Fox News anchor Heather Nauert has been hired as spokeswoman for the State Department, becoming the public voice of an agency largely quiet since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Nauert, news anchor on the morning “Fox & Friends” program that is one of Trump’s favorites, accepted the job this week, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the decision hasn’t been formally announced. Nauert didn’t return an email seeking comment.
Nauert, 47 will play a central role as the voice and face of the State Department after more than a month of silence since the agency suspended daily press briefings shortly before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The department has said briefings will resume on March 6, with acting spokesman Mark Toner behind the podium.
Trump has repeatedly praised “Fox and Friends,” at one point saying he’s been a fan of the show “for a long time.”
Nauert makes no secret of her political affiliations in her Twitter postings. Shortly after the retailer Nordstrom said it was pulling Ivanka Trump’s line of clothing, Nauert tweeted, “Caving 2 liberal pressure @Nordstrom?” saying designs by the president’s older daughter are “lovely, well made.” Nauert later tweeted that she would buy a pair of Ivanka Trump’s high heels and “wear on @foxandfriends this week.”
Nauert is the second Fox employee to get a public affairs job at the State Department in recent days. Jonathan Wachtel, a longtime Fox reporter at the United Nations, was recently named spokesman for the U.S. mission to the world body.
The State Department press office declined to comment. Politico reported earlier that Nauert was in talks for the post.
(c) 2017, Bloomberg ยท Nick Wadhams, Jennifer Jacobs
