Greta Van Susteren is leaving Fox News effective immediately

The latest in a series of major changes comes with the announcement that longtime network legal analyst and commentator Greta Van Susteren will be leaving Fox after 14 years.

“I am happy to take on this assignment for the balance of this extraordinary election”, Hume said in a statement.

The move led to Ailes resigning as CEO after almost 20 years at the helm of the number one cable news network. I know that from the times she pointed them in my direction as a result of things I wrote.

Greta Van Susteren has been a constant long-term presence on Fox News for almost a decade and a half, so the idea that her departure was only about money doesn’t pass the smell test.

Like many Fox News hosts, Van Susteren had a “key man” clause in her contract that allowed her to leave if Ailes did. A prime-time shift for a top-rated show with just two months until Election Day is yet another hurdle Fox News will have to jump in what should have been an easy, landslide season for the network. Van Susteren was one of several Fox News anchors who initially rose to Ailes’ defense, noting that she had not encountered any sort of harassment while working at the outlet.

A 21st Century Fox Corporation news release did not specify a settlement amount, but a person briefed on the settlement said that it amounted to $20 million.

Van Susteren’s exit could not have been handled more poorly from a PR standpoint. “I’m honored to be asked”. Like Icarus in Greek Mythology, Ailes and his golden Fox News wings flew too close to the sun and melted, DOA on impact.

Carlson filed suit in July alleging sexual harassment and wrongful termination. He anchored all network coverage for every presidential election from 1996 to 2008. Fox News has always been an important voice for the Republican candidate and, if the network loses its top talent and standing, the scales may tip in favor of Clinton even more so.