President-elect Donald Trump named Leo Terrell for a civil rights post on Thursday, bumping the number of Fox News figures poised to join his administration to 18, according to The Daily Beast.
The eye-raising figure appears to reflect Trump’s alliance with the conservative network, which he watched with stunning regularity during his first time in the White House and afterward.
Fox News said the contributor contract of Terrell, who has been chosen to serve as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, has already been terminated, Politico reported.
Trump’s nominations and appointments of past and recent Fox News personalities include his recent naming of Tammy Bruce for State Department spokesperson.
The list also features former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, former Fox Business host Sean Duffy for secretary of transportation, former Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for surgeon general, and former Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration commissioner,Mediaite noted.
Mike Huckabee, who hosted a Fox News show for several years, has been tapped as ambassador to Israel, and Tulsi Gabbard, a contributor who also filled in as a host on occasion, has been announced for director of national intelligence.
Many are subject to Senate confirmation, with some possibly facing uphill battles to secure the posts.
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Terrell made news elsewhere on Thursday by joining the conservative chorus to link diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to the fire crisis in Los Angeles ― and he did it on Fox News.
“You got a city fire chief who thinks DEI is the No. 1 issue!” Terrell said, per The Daily Beast. “It’s insulting. And you know what? I blame the voters and I blame the media here. Sean, you think national media’s biased? The local media in California kiss the ring of the Democrat Party. They do nothing. They don’t ask the right questions.”