James Dolan hires Hope Hicks as consultant on MSG PR amid facial tech fallout
Madison Square Garden has tapped a high-profile spin doctor to help chairman James Dolan deflect criticism of his use of facial recognition technology.
Dolan hired former Trump White House communications director Hope Hicks as a consultant at the World’s Most Famous Arena, after it was revealed he used the controversial technology to boot fans critical of him, sources told Page Six on Monday.
An MSG Entertainment spokesperson did not deny the report, saying, “We work with a variety of consultants.” The Post had reached out to Hicks for comment.
Hicks, 34, resigned from the Trump administration in 2018 to work as Fox Corporation’s chief communications executive, before returning to the White House as an adviser right before the pandemic.
It was unclear how long she had been advising Dolan, who was a major Trump donor, according to Albany Business Review.
Dolan has come under fire for removing attorneys involved in litigation against his company from the Garden and Radio City Music Hall, and disinviting a lawmaker critical of his use of the technology of an NHL Pride event.
State Attorney General Letitia James claimed Dolan’s use of the technology might violate state anti-discrimination laws, and the New York State Liquor Authority was investigating the issue.
Dolan, 67, fired back at critics by threatening to not sell alcohol at a future Rangers game as a protest.
“What we’re gonna do, right, is we’re gonna pick a night, maybe a Rangers game, and we’re gonna shut down all the liquor and alcohol in the building,” Dolan said in an interview on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York.”
“This isn’t gonna bother me because I’ve been sober 29 years. I don’t need the liquor.”
Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal has called for the NBA and NHL to sanction the billionaire bluesman as Albany lawmakers considered a law that would make his retaliation tactics illegal.
