Mark Halperin leaving NBC News over multiple LEWD sexual harassment accusations…

by The Right Scoop

NBC/MSNBC analyst Mark Halperin, who used to work at ABC News, has been accused of sexual harassment by five women and is now leaving NBC/MSNBC because of it:


Here’s more:

Veteran journalist Mark Halperin sexually harassed women while he was in a powerful position at ABC News, according to five women who shared their previously undisclosed accounts with CNN and others who did not experience the alleged harassment personally, but were aware of it.

“During this period, I did pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me,” Halperin said in a statement to CNN Wednesday night. “I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain. For that, I am deeply sorry and I apologize. Under the circumstances, I’m going to take a step back from my day-to-day work while I properly deal with this situation.”

MSNBC, where Halperin makes frequent appearances on “Morning Joe,” said early Thursday that Halperin would leave his roles at that network and as an analyst at NBC News.

“We find the story and the allegations very troubling,” MSNBC said in a statement. “Mark Halperin is leaving his role as a contributor until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood.”

But women who spoke to CNN say he also had a dark side not made public until now. The stories of harassment shared with CNN range in nature from propositioning employees for sex to kissing and grabbing one’s breasts against her will. Three of the women who spoke to CNN described Halperin as, without consent, pressing an erection against their bodies while he was clothed. Halperin denies grabbing a woman’s breasts and pressing his genitals against the three women.

The women who worked with Halperin and who spoke with CNN did not report to Halperin. However, Halperin made many decisions about political coverage at ABC News, and had a voice in some critical personnel decisions. None of the women have said, though, that he ever promised anything in exchange for sex, or suggested that he would retaliate against anyone.

Still, while they no longer work with him, Halperin continues to wield influence in politics and media. The women who spoke to CNN said it was for this reason that they shared their accounts on the condition of anonymity. Others also said they still feel embarrassed about what happened to them and did not want to be publicly associated with it.

“Mark left ABC News over a decade ago, and no complaints were filed during his tenure,” ABC News said in a statement provided to CNN after this article was published.

“I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain” – Um, he now knows? He didn’t know then that this was inappropriate? C’mon, we aren’t stupid and neither is he. He knew exactly what he was doing and just how inappropriate it was.

I expect other women will now come out, perhaps even at NBC News. In other words, this ain’t over.

Continue to read the accounts of each of the five women…


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