Rumors are swirling at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that Roger Ailes may soon be named Donald Trump‘s campaign manager. This development follows Tuesday reports that Ailes had been officially ousted as Fox News CEO. Ailes’ exit was initially confirmed by the network; they later walked back the confirmation, but reports from Wednesday suggest his exit is imminent.
According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Michael Wolff, “The rumor of Ailes replacing Paul Manafort as campaign manager is an active one, with a further rumor putting Trump in favor of this and his children against it.”
Ailes’ departure comes after former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit alleging she was fired for rejecting his sexual advances. A probe into the network by parent company 21st Century Fox uncovered more stories about Ailes’ history of sexual harassment, including an incident with Megyn Kelly that she described to investigators in depth.
Despite the allegations, Trump has stood by his longtime friend, calling Carlson’s claims “totally unfounded.” Trump is reportedly advising Ailes on his strategy moving forward from Fox News.
Manafort is already having a rough week in Cleveland, where he spent about 36 hours vehemently denying that Melania Trump had plagiarized a section of her convention speech from Michelle Obama, at one point even attempting to blame Hillary Clinton.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)