Amid Roger Ailes sexual harassment investigation, rumors fly that Fox News offices are bugged

Rumors are flying amid Roger Ailes' reported dismissal from Fox News that the offices may be bugged.

(Image credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

published 18 July 2016

Roger Ailes' position as the head of Fox News is rumored to be on the chopping block following a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. Curiously, sources told New York that the investigation's interviews with current and former female employees at Fox News are "now being conducted at Paul, Weiss's midtown offices because of concerns that the Fox offices could be bugged."

The plot thickens even further:

[The lawyers from New York law firm Paul, Weiss] are also looking into the appropriateness of Ailes' pressuring employees to speak out on his behalf, against his accusers. For instance, they are focusing on an op-ed written by Fox Business anchor Neil Cavuto in which Cavuto called the allegations against Ailes "sick." As Cavuto is a manager at Fox News (his title is senior VP and managing editor), his comments could be seen as part of a corporate attempt to silence women who would speak out. [New York]

Carlson has claimed that Ailes propositioned her for sex as well as asked her to "turn around so he could view her posterior" in his office and told her to wear outfits that "enhanced [her] figure." Other women at Fox News have dismissed Carlson's accusations, with anchor Sandra Smith claiming that "image is important" for TV. "Amazing, a television executive who cares what his television screen looks like," Smith told The Hollywood Reporter.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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