campaign, was appointed White House communications director on Aug. 16, 2017, and resigned on March 29.

Trump implied last week that Hicks could be returning to the White House.

“I love Hope. She’s great. I hope that — I’ve been hearing little things like that,” Trump told reporters when asked if she might come back. Vanity Fair reported that Hicks’ name was being floated to replace Chief of Staff John Kelly.