Fox News Says Morgan Ortagus is No Longer a Contributor Following Report She’s Joining State Department

NBC News reported Thursday that the Trump administration is hiring Fox News contributor Morgan Ortagus as State Department spokesperson, replacing Heather Nauert, a former Fox & Friends host.

A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to Mediaite that Ortagus is no longer a contributor at the network.

Ortagus, who regularly appeared on Fox News panel programs like Outnumbered, and co-hosted The Five as recently as Tuesday, has a background in counterterrorism and national security, spent time working in Iraq, and served as an officer in the Naval Reserves. She was also an officer in the U.S. Agency for International Development and an intelligence analyst in former President Barack Obama‘s Treasury Department.

NBC learned of Ortagus’ selection via anonymous sources. She has not officially announced the role yet and the State Department and White House National Security Council did not respond to NBC’s requests for comment.

Fox News did not immediately respond to Mediaite’s request for comment.

The White House’s choice of Ortagus adds to the long list of former Fox News employees and contributors brought into the Trump administration, including Bill Shine, Seb Gorka, John Bolton, and Mercedes Schlapp.

As for Nauert, she began her tenure at the State Department in 2017 but was chosen by Trump to fill the departing Nikky Haley‘s ambassador role at the United Nations. Nauert withdrew from consideration after a tax scandal involving an immigrant hired as her nanny broke out. She has since stepped away from her public appearances as the State Department’s spokesperson, but remains in the post.

In a statement, Nauert explained that the scandal was “grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration.”

This post has been updated.