UPDATE, Oct. 27:
MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin has issued a statement responding to allegations from multiple women who say he sexually assaulted him when he worked at ABC News.
Original story, Oct. 26:
MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin has been dismissed from the network after five women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment.
Halperin, who is a regular on "Morning Joe," is accused of making advances on numerous women while he worked at ABC, according to a Wednesday night report from CNN. While he was one of the most respected political reporters on television and boasted an impressive resume, his former co-workers described a much different character when the cameras were off.
One woman said that when Halperin was ABC’s political director, she went to his office, where she said he kissed her and touched her breasts. Another recalled her first meeting with Halperin in his office, during which she says he sexually harassed her.
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On Thursday morning, MSNBC said in a statement, "We find the story and the allegations very troubling. Mark Halperin is leaving his role as a contributor until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood."
In response to the report, Mika Brzezinski stated on air, "CNN is reporting allegations regarding our friend Mark Halperin during his time at ABC News over a decade ago. Unnamed sources detailing unwanted advances and inappropriate behavior … We are going to be following this story as it develops. I'm sure we'll be talking about it again when we know more about it." ABC claimed that no complaints were filed against Halperin.
Halperin was on Tuesday's episode of "Morning Joe" where he joined Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough to discuss President Trump. He also gave the following statement to CNN:
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.
The fallout continued into Thursday. Variety reported that HBO issued a statement, saying it will no longer be producing a miniseries based on a book co-authored by Halperin.
“HBO is no longer proceeding with the project tied to the untitled book co-authored by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann on the 2016 Presidential election. HBO has no tolerance for sexual harassment within the company or its productions.”
Halperin is also the co-host of the Showtime political docu-drama, "The Circus." Deadline Hollywood reported Thursday that the network is evaluating its relationship with Halperin.
“During Mark’s time working with us, we have not seen nor have there been allegations of any untoward behavior,” Showtime said in a statement. “We are aware of these reports and will continue to evaluate all options should we decide to move forward with another season of The Circus. There is no tolerance for sexual harassment within Showtime and its productions.”
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