Sarah Huckabee Sanders to join Fox News as a contributor

Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will join Fox News as a contributor, making her debut on "Fox & Friends" on Sept. 6, the network announced on Thursday.

Why it matters: Sanders was one of President Trump's most loyal defenders in the administration and is likely to take on that same role at Fox News, the president's favorite cable news channel. She became notorious for her combative interactions with members of the media and, toward the end of her tenure, lack of White House press briefings. Sanders admitted to special counsel Robert Mueller that she lied to reporters about the firing of FBI director James Comey, though she characterized it as a "slip of the tongue."

Commenting on the announcement, Sanders said: "I am beyond proud to join [Fox News'] incredible stable of on-air contributors in providing political insights and analysis." Axios reported in June that Sanders plan to write a book and will move to Arkansas in August as the prelude to a possible 2022 run for governor.

Between the lines: Sanders is following a pattern of political figures ditching public office for cable news gigs. She is the third former White House communications official to join Fox.

• Former White House communications director Hope Hicks is now the Fox Corporation's executive vice president and chief communications officer.
• Former White House Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Assistant to the President Raj Shah is now Fox Corp.'s senior vice president.

Go deeper: Everyone who's left the White House communications team