Beleaguered Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, who is facing a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him by former Fox News Channel anchor Gretchen Carlson, has found allies within the Fox News ranks, including Fox Business News anchor Maria Bartiromo.
Bartiromo, who has worked with Ailes for 25 years, through stints at CNBC when Ailes ran the network in the 1990s and now at Fox Business, told The Wire that Ailes is a man of integrity and professionalism and added she was surprised at the sexual harassment charges lobbed against him.
Carlson, host of Fox News’s The Real Story With Gretchen Carlson, earlier this month filed suit in a New Jersey Superior Court alleging that Ailes recently fired her because she refused to sleep with him; she also reported disparaging treatment in the newsroom.
“Everything I can judge based on my personal experience having known Roger Ailes for 25 years — I can tell you that he’s always exhibited the utmost character, integrity and professionalism,” Bartiromo said. “I know him very well, and I know him to be a very honest and professional man who has integrity. You look on Fox Business Network or Fox News, and there are a lot of women he has promoted. His record based on what I know has spoken for itself.”
