Mark Halperin, Veteran Journalist, Out at NBC After Five Woman Accuse Him of Sexual Harassment
'I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain'
Mark Halperin, one of Washington's most respect veteran political journalists, is leaving NBC News and MSNBC's "Morning Joe" after five sexual harassment accusations surfaced. The story broke as five women came forward and made the allegations to CNN.
Halperin was born to a Jewish family in Bethesda, Maryland, and co-wrote the best-selling book "Game Change," about John McCain's now infamous decision to choose Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008 against Barack Obama.
Halperin is the latest in a string of powerful men to be accused of sexual assault or sexual harrassment following the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood mogul, when a report detailed decades his sexual abuse of actresses and production staff.
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- Swiss probe allegations that Roman Polanski raped a 15-year-old girl in 1972
Halperin responded with the following statement Wednesday night: "During this period, I did pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me. 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."
Halperin, who currenlty serves as an analyst for NBC and is a regular commentator on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," refers to the time in which he was ABC New's political director.