Democratic senators are pressing the White House on whether its top communications aide is cleared to work for the administration while he continues to receive bonuses and options from his old employer, 21st Century Fox.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Ed Markey, D-Mass. have requested documents from the White House counsel’s office about Bill Shine, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for communications, to check he isn’t breaking federal ethics laws with the benefits, CNBC reported Monday.
“21st Century’s 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 lawmakers wrote.
Their inquiry comes after CNBC last month reported Shine, a former co-president of Fox News for 20 years, was given $8.4 million in severance pay from 21st Century Fox when he resigned in May 2017 amid criticism over how he handled sexual misconduct complaints leveled at some of the cable news network’s top talent.
According to a White House financial disclosure report, Shine, who joined the Trump administration in July 2018, will also get $3.5 million in both 2018 and 2019 in bonuses and options.
Despite his ongoing financial relationship with Fox News, Shine was granted an ethics waiver in July by then-White House counsel Don McGahn to work with his former employer and colleagues, CNBC reported.
Shine was never accused of inappropriate behavior, but allegedly helped to cover up problems related to late chairman and CEO Roger Ailes and anchor Bill O’Reilly. Shine has denied any wrongdoing.
