Trump’s former press secretary Sarah Sanders joins Fox News

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House press secretary, will join Fox News as a contributor next month, reinforcing the strong ties between the conservative cable network and the Trump administration.

Ms Sanders, who left the administration less than two months ago, will make her debut on 6 September on Fox & Friends, the network said in a statement.

In her new role, she will provide political commentary and analysis across Fox properties, including Fox News and Fox Business Network as well as digital and radio outlets.

Ms Sanders is among nearly two dozen people who hold or have held positions both in the Trump administration and at Fox News.

The others include Bill Shine, the former deputy White House chief of staff and former co-president of Fox News; Heather Nauert, a former Fox News anchor and former undersecretary of state; and Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s former communications director, who is now the chief communications officer at Fox Corp.

The path from White House spokesperson to television news is well-worn. George Stephanopoulos joined ABC News after working in the administration of President Bill Clinton, for example, and Jay Carney joined CNN after leaving the Obama administration.

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As press secretary, Ms Sanders became one of the most recognisable faces of the administration. She was known for her confrontations with White House reporters, a style that endeared her to Mr Trump.

“We’ve been through a lot together. She’s tough, and she’s good,” the president said after announcing her departure in June. “She’s a warrior,” he added, kissing her affectionately on the side of the head.

Ms Sanders also effectively killed the daily briefing from the White House lectern, ending decades of tradition.

In April, it was revealed in the report of special counsel Robert Mueller that Ms Sanders had acknowledged delivering a false statement from the White House podium when she said in 2017 that she had personally heard from “countless” FBI officials who said they were happy with Trump’s decision to fire James Comey, then the director of the agency.

Ms Sanders later described that false statement as a “slip of the tongue”.

Before joining the White House, Ms Sanders, daughter of former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee, had worked in a variety of roles in Republican politics.

New York Times

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