Former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, the television executive removed from his job last month over allegations of sexual harassment, is helping Republican Donald Trump prepare for this autumn's presidential debates, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper’s report drew a quick denial from Mr Trump’s campaign. The Republican presidential nominee’s spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the role played by Mr Ailes had been mischaracterised, pointing out that the two men are long-standing friends and talk occasionally but that the former Fox executive has no role in the campaign.
“This is not accurate. He is not advising Mr Trump or helping with debate prep. They are longtime friends but he has no formal or informal role in the campaign,” she said.
Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch agreed to pay Mr Ailes $40 million (€35 million) as part of his departure from the news channel he founded after an internal investigation was launched into allegations of sexual harassment by former female employees.
He departed two weeks after one-time Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, a 11-year veteran of the station, filed a legal action claiming Mr Ailes demoted her and later fired her for rebuffing his sexual advances and challenged a misogynist newsroom culture.
She claimed in her legal complaint that when she tried to address what she considered discriminatory treatment in a meeting with Mr Ailes last year, he allegedly told her that relations would have been better between them if they had a sexual relationship.
“I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better,” he told her, according to the complaint.
Since the legal action was filed, more women have come forward to make similar allegations against the 76-year-old former Fox News chairman and chief executive.
Prior to establishing Fox News 20 years ago, Mr Ailes worked as a political strategist advising at the highest level of US politics. He worked with former president Richard Nixon on his 1968 presidential campaign and coached Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush in their preparation for presidential debates in campaigns in the 1980s.
Mr Trump defended Mr Ailes during an interview last month against the sexual harassment allegations.
“He’s been a friend of mine for a long time,” the businessman said. “And I can tell you that some of the women that are complaining, I know how much he’s helped them.”
Any involvement by Mr Ailes in the billionaire's campaign would likely cause problems for Mr Trump given his poor favorability ratings among women. A Washington Post/ABC News poll gave Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump's Democratic rival, a 58 per cent to 35 per cent lead among women, her highest support amongst female voters to date.
In one of the most controversial episodes of Mr Trump's campaign, the billionaire suggested that he was treated aggressively by Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly in the first Republican presidential debate in August 2015 because she was menstruating.
Mr Trump later withdrew from another Fox News debate, the last to be held before the crucial Iowa caucuses in February, because Ms Kelly was moderating.
