Washington: Darla Shine, the wife of new White House deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, hosted a radio show in the late 2000s where she once mocked victims of sexual harassment in the military and repeatedly pushed fringe conspiracy theories about vaccines.
CNN’s KFile reviewed hours of audio from Darla Shine’s radio program after her controversial views came to light. Shine, who long maintained a blog called “Happy Housewives Club” where she featured recipes and tips for cleaning and budgeting and promoted her radio show and book, has faced scrutiny in recent days after Mediaite and Huffington Post reported she had made racially charged comments and spread baseless anti-vaccination conspiracy theories on her now-deleted Twitter account.
Shine pushed her controversial views to a much wider audience and in much more depth on the “Darla Shine Show,” a radio broadcast she hosted on the Talk Radio Network in 2008 and 2009 that boasted syndication on 100 radio stations nationwide.
Speaking in August 2009, Shine declared herself a “sexist” and said women serving with men in the military should expect to be sexually harassed.
“And why on earth would you fight to go on the submarine ship for months on end? You know there was just a story with these girls, these women who are upset that they are sexually harassed in the military,” Shine said. “What do you think is going to happen when you go on a submarine for 12 months with 4,000 horny soldiers?
“I hate to say it, but it’s true. They should not even be allowed. The top military should say, ‘No way, you’re not allowed.’ But you know, the feminists have fought for these rights. It’s so stupid. I don’t know why anybody would want that.”
Bill Shine exited his job as president of Fox News in 2017 amid allegations he had mishandled reports of sexual harassment at the network. He joined the White House earlier this month.
Darla Shine routinely had on as guests prominent members of the anti-vaccination movement and pushed conspiracy theories about vaccines herself. Shine also weighed in on cultural and political issues.
She did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The White House did not respond to CNN KFile’s request about whether Bill Shine endorses his wife’s views.
Darla Shine devoted much of the time on her radio show to spreading unfounded and debunked conspiracy theories about vaccinations.
In various episodes, Shine suggested a flu pandemic could be a “setup” by the government in collusion with pharmaceutical companies, pushed a rumor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was planning on rounding up those afflicted with swine flu and putting them in camps, and said the government could break into homes and force citizens to get the flu vaccine.
Shine said armed resistance might be needed to fight against this. She also called for the closing all US borders because of the swine flu.
Shine declared sunscreen “a hoax” and said she refused to put it on her children.
The American Academy of Dermatology has said there is no evidence that sunscreen is hazardous, while the Food and Drug Administration has declared that there is no link between vaccines and autism.
Shine also passed on a false “rumor” that Barack Obama could not get a security clearance when running for president.
She claimed to believe in UFOs and interviewed self-identified alien abductees.
At the top of her radio program, a man’s voice reads out a disclaimer, saying, “Warning: This is the ‘Darla Shine Show.’ Everything you hear is Darla’s opinion. Some facts are true; others are made up. So take what you want, use what you can and you get what you get so don’t get upset.”
Here’s the full context of what Shine said
On women in the military:
“And you know what, I’m the first person to admit I’m sexist. I don’t think that girls should play on the boys’ high school team. I don’t think that the girls should be — I think it’s insanity that there are feminists who are stupid enough to fight to go to combat. Are you kidding me? Let the men go die on the front lines,” Shine said in an August 2009 episode. “Why would you want to go die on the front line? You have to be an idiot. And why on earth would you fight to go on the submarine ship for months on end? You know there was just a story with these girls, these women who are upset that they are sexually harassed in the military. What do you think is going to happen when you go on a submarine for 12 months with 4,000 horny soldiers? I hate to say it, but it’s true. They should not even be allowed. The top military should say, ‘No way, you’re not allowed.’ But you know, but you know the feminists have fought for these rights. It’s so stupid. I don’t know why anybody would want that.”