White House deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine reportedly received $8.4 million in severance pay from 21st Century Fox when he resigned from Fox News in May 2017 amid criticism over how he handled sexual misconduct complaints leveled at some of the cable news network’s top talent.
Shine, who officially joined the Trump administration in July 2018, will also likely get $3.5 million in both 2018 and 2019 as part of his bonus and options perks, CNBC reported Friday, citing a White House financial disclosure report. Staffers who previously held Shine’s title were paid up to $179,700 each year, per a 2017 White House filing.
Shine was co-president for Fox News for 20 years before announcing his resignation in May during a tumultuous time for the network as it was dealing with the sexual misconduct controversies related to late chairman and CEO Roger Ailes and anchor Bill O’Reilly.
In July, Shine was granted an ethics waiver by then-White House counselor Don McGahn to work with his former employer and colleagues.
Shine replaced ex-White House communications director Hope Hicks, who left the administration in March, as the president’s top communications aide. Hicks is set to become chief communications officer of the new Fox News parent company that will emerge once 21st Century Fox officially folds into the Walt Disney Co. in 2019 in their $71 billion merger.
