Drama at Fox News: Senior anchor fired after leaking secret directive to the White House
The American news network suddenly announced the immediate termination of its contract with journalist Maria Bartiromo and removed her name from the website. According to reports in the US, the move follows an incident in which she passed a screenshot of an internal network directive regarding the nature of its coverage of President Donald Trump to him. The network refused to deny the claims.
Fox News fired senior anchor Maria Bartiromo last night (Thursday) after more than 12 years at the company. A network spokesperson confirmed to Axios that the firing was for "business reasons," although in the official statement, Fox avoided the word "fired" and settled for the statement: "As of today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer part of Fox News Media." It was further stated: "We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 and a half years and wish her success in the next chapter." No reason was given for the decision.
Passed information to Trump
The immediate nature of the move left little doubt that this was not a planned departure. Bartiromo's name was quickly removed from the network's website, and the three programs she hosted were moved to a new format. Bartiromo has yet to issue a public response.
According to a report by the media outlet Status, the decision was made following an incident that occurred in July, after a speech broadcast during prime time in which President Donald Trump presented documents that had been declassified, and claims regarding Chinese interference in the 2020 elections. According to the report, Fox Business management had issued an internal directive to executives and editors not to give validity to certain claims raised by Trump and not to promote a story that Bartiromo wanted to cover.
It was further reported that after Trump, or a senior official in the White House, asked Bartiromo why Fox was not giving the claims more extensive coverage, she allegedly revealed that it was done under the instruction of her managers and even passed a screenshot of the internal directive to the White House. According to the report, the act was perceived by the network as a breach of confidentiality and her employment agreement.
"The breaking point"
The claim has not yet been officially confirmed, but received some reinforcement from a separate report in the Los Angeles Times. A source familiar with the details told the newspaper that the "breaking point" was likely the transfer of an internal company email to Trump. When Fox was explicitly asked if it denied the Status report, its spokesperson did not do so and replied only: "It was a business decision, and the statement speaks for itself." At the same time, it was reported that Fox also fired Patrick Ignuzzi, the executive producer of Bartiromo's morning show.
Identified with the President
Bartiromo, 58, has become in recent years one of the anchors most identified with Trump. Her programs hosted, among others, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and attorney Sidney Powell, who raised unsubstantiated claims that voting systems were used to rig the 2020 presidential election, as Trump continues to claim. These broadcasts were at the center of the lawsuits filed by Dominion and Smartmatic against Fox. The network paid Dominion $787.5 million in a settlement in 2023, while the Smartmatic lawsuit — in which Bartiromo is personally sued and denies that she knowingly spread false information — is still ongoing. According to the Los Angeles Times, the legal exposure damaged her status at the network.
Her departure sparked speculation that she might be appointed White House Press Secretary, but Vice President J.D. Vance ruled this out during a White House press conference. "No, I don't think so," he said, calling her an "amazing person and an amazing talent," before adding that he does not get involved in the "personal dramas of media stations."
