The president of Fox News, Roger Ailes, resigned Thursday as the network’s chief after being accused of sexual harassment by former Fox 5 reporter Gretchen Carlson, the president and executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, Rupert Murdoch, announced Thursday.

“Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country. Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years,” Murdoch, who will take over immediately as chairman and acting CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, said in a communique.

Ailes’ resignation comes weeks after he was accused by Carlson of having taken reprisals against her, including reducing her salary, after she refused to have sexual relations with him.

In addition to the complaint presented by Carlson, this week Fox News channel anchor Megyn Kelly, who last Tuesday said she had also been the victim of “unwanted sexual advances” by Ailes approximately 10 years ago.

After this latest revelation, 21st Century Fox launched an internal investigation and Ailes received an ultimatum from the corporate lawyers to resign before Aug. 1 or be fired for justifiable cause, New York Magazine reported last Tuesday.

Murdoch made no reference to these accusations or to the alleged ultimatum presented by the company to Ailes in the statement released Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ailes, 76 and the network’s CEO since 1996, said in a communique sent to channel WNBC that Fox had become the No. 1 television network “because I consistently identified and promoted the most talented men and women in television, and they performed at the highest levels.”

“I will not allow my presence to become a distraction from the work that must be done every day to ensure that Fox News and Fox Business continue to lead our industry,” he said.

The severance terms agreed to between Fox and Ailes were not released. EFE

New York, Jul 21 (EFE)