Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Associated Press
NEW YORK
Charlie Rose is the latest public figure to be felled by sexual-misconduct allegations, with PBS halting distribution of his nightly interview show and CBS News suspending him Monday after a Washington Post report with the accusations of eight women.
The women, who all worked for Rose or tried to work for him, accused the veteran newsman of groping them, walking naked in front of them and telling one that he dreamed about her swimming nude.
Rose, 75, said in a statement that he was “deeply embarrassed” and apologized for his behavior.
“PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations,” the public broadcasting service said. “We are immediately suspending distribution of ‘Charlie Rose.’”
Three women went on the record in the Post’s deeply reported story. Reah Bravo, a former associate producer for Rose’s PBS show who began working for him in 2007, told the newspaper: “He was a sexual predator, and I was his victim.” She said Rose groped her on multiple occasions and once, during a business trip to Indiana, called her to his hotel room where he emerged from a shower naked.
Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, one of Rose’s former assistants, was 21 when she said Rose repeatedly called her to describe his fantasies of her swimming naked at the pool at his Long Island home while he watched from his bedroom. She said she was fired when Rose learned she had spoken to a mutual friend about his behavior.
Megan Creydt, who worked as a coordinator on Rose’s PBS show in 2005 and 2006, told the newspaper that she was sitting in the passenger seat as Rose drove in Manhattan one day when he put his hand on her thigh. Five women interviewed by the Post described similar grabs to their legs in what many interpreted as an attempt to see their reactions.
Rose said that he has behaved insensitively at times “and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken. I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will, too.”
Meanwhile the woman accusing Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of initiating sexual contact when she was 14 said Monday she wanted to confront him years ago but didn’t because he was powerful and the encounter gutted her self-confidence. She said she came forward to tell her story only after other women agreed to.
The declaration by Leigh Corfman comes after Moore’s supporters claimed without evidence that reporters were offering thousands of dollars to women for accusations. The state election is being closely watched, as several GOP senators have called for Moore to drop out, and President Donald Trump remains mostly quiet on the issue.
Corfman said she was “absolutely not” paid to tell her story publicly.
“My bank account has not flourished,” Corfman told NBC’s “Today” show.
In other developments:
A second woman has accused Minnesota Sen. Al Franken of improper conduct, saying he put his hand on her bottom as they posed for a picture at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010 – after he had begun his career in the Senate.
Lindsay Menz told CNN last week for a report broadcast Monday that the interaction made her feel “gross.” She said she immediately told her husband that Franken had “grabbed” her bottom, and she said she posted about it on Facebook.
Menz’s allegation comes days after a Los Angeles broadcaster, Leeann Tweeden, accused Franken of forcibly kissing her during a 2006 USO tour. Franken already faced a Senate ethics investigation over Tweeden’s allegation, but the Menz allegation is potentially more damaging for Franken because it would be behavior that occurred while he was in office.
Franken, a Democrat, told CNN he didn’t remember taking the photo with Menz, but said in a statement to the network that he feels badly that she felt disrespected.
The New York Times says it has suspended White House reporter Glenn Thrush while it investigates charges that he made unwanted advances on young women while he worked as a reporter at Politico and the Times.
Laura McGann, a Politico colleague of Thrush’s, wrote on Vox on Monday that Thrush kissed her and placed his hand on her thigh one night in a bar, after urging another person who had been sitting with them to leave.
The Times, in a statement, said “the alleged behavior is very concerning” and not in keeping with the Times’ standards. The newspaper said it supports Thrush’s decision to enter a substance-abuse program. Thrush didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment, but told Vox that he apologized to any woman who felt uncomfortable in his presence.
Thrush worked at Politico from 2009 to 2016, when he joined the Times. His visibility is such that he was portrayed on “Saturday Night Live” during its skits earlier this year about White House news conferences.