Turns out Kayleigh McEnany was just auditioning for a Fox News gig all along
A newly unearthed disclosure shows the former White House press secretary signed a contract with the conservative outlet, though the network insists she’s not an employee.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany signed a contract for a paid role at Fox News in January, according to a disclosure report unearthed by government watchdog group the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Tuesday.
McEnany would be just the latest Donald Trump administration aide to join the right-wing network.
McEnany disclosed in the report that she had an “employment agreement” with the Fox Corporation, writing under that status and terms that it was with Fox News and that she would be “starting work in January.”
A Fox News spokesperson told the New York Times reporter that McEnany is not “currently” employed by the network, though the spokesperson did not deny that the former press secretary had signed a contract with the company.
HuffPost and New York Magazine contributor Yashar Ali also reported that “a source familiar with Kayleigh’s discussions” had said “there was a deal being negotiated but was put on pause…but that Fox News may still hire her give that the network doesn’t ‘condone cancel culture.'”
McEnany spent the final months of her tenure ignoring her role of informing the public by holding press briefings at the White House. Instead, she spent the majority of her time pushing voter fraud lies in multiple appearances on Fox News, in her dual role as campaign adviser.
Those lies eventually helped incite an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, carried out by a pro-Trump mob that sought to kill lawmakers and Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence.
McEnany’s role on the Trump campaign was itself questionable, given she was simultaneously drawing a taxpayer funded salary of $183,000 per year.
McEnany scoring a gig with Fox News would be fitting, as the network effectively serves as a messaging platform for Republicans, and includes a spate of “opinion” hosts in its prime-time lineup that overtly support Trump. The outlet has also been a revolving door for Trump administration staffers.
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed on with the network in September 2019, after her own stint at the podium. Her contributor gig with the network was terminated after she announced on Monday morning that she is running for governor of Arkansas.
Former White House communications director Hope Hicks also worked for Fox News after she left the administration the first time around. And Raj Shah, another former Trump administration spokesperson, joined Fox News after leaving as well.
Meanwhile, other Trump administration staffers have had a harder time finding employment since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, which led to a stream of White House deserters.
Politico reported that corporate America has essentially frozen out those who worked in the Trump administration, adding that some former aides had their offers rescinded after the insurrection.
“They are really f—ed,” an unnamed Republican strategist told Politico.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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