'Sickening': Bill Shine Goes From Covering Up Sexual Harassment at Fox News to Trump's White House

While President Donald Trump’s appointment of former Fox News executive Bill Shine to a top communications role was unsurprising to critics, many denounced the selection as the latest signal that the president holds contempt for the concerns of women.

As the right-wing news outlet’s co-president, Shine allegedly helped to cover up the sexual harassment faced by many women at the network at the hands of powerful men including TV host Bill O’Reilly and CEO Roger Ailes. According to former Fox News personalities Julie Roginsky and Andrea Tantaros, Shine was dismissive of accusations against Ailes, helped to arrange meetings between Ailes and women he had sexually harassed, and suppressed reports of misconduct.

“For years, Bill Shine actively covered up Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly’s sexual misconduct at Fox News, created and fostered a toxic work environment at the network, and actively retaliated against women who reported their abuse,” Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, said last month as the White House was weighing Shine’s possible new role.

MSNBC‘s Chris Hayes suggested on Twitter that Shine’s entry into politics must give the public he’s purported to serve the right to information about his time at Fox. Shine was ousted from the network last year and has denied the allegations against him.

Shine will work as an assistant to the president and as deputy chief of staff for communications.