Ex-Trump Aide Hope Hicks to Join New Fox as Communications Chief

(Bloomberg) -- Former White House communications director Hope Hicks was named chief communications officer for the corporate parent of Fox News, underscoring the extraordinarily close connection between the Trump administration and the conservative cable news network.

Fox, the media company that will be spun off after the sale of 21st Century Fox to the Walt Disney Co., announced on Monday Hicks’ appointment as an executive vice president. Hicks will head up the public relations effort for the company, which will include Fox News, Fox Business Network, and Fox Sports 1.

Fox News Channel’s prime-time stars have been vocal supporters of President Donald Trump, and the network’s former co-president, Bill Shine, joined the White House earlier this year as deputy chief of staff for communications.

Former Fox News correspondent Heather Nauert leads communications at the State Department. Former Fox personality Kimberly Guilfoyle is dating the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and left the network earlier this year to join a political action committee promoting the president’s priorities.

Hicks, long one of the president’s closest aides, resigned in February, just days after testifying to the House Intelligence Committee as part of their investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Her departure also came weeks after a scandal in which her then-boyfriend - former White House staff secretary Rob Porter - was accused of domestic violence by two ex-wives.

Controlled by media baron Rupert Murdoch and his family, Fox is selling its entertainment assets to Disney in a $71 billion deal. But the company will continue to operate TV stations and cable outlets including Fox News, and still be controlled by the Murdochs.

The company also named former General Electric Co. executive Danny O’Brien to lead its government relations team. O’Brien will be based in Washington and Hicks in Los Angeles, according to the announcement.

To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Mike Dorning, Rob Golum

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