Former Fox News president in talks to be next White House communications director

Bill Shine, the former Fox News president who resigned amid sexual harassment scandals at the cable news channel, is in talks to become the next White House communications director.

Three sources familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the talks to NBC News on Wednesday.

The position of White House communications director has been vacant since the departure of Hope Hicks in late March.

Shine resigned from Fox News in May 2017 after the network came under fire for its handling of sexual harassment claims. He has had a longtime relationship with Fox News host Sean Hannity, a noted Trump ally. Shine was also considered a protégé of Roger Ailes, who built Fox News into a giant in cable news and a force in conservative politics. Ailes also left Fox News in light of the company's sexual harassment scandals.

If Shine is offered and accepts the job, he would become the fifth White House communications director in the Trump administration. Sean Spicer, who also worked as press secretary, did double-duty after the inauguration until Mike Dubke started in the role in early March 2017. He left in early June and was replaced by Anthony Scaramucci, whose notoriously short-lived tenure lasted only ten days. Hicks formally took over the job in mid-August.