Bill Shine, the former Fox News executive who joined the White House staff last summer to manage President Trump’s communications operation, has resigned and will move to the president’s re-election campaign, the White House announced Friday. Mr. Shine’s abrupt departure came as a surprise to many in the White House and was revealed, as such personnel moves often are in this administration, as the president was on Air Force One leaving Washington. While described by admiring White House colleagues as a rare adult in the room, Mr. Shine has sometimes been absent during key moments, including the president’s trip last week to Vietnam. Colleagues said he had developed little chemistry with Mr. Trump, and critics increasingly focused on Mr. Shine’s ties to Fox, where he was forced out for his handling of sexual harassment claims. In a meeting late Friday morning with communications staff members, Mr. Shine told colleagues that he was leaving for two reasons, according to a person familiar with what took place. He said that he lived a solitary existence in Washington and missed his family, who remained in New York. But the second reason, he said, was that he had become a distraction for Mr. Trump and did not see that changing.<doc-sep>Trump has fumed over the White House media strategy and implemented major changes, including ending the traditional daily briefing. The president often acts as his own spokesman, commenting on news of the day during photo ops or impromptu sessions with reporters. On Friday, he reacted to news about the 47-month jail term of Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman, while walking out of the White House to board Marine One as he began a trip to Alabama to tour tornado damage.<doc-sep>The White House announced Friday that communications director Bill Shine has resigned. The news comes days after a New Yorker report detailing Fox News’ close relationship with the Trump White House. Shine was a Fox News executive prior to being pushed out for his handling of a number of sexual harassment lawsuits at the network. He was named to the White House position in July 2018. In a statement, Shine said he looked forward to “working on President Trump’s reelection campaign and spending more time with my family.” “Bill Shine has done an outstanding job working for me and the administration,” said President Trump in a statement. “We will miss him in the White House, but look forward to working together on the 2020 presidential campaign, where he will be totally involved. Thank you to Bill and his wonderful family!” White House deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine stands in the Rose Garden in January. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP) Shine was a 20-year veteran of Fox News, serving as news director and then briefly co-president before resigning in 2017. While Shine was never accused of harassment directly, he was named in a number of lawsuits as being complicit in promoting a workplace culture of covering up sexual harassment and both paying off and intimidating victims. Following the New Yorker report, the Democratic National Committee announced it would no longer be holding any primary debates on the network. Shine’s wife, Darla, was at the center of an anti-vaccine controversy in February when she promoted a pro-measles position on Twitter and incorrectly insisted contracting measles is good for your health and helps prevent cancer. “The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids,” wrote Darla Shine. “Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy & fight cancer.” Shine’s departure is the latest in a heavy churn of executive branch officials. Currently the secretary of defense, secretary of interior and White House chief of staff are all serving in an acting capacity following the December departures of James Mattis, Ryan Zinke and John Kelly, who previously held those positions. Story continues Jason Miller was originally named communications director but backed out in December 2016 amid allegations of an extramarital affair. Hope Hicks held the position for seven months before announcing her resignation in February 2018. In October, she was hired to head communications for Fox. Read more from Yahoo News:<doc-sep>White House communications director Bill Shine has resigned to take a position in US President Trump’s re-election campaign, the White House announced on Friday. The former Fox News executive will serve as a senior adviser to the 2020 campaign. Mr Shine called his tenure at the White House — which lasted under a year — “the most rewarding experience of my life.” “I’m looking forward to working on President Trump’s re-election campaign and spending more time with my family,” he said in a statement. The feeling was reciprocated, with Mr Trump lauding Mr Shine. “Bill Shine has done an outstanding job working for me and the Administration. We will miss him in the White House, but look forward to working together on the 2020 Presidential Campaign, where he will be totally involved. Thank you to Bill and his wonderful family!” the president said. Mr Shine follows a long line of departing White House communications directors under Mr Trump. White House press secretary Sean Spicer also filled the role. So did Michael Dubke, who lasted from March through May 2017. And then there was Anthony Scaramucci’s 11 days in the job. Former campaign press secretary Hope Hicks was later elevated to the position. She quit last February and now works for Fox News. This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission.<doc-sep>
Bill Shine, the White House deputy chief of staff for communications, has resigned from his post after less than a year in the West Wing. The former Fox News co-president offered his resignation to President Donald Trump Thursday evening, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Shine will serve as senior advisor to the 2020 re-election campaign. “Serving President Trump and this country has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. To be a small part of all this President has done for the American people has truly been an honor," Shine said in a statement issued by the White House. "I’m looking forward to working on President Trump’s reelection campaign and spending more time with my family." President Donald Trump in a statement lauded Shine, who was spotted in the West Wing shortly before news of his departure broke Friday morning after the president departed for Alabama, as having done "an outstanding job working for me and the Administration." "We will miss him in the White House, but look forward to working together on the 2020 Presidential Campaign, where he will be totally involved," Trump stated. "Thank you to Bill and his wonderful family!" Shine, was ousted last spring from FOX News' executive ranks amid a major shakeup at the network because of sexual harassment scandals. Though he was never personally accused of harassment, questions were raised about his handling of the accusations. Shine joined the White House as a senior communicator last summer, roughly four months after the former communications director, Hope Hicks, resigned. As White House communications director, Shine steered the president towards dozens of friendly interviews with Fox, including a high profile interview and campaign appearance with Sean Hannity during the 2018 midterm elections. Sanders called Shine "a great leader on our team and someone we have all loved working with every day." "He has brought a tremendous amount of talent and expertise to the Administration," Sanders noted. "Bill has become a real friend and his generosity and his passion for our country will be sorely missed. It is a big loss for the White House, but a huge gain for the President’s reelection campaign." Brad Parscale, the campaign manager of the president's reelection campaign, welcomed Shine in a statement boasting the president's shot at reelection "just got stronger." "Bill Shine is an incredible professional and will bring insight and talent as we build a world-class campaign," Parscale wrote. "He is a gifted communicator, strategic thinker and brings a wealth of experience from cable news and the White House."