Fox names former Trump aide Hope Hicks as its new communications director

Hope Hicks, who advised US President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and served as his White House communications director, was named today as the head of corporate communications for New Fox, the successor to 21st Century Fox.

The appointment will place Hicks, 29, in charge of a company that will oversee Fox News Channel and other entities controlled by Rupert Murdoch.

The hiring of Hicks follows Trump's appointment of various figures from Fox News, including Bill Shine, the network's former co-president. Shine effectively replaced Hicks in June when he was named deputy chief of staff for communications.

New Fox is the corporate entity that will be formed after 21st Century sells many of its assets to the Walt Disney Co. The US$71 billion sale is likely to be completed early next year.

Hicks left the White House in February after a chaotic first year for the Administration. Among other issues, she was involved in crafting the White House's response to the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller of the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russian operatives who interfered in the 2016 campaign.

Hicks reportedly urged Administration officials, including the President, to be more transparent in characterising a June 2016 meeting among Trump, presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Russian representatives who allegedly were offering negative information about Hillary Clinton.

Trump reportedly dictated a misleading public statement released by Hicks characterising the encounter as a "short, introductory meeting" in which the participants "primarily discussed a programme about the adoption of Russian children."

Hicks was formerly director of communications for the Trump Organisation. She was an early recruit to Trump's campaign, joining it several months before he announced his candidacy in June 2015.

At New Fox, Hicks will succeed two executives who oversaw 21st Century Fox's communications when Fox News was beset by multiple sexual harassment allegations, including against its co-founder Roger Ailes and top star Bill O'Reilly. The executives, Julie Henderson and Nathaniel Brown, are not joining New Fox.

Hicks will be based in Los Angeles, according to an announcement by Viet Dinh, the company's chief legal and policy officer.

The appointment was cheered by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who tweeted: "Fox won't find anyone smarter or more talented than Hope Hicks. So happy for my friend. They are beyond lucky to have you and the East Coast misses you already."

New Fox also appointed Danny O'Brien as its head of government relations. O'Brien has previously been chief of staff to three Democratic senators: Joe Biden, Robert Menendez, and Robert Torricelli. He was also staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was most recently an executive at General Electric.