WASHINGTON — (CNN) As a candidate, Donald Trump always had loyal defenders at Fox News. Now that he’s president-elect, many of them are being discussed for jobs in his administration.
Laura Ingraham, a paid Fox News contributor, is in talks to serve as Trump’s press secretary. Richard Grenell, another contributor with Fox, is reportedly being considered for the job of ambassador to the United Nations. Scott Brown, the former Massachusetts Senator, is said to be in the mix to run the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Other Fox contributors say they have already been offered positions in the Trump administration, but turned them down: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he was offered a job but it wasn’t “the right fit.” Ret. Army Gen. Jack Keane recently told NPR he turned down an invitation to serve as Secretary of Defense.
There have been reports, too, of network hosts being under consideration: Eric Bolling, an afternoon co-host, has “discussed the possibility” of taking a job in Trump’s Department of Commerce, according to Politico. Jeanine Pirro, a weekend co-host, was spotted at Trump Tower last week, leading to speculation that she too is in line for a post.
Whether anyone currently employed by Fox News actually moves to the Trump administration or not, the considerations alone are a reminder of the loyal support group Trump had at the network even when he was at war with Megyn Kelly, criticizing it on Twitter, or publicly sparring with Rupert Murdoch. (Murdoch visited Trump last week.)
Even during the campaign, Newt Gingrich had his role as a contributor suspended amid rumors he might be tapped as Trump’s running mate, and Fox Business contributor Anthony Scaramucci became an adviser to the campaign, and is now on his transition team.
Fox News’ Sean Hannity, arguably Trump’s most prominent and influential media booster, has outright denied interest in a job in the new administration, and there have been no reports that he was under consideration for one. He says he intends to continue hosting his nightly opinion show, and on Monday promised to “hold [Trump] accountable to promises.”
While those in the anti-Trump camp may see evidence of collusion or at least bias in any movement between Fox News and Trump’s White House, it should be remembered that such cross-overs have been a feature of previous administrations, including Barack Obama’s.
Jay Carney, a journalist at Time Magazine for two decades, joined the Obama White House in 2008 as an aide to Vice President Joe Biden, and went on to serve as White House Press Secretary. Richard Stengel, the former managing editor of Time, left that position in 2013 to become Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Those moves were perhaps more controversial because Carney and Stengel were journalists, not pundits or former politicians.
Nevertheless, Fox News has served as a waiting room for several Republicans during their time out of politics, including GOP primary candidates like Huckabee, Gingrich and Rick Santorum and rumored candidates like Sarah Palin.
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