Gawker Sues Chris Christie, Fox's Ailes

(Newser) – Gawker has filed a lawsuit to determine the nature of communication between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, reports New York. The civil suit stems from a profile on Ailes that the magazine published in May, revealing that he had pushed Christie to enter the presidential race. When Gawker reporter John Cook attempted to research communication records between the pair, Christie's administration refused, citing executive privilege.

The lawsuit—the first ever by Gawker to obtain information—alleges that Ailes, a former Republican strategist, is still working in politics, says the New York Times. The case states, "A strong public interest exists in knowing whether the executive in charge of the nation’s most-watched cable news channel is acting as a political consultant to a prospective Republican presidential candidate.” When the request for records was refused, Ailes told Gawker through a representative, "Whatever the governor wants to do is his business." Cook told the New York Times, “The next thing that I would like to be publicly acknowledged is not just that [Fox News is] ideological— they’re not just the TV equivalent of the Weekly Standard or something—they are actually a power base within the Republican Party."