Former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, kicked out last month over sexual harassment charges, has been advising GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump, as the self-described billionaire candidate prepares for the fall presidential debates.
Trump has been accused three times of rape or attempted rape, by three different women. One was his wife. He also faces child rape charges in a legal case involving abuse alleged to have taken place in 1994. Beyond those most serious accusations, Trump is widely reported to be a sexist predator who “crosses the line” with women routinely, and has for a very long time.
If today’s New York Times story about the Ailes mentorship is true, and naturally Trump’s camp is denying it — the Orange-Fingered Vulgarian is receiving tactical guidance on how to beat democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the debates from a man accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment and sexual abuse, over decades.
What a pair.
Trump’s first scheduled debate with Clinton either will or won’t take place on September 26, at Hofstra University on Long Island, NY, reports the Times citing unnamed sources.
Two of them said Mr. Ailes’s role could extend beyond the debates, which Mr. Trump’s advisers see as crucial to vaulting him back into strong contention for the presidency after self-inflicted wounds that have eroded his standing in public opinion polls.
For Mr. Ailes, being connected with Mr. Trump’s campaign could be a form of redemption after he was pushed out of the powerful network that he helped build. And for Mr. Trump, having Mr. Ailes taking a hand in his preparations for the debates adds immeasurably to the messaging and media expertise in his corner — and could raise alarms within Mrs. Clinton’s camp about just how aggressive Mr. Trump plans to be in those encounters.
Mr. Ailes’s intimate knowledge of how Fox News approaches debates could also give Mr. Trump an important edge should one of the network’s journalists be chosen to moderate one of the three events.
It was not clear when Mr. Ailes began helping the campaign. He resigned his post at Fox News on July 21 amid an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by former female employees that occurred after a lawsuit by the former anchor Gretchen Carlson.
“Roger Ailes Is Advising Donald Trump Ahead of Presidential Debates” [nytimes.com]