When House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he would be leaving Congress, before the 2018 elections, it was never quite clear just why the tremendously powerful Republican pseudo-wonk had decided to give up the job. Was he simply tired of politics? Did he consider his job done after pushing through a gargantuan deficit-busting tax cut for wealthy Americans, long considered one of his highest priorities? Did he foresee a Republican plastering at the polls and decide he had no interest in being on the losing end of that power struggle? Did he plan to resurface as a lobbyist?
Ryan kept quiet the whole time, but as of today we know he at least won't be going hungry (which is good, considering the steps he's taken to reduce food aid for impoverished families). The former congressman has quite the prominent gig set up: He is joining the board of directors of the Fox Corporation. The former speaker of the House will be guiding the parent company of Fox News as the Republican Party and Fox continue to merge into a single conspiracy-and-tirade theme park of grievances.
The Ryan appointment is the most noteworthy, given his history near the top of Republican politics. Ryan and Rupert Murdoch have been friendly for many years. In 2014, he named Ryan as a presidential contender he had "particular admiration for."
The Fox Corporation is the end result of the Fox split that saw the vast majority of Fox entertainment assets sold off to Disney; the Fox News Channel and Fox Broadcast Network remain behind, a trimmed-down operation that will continue to be controlled by the Murdoch family. As a board member, Paul Ryan will presumably have at least some input into any change of direction the news network contemplates, whether that change is to more aggressively court the white nationalists served by Tucker Carlson, to push "straight" news anchors into more vigorous defenses of the president, or take your pick. He will be paid handsomely in this role.
For starters, we suspect that the "new" Fox News won't be taking any public stands on the revolving door that sees powerful elected officials land high-paying broadcasting jobs between stints on the public payroll. Call it a hunch.