Senate Democrats Voice Concerns Over Bill Shine's Ties to Fox News
11 December 2018 - 10:44AM
Dow Jones News
By Natalie Andrews
WASHINGTON -- Four Democratic senators on Monday asked the White
House to answer questions about whether Trump communications
adviser and former Fox News executive Bill Shine is violating
conflict-of-interest laws as he continues to get paid by 21st
Century Fox.
The letter sent by Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts,
Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Edward Markey of Massachusetts
and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island says Mr. Shine could be
breaking the law by receiving bonuses from his previous employer
while working at the White House.
According to Mr. Shine's recently released financial disclosure,
he received an $8.4 million severance payment from 21st Century Fox
in 2017 and is scheduled to receive additional payments of $3.5
million in 2018 and 2019. Mr. Shine began working at the White
House in July and serves as deputy chief of staff for
communications.
"21st Century Fox's previous and ongoing payments to Mr. Shine
of millions of dollars in severance payments raise questions about
his compliance with federal conflict of interest statutes and
regulations," the senators wrote in the letter sent Monday to
acting White House counsel Emmet Flood.
Mr. Shine declined to comment about the letter.
Under federal law, people who have received an "extraordinary"
payment from an employer before entering government service are
barred from participating in matters involving that employer.
President Trump signed an executive order in January 2017 banning
political appointees from participating in work for previous
employers up to two years before the appointment.
The senators question whether Mr. Shine is breaking the law
because his White House role puts him in contact with employees and
affiliates of Fox News while receiving payments from 21st Century
Fox, the owner of Fox News.
"He has, for example, helped prepare President Trump for
interviews with Fox News hosts, and he reportedly communicates with
21st Century Fox Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch," the senators
wrote. Fox Co-Chairman Rupert Murdoch is also executive chairman of
The Wall Street Journal's parent company News Corp.
The senators asked the White House to respond to a series of
questions about Mr. Shine's compliance with federal ethics law by
Jan. 2.
Mr. Shine left Fox News last year in one of a string of
high-profile departures amid a sexual-harassment controversy. He
was never accused of harassment. In lawsuits, some Fox News
employees and former executives have alleged that Mr. Shine ignored
complaints of bad behavior by the former chairman and chief
executive Roger Ailes and enabled an environment that was hostile
to women. Fox News had denied any wrongdoing by Mr. Shine.
Write to Natalie Andrews at Natalie.Andrews@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 10, 2018 18:29 ET (23:29 GMT)
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