Corey Lewandowski Fired From One America News Network
The former Trump campaign manager was giving other networks too much love and attention.
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Corey Lewandowski has been fired. Again.
Three sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Daily Beast that the former Trump campaign manager and current informal adviser to the president has been let go from One America News Network, a pro-Trump cable channel pitching itself as an aspiring Fox News.
Lewandowski angered OANN leadership with his frequent appearances on Fox and other competitors, which one former OANN employee described as “a big no-no” with the channel’s leadership. Senior staff at the network knew it was likely that Lewandowski would do other network appearances, but things came to a head when it began to appear that Lewandowski was giving more attention to competitors than his employer.
Robert Herring, One America’s chief executive, declined to comment directly on Lewandowski’s status with the channel save to note that the one-time Trump campaign manager was spending an inordinate amount of time on-air with OANN’s competitors. Asked directly if he had any reason to deny The Daily Beast’s reporting, Herring replied: “I have none whatsoever.”
Lewandowski joined OANN in January, shortly before Trump’s inauguration, to provide political analysis and an insider’s perspective on Team Trump. The network was a somewhat surprising choice. Launched in 2013, OANN has attempted to position itself as a mini-Fox News—running straight-news reports alongside sharply right-wing commentary. But as of 2015, the channel was available in just 15 million of 100 million available American homes.
OANN’s biggest claim to fame had been launching the career of one of the most prominent conservative firebrands to come out of the Trump era: Tomi Lahren. Lewandowksi’s inclusion gave it an additional boost as it tried to break through among the more established cable mainstays.
“We got a lot of help from [Corey] in the past, and he seems like very nice guy and very knowledgeable,” Herring told the Beast back in January. “You know, we're a growing network, and we saw a chance when he quit CNN and we just grabbed it.”
In addition to the cable news gig, Lewandowski also dabbled in DC influence peddling. He co-founded a pro-Trump lobbying firm, Avenue Strategies, with the implicit promise that he would be able to take advantage of his close ties to the White House—ties that proved of little value to the firm’s clients, as The Daily Beast reported.
He left the firm in early May after disagreements over what he described as the unauthorized use of his name in professional communications. His former colleagues, however, describe the split as amicable and mutual.
Lewandowski did not respond to multiple requests for comment.