Fred Prouser FSP/JJ/Reuters
Federal officials are reportedly investigating whether Fox News attempted to hide a secret seven-figure payment to a former employee who claimed to have had a 20-year affair with Roger Ailes, the network’s former boss. The Washington Post reports that Laurie Luhn was paid $3.15 million in severance pay, and that she says she “engaged in a consensual but a mentally abusive relationship with Ailes and that several of his lieutenants facilitated the assignations and were aware of his alleged mistreatment of her.” Ailes has denied the allegations. The Post reported that one of the checks to Luhn was signed by an executive “who had no direct involvement” with the network in New York, in a possible attempt to make it appear that the network was not paying out the cash. Last week, Ailes’ replacement, Bill Shine, stepped down amid a firestorm of allegations and lawsuits alleging a hostile workplace.