With VP rumors swirling, Fox News, Newt Gingrich suspend contributor agreement

(Image credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images)

last updated 13 July 2016

Newt Gingrich and Fox News have mutually agreed to suspend the former House speaker's agreement with the channel, effective immediately.

"Due to the intense media speculation about Gingrich's potential selection as Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate, we felt it best to halt his contributor role on the network to avoid all conflicts of interest that may arise," Jay Wallace, the network's vice president of news, said in a statement Tuesday. Gingrich is being vetted and is reportedly one of the top choices to become Trump's running mate. He became a Fox News contributor last fall, after serving in the same role at CNN.

Gingrich appeared on Fox News minutes after the announcement, and said he doesn't know when Trump will reveal his decision. "My guess is you're going to hear either tomorrow or Thursday," he said. "Certainly no later than Friday, because they're going to want to dominate the weekend news with the vice presidential selection."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.