Fox News Head Advised Lying to Feds: Court Docs

Five years ago, fired HarperCollins boss Judith Regan claimed an executive at Harper’s parent, News Corp, had pushed her to lie to federal investigators—but until now, that executive’s identity remained hidden. Now court affidavits show that it was Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News, the New York Times finds. According to Regan, Ailes wanted her to hush up her affair with Bernard Kerik—former NYPD chief and pal of Rudy Giuliani— because it might hurt Giuliani's presidential aspirations.

Affidavits also reveal that Regan taped a phone conversation with Ailes about the matter, which could prove embarrassing for him if it surfaces. While News Corp doesn’t deny that Ailes is on the tape, the company says it has a letter, penned by Regan, “stating that Mr. Ailes did not intend to influence her with respect to a government investigation.” The documents came to light as part of a separate lawsuit lodged against Regan by her former lawyers. Click for background on Regan's now-settled suit against News Corp. (More Roger Ailes stories.)