Roger Ailes Spent Fox Money to Wage Secret Campaigns Against Foes

Now that Roger Ailes has left Fox, the news network has discovered that he misused company funds to wage secret campaigns against his enemies, according to a new report.

Ailes hired consultants, political operatives and private detectives and even ran negative campaigns against his foes out of a secret so-called “Black Room” located on the 14th floor of the NewsCorp building in New York, according to a New York Magazine report.

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Ailes’ lawyer responded: “These allegations are totally false.”

Ailes’ use of company monies went largely unchecked, the magazine said:

According to three highly-placed sources… there were few checks on Ailes when it came to the Fox News budget. “It was the culture,” one Fox executive said. “You didn’t ask questions, and Roger wouldn’t entertain questions.” One former News Corp executive explained that because Fox made more than $1 billion in annual profits, the funds that were used for settlements amounted to little more than “a rounding error.”

The top brass at Fox have been unearthing disturbing discoveries on how Ailes spent company dollars, now that he’s gone following sexual harassment allegations, the magazine said.

The network fired five consultants hired by Ailes last week.

Also Read: Fox News Drops Roger Ailes Name From Apprentice Program

Fox executives have learned Ailes hired them for his own personal purposes, the magazine said. It said Bert Solivan is one example, and that he was hired to run a negative PR campaign against the former Fox News head’s enemies, who included Gawker reporters John Cook and Hamilton Nolan, and former Putnam County News & Recorder editor Joe Lindsley.

The Evolution of Roger Ailes, From 'The Mike Douglas Show' to Fox News Innovator (Photos)

The television executive has evolved from producing a talk-variety show to running one of the biggest satellite news television channel in the U.S.
Fox News
Born and raised in Ohio, Roger Ailes attended Ohio University as a young man, majoring in radio and television. During his time there, he served as station manager for the university's WOUB radio for two years.
Ohio University
Ailes worked his way up to executive producer on the syndicated daytime talk show "The Mike Douglas Show," which began as a local program in Cleveland before expanding nationwide.
Westinghouse Broadcasting Company
In 1968, Ailes got an Emmy nod when "The Mike Douglas Show" was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Programming, ultimately losing to NBC's "Today" show.
After first meeting Richard Nixon on the set of "The Mike Douglas Show," Ailes was hired by the then-presidential candidate to be his media advisor during the campaign, which marked his first professional foray into politics.
Ailes continued consulting on presidential campaigns, serving as media consultant for three successful Republicans: Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Ailes produced the famous "revolving door" ad for Bush, which painted Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis as soft on crime. The piece was widely regarded as the most influential ad of the political cycle.
In 1988, Ailes co-authored a self-help book with Jon Kraushar. "You Are the Message" shared Ailes' tips for effective communication and public performances.
Simon and Schuster
In 1992, Ailes served as executive producer on a syndicated late-night talk show hosted by right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh, which ran for four years before coming to an end in 1996.
Ailes Productions
Ailes was named president of CNBC in 1993, where he launched the new cable network America's Talking, which was shut down and replaced with future Fox News competitor MSNBC.
America's Talking
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch hired Ailes to serve as founding CEO and Chariman of the Fox News Channel in 1996, which soon grew to become the most popular cable news network in the country.
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In 2016, Ailes was accused of sexual harassment by ousted Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. In July, Carlson filed a lawsuit against Ailes, claiming years of inappropriate behavior and sexual advances.
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On July 20, 2016, Ailes was forced to resign from Fox News amid the growing outcry over the sexual harassment allegations.
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Ailes died on May 18, 2017 at age 77.