American journalist Mark Halperin has been accused of sexual harassment by five women.
The alleged incidents occurred while Halperin worked at ABC News as the political director, CNN reported. The unidentified women said Halperin propositioned them for sex. One woman recounted an incident during which she says he kissed her and touched her breasts without consent. Three women said Halperin pushed himself against their bodies.
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CNN said the behaviour reportedly occurred between the 1990s and mid-2000s. The network added that several other women, who had not personally experienced sexual harassment by the journalist, had witnessed the incidents.
MSNBC, where the 52-year-old currently works as a network contributor, reacted to the allegations Thursday by suspending the journalist.
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“We find the story and the allegations very troubling,” the news network said in a statement. “Mark Halperin is leaving his role as a contributor until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood.”
Halperin also responded to the report in a statement to CNN Wednesday night, admitting that he pursued “relationships” with women at the workplace who were often junior to him.
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But the journalist denied groping allegations.
“I now understand from these accounts that my behaviour was inappropriate and caused others pain,” the statement read.
“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.”
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The news of Halperin’s alleged actions emerges amid the Harvey Weinstein controversy and the #MeToo campaign, which have led millions of women to come forward and talk about their experiences of sexual assault and harassment.
— With files from the Associated Press
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