Ari Emanuel, the head of WME and Donald Trump’s former Hollywood agent, was briefly considered for a job in the Trump White House weeks after his surprise election victory in 2016, according to preliminary vetting documents obtained by Axios.
Emanuel, a longtime Democrat whose brother Rahm served as chief of staff in the Obama White House, helped propel Trump into the national spotlight by landing him a gig as host of the NBC reality series “The Apprentice.”
Senior members of the Trump transition team told Axios they could not remember the specific job for which Ari Emanuel had been considered.
A 23-page preliminary vetting document from November 2016 detailed public documents easily searched news stories suggesting areas of concern for follow-up questions — including his longtime political and financial support for the Democratic Party (despite a $1,000 contribution to the Republican National Committee in 2005).
Emanuel, who severed his ties to Trump during the campaign, refused to answer questions on whether he would welcome Trump back as a client if he lost the election, the document noted.
The vetters also red-flagged a 2002 sexual harassment lawsuit filed by an employee that also accused Emanuel of making “anti-gay and racist remarks.” The suit was settled out of court for $2.25 million.
A rep for WME did not respond to a request for comment.
The disclosure comes just one month after WME parent company Endeavor filed to become a publicly traded company.