NBC

New Harassment Claims Against ‘Game Change' Journalist

The new allegations bring the number of women accusing Halperin of sexual misconduct to about 12

CNN reported Friday that four more women have leveled allegations of sexual harassment against journalist Mark Halperin.

The news channel said that one woman claimed Halperin masturbated in her presence after she went to his ABC News office to seek advice from him about her career at the news division, where she was a desk assistant.

CNN said a second woman alleged that the "Game Change" co-author threw her against a restaurant window and threatened to derail her career after she rebuffed his attempt to kiss her.

The woman, who told CNN she met Halperin when she was interning at the White House, said he called her shortly after the encounter and warned that she'd never be hired in media or politics.

The four women, who were not identified in the CNN report, said the encounters took place between the late 1980s and 2006, during which time Halperin worked at ABC News in influential positions including political director.

ABC News released a statement saying: "Mark left ABC News over a decade ago, and no complaints were filed during his tenure."

CNN said that Halperin denied that he masturbated in front of anyone or physically assaulted or threatened anyone.

He issued a lengthy apology on Twitter, apologizing for causing "pain and anguish" to the women he said he "mistreated."

"The world is now publicly acknowledging what so many women have long known: Men harm women in the workplace. That new awareness is, of course, a positive development. For a long time at ABC News, I was part of the problem. I acknowledge that, and I deeply regret it," he said in the post.

But counseling he sought after leaving the network changed his behavior, he said.

"Those who have worked with me in the past decade know that my conduct in subsequent jobs at TIME, Bloomberg, NBC News, and Showtime has not been what it was at ABC. I did not engage in improper behavior with colleagues or subordinates," Halperin said.

"None of the women said Halperin ever promised anything in exchange for sex, or suggested that he would retaliate against anyone," CNN reported.

The new allegations bring the number of women accusing Halperin of sexual misconduct to at least 10.

The journalist has been suspended from his role as a MSNBC contributor "until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood," calling the allegations "very troubling."

Meanwhile, a follow-up book to "Game Change" was canceled by Penguin Press and HBO dropped plans for a miniseries based on it.

MSNBC is owned and distributed by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News and this station.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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