Roger Ailes Allegedly Pressured Judith Regan To Lie To Federal Investigators, Lawsuit Said: NYT

A lawsuit alleged that Fox News CEO Roger Ailes pressured former publisher Judith Regan to lie to federal investigators during their investigation of former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik—and that Regan recorded the conversation, the New York Times reported Thursday.

The charges actually stem from an affidavit filed in a lawsuit against Regan by her lawyers—an affidavit which was only made public because of a court oversight. Regan had made similar allegations in a separate wrongful termination suit she filed against News Corp.--the parent company of both Fox News and Harper Collins, where she was fired in 2006 after a scandal surrounding a book by O.J. Simpson--but the identity of the person she said told her to lie about an affair she'd had with Kerik had not been revealed until now.

According to the Times, Regan alleged that she recorded a telephone call between her and Ailes, where he told her to keep her affair quiet from federal investigators, lest the resultant publicity hurt the presidential bid of Rudy Guiliani, Kerik's close ally. Guiliani is also very close to Ailes--among other things, he officiated at Ailes' wedding.

In one part of the affidavit, one of Regan's lawyers, Seth Redniss, talks about "a recorded telephone call between Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News (a News Corp. company) and Regan, in which Mr. Ailes discussed with Regan her responses to questions regarding her personal relationship with Bernard Kerik."

In a statement to the Times, News Corp. did not deny that Ailes was on the recording, but said that the company had a letter from Regan "stating that Mr. Ailes did not intend to influence her with respect to a government investigation."

The Times speculates that the existence of the recording may be one reason that News Corp. settled very quickly with Regan in early 2008, giving her a $10.75 million payout.

For the full New York Times story, click here.

Comments

[revue]

11:23 AM on 03/01/2011

This guy and Murdoch goes back to the tricky dick years.

[Ron Diaz]

06:07 PM on 02/28/2011

Is this really a surprise coming from the Fox Fear channel.

[me again]

12:01 PM on 02/28/2011

Of course he told her to lie.

[rosey7]

08:59 PM on 02/28/2011

me again, Of course, Judith doesn't need to lie, she had a huge career as a publisher and made a mint of money.

[rosey7]

09:36 AM on 03/01/2011

Yes, and won't it be delicious if she's forced to talk? 10 million just added to her fortune. Wonder if she'll plead the fifth if she signed a non disclosure agreement or if she will just testify . I have met her and found her to be an up front person. So, we shall see how she handles this.

[me again]

02:52 PM on 03/01/2011

I expect she will talk......the issue here is what Ailes said, not necessarily what she did. He's the one who has alot to lose here.

[conservicide]

06:24 AM on 02/28/2011

Ailes health is failing and he will quickly succumb to the malignant mucal condition that composes the lions share of his corpal existence.

[iconoclast6]

01:49 AM on 02/28/2011

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute conservative l!ars.

These are their stories.

DOINK-DOINK!

[duncansdad]

09:49 PM on 02/27/2011

A conservative lied? I'm shocked (2x).

[Blodo]

11:07 PM on 03/01/2011

Indeed...and appalled.

[LJIESQ]

07:18 PM on 02/27/2011

Look on the bright side, Roger. A year from now you're going to look a lot thinner.

[conservicide]

06:25 AM on 02/28/2011

Hopefully, downright "bony"

[Nancy J Powell]

06:02 PM on 02/27/2011

Hope he sees some jail time

[sailor422]

05:41 PM on 02/27/2011

obstruction of justice?

[sidplicity]

05:12 PM on 02/27/2011

Gawker reporting Ailes get's indicted this week maybe Monday.

[iconoclast6]

01:50 AM on 02/28/2011

People with that much money and power, have a Get Out Of Jail Free card tattooed on their |3unz.

[suzeejc]

12:08 PM on 02/27/2011

When I look at this picture, I can't help but to think "FAT cat"

[masterdaddy0]

10:47 PM on 02/27/2011

Fat rat fits him more.

[farmilyman]

11:36 AM on 02/27/2011

I'm sure nothing will be done because he's a rich Repub. Just like Rush got off for his narcotic rx scandel.

[Boudicaa]

09:24 AM on 02/27/2011

Did he break the law?
If he did he must pay the price like everyone else.
If he does not pay the price like everyone else this means that America has become the shining plutocracy on the hill.
And people need to figure out what they are going to do about it.

[freedomsxm]

10:37 AM on 02/26/2011

Roger Ailes told Judith Regan To Lie To Federal Investigat­ors... isn't that against the law?

[ProgressivesLoveAmerica]

01:05 PM on 02/26/2011

it's only against the law if you're not rich enough or powerful enough.

[orange county man]

08:32 AM on 02/26/2011

The head of Fox news telling people to lie?? Gasp!!