Former Fox News host who backed out of a Trump administration role amid plagiarism claims is reportedly getting a job at the Treasury Department
- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is reportedly planning to hire former Fox News personality Monica Crowley to be his top spokeswoman.
- Crowley had previously been tapped for a role on President Trump's National Security Council, but left after media outlets found multiple examples of plagiarism from her past.
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is reportedly hiring former Fox News host Monica Crowley to serve as his top spokeswoman, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Crowley had previously been tapped for a role on the White House's National Security Council in 2017, but dropped out after media outlets found multiple instances of plagiarism by her.
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Crowley is slated to serve as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department, a role currently held by Tony Sayegh.
Politico reported that Crowley plagiarized portions of her doctoral dissertation at Columbia University, while CNN founded examples of un-credited work in her 2012 book.
Months later, Crowley appeared on Fox News and claimed the reports of plagiarism had been "debunked," which they were not.
"What happened to me was a despicable, straight-up political hit job, OK?" Crowley said to Sean Hannity. "It's been debunked. My editor has completely supported me and backed me up."
After Crowley backed out of the NSC role in early 2017, she went on to register as a foreign agent, working for Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian businessman. Pinchuk has taken a pro-Russia tone in resolving conflicts in Ukraine. Crowley's work for Pinchuk included "outreach services" and "inviting government officials and other policy makers to attend conferences and meetings," according to documents filed with the Justice Department.
Mnuchin's high-profile hire comes at the same time the Treasury is pushing back on requests from Democrats on the House Ways & Means Committee for President Donald Trump's tax returns.
While it is customary for presidents and presidential candidates to release their tax returns, Trump has so far refused, causing a brewing fight with Democrats using their newfound power in the House majority.