Fox News on Tuesday suspended Newt Gingrich as a political contributor over speculations that Donald Trump is considering the former House Speaker as a possible pick for vice president.
The news channel said in a statement it is has “mutually agreed to suspend its contributor agreement” with Gingrich “effective immediately,” CNN Money reports.
“Due to the intense media speculation about Gingrich’s potential selection as Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, we felt it best to halt his contributor role on the network to avoid all conflicts of interest that may arise,” executive vice president for news Jay Wallace said in the statement.
In his role, Gingrich had contributed to the network’s election and political coverage and offered analysis on domestic and international news events, according to his biography on Fox News’ website. Gingrich, who had joined the network in 1999 after leaving Congress, was previously suspended as a contributor in 2011 when he ran during the 2012 presidential election. He rejoined Fox News in 2015.
Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, has praised Gingrich as “smart” and “tough.” He has said that even if he does not choose him as his running mate, Gingrich will have a place in his administration.
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