New York Times has announced that political reporter Glenn Thrush has been suspended for two months, and removed from his perch at the White House.
“While we believe that Glenn has acted offensively, we have decided that he does not deserve to be fired. Instead, we have suspended him for two months and removed him from the White House beat,” the paper said in a statement. “He will receive training designed to improve his workplace conduct. In addition, Glenn is undergoing counseling and substance abuse rehabilitation on his own. We will reinstate him as a reporter on a new beat upon his return.”
The decision caps a difficult month for Thrush, who was placed on temporary suspension by the Times in late November after a Vox article detailed accusations of inappropriate conduct in both the workplace and social situations while Thrush was employed by Politico. The paper said at the time that it would “fully investigate” the accusations, and would not comment further until the investigation was complete. Thrush was also suspended by MSNBC, where he serves as a contributor.
In addition to accusations of behavior such as groping and kissing, the Vox report also included text messages between the 50-year-old Thrush and 23-year-old journalist Bianca Padró Ocasio, who accused Thrush of making an unwanted pass at a friend of hers, another young female journalist, when they were both drunk.
“I want to make sure you don’t lure young women aspiring journalists into those situations ever again. So help me out here. How can I do that?” said Ocasio.
In addition, the piece also cited sources who said that if rejected, Thrush would disparage the women to other colleagues by implying they came onto him, and he rejected their advances.
Thrush said his intensions had been misinterpreted and he had probably gotten too drunk that night because he had recently received bad health news.
“I am acutely aware of the hurdles that young women face in this business and have spent the better part of 20 years advocating for women journalists,” he wrote, according to the texts published in Vox.
The Thrush news came as an earthquake in media circles. Since their original report on Harvey Weinstein, The New York Times has led the way in exposing some of the most high profile cases of sexual misconduct in Hollywood, media and politics. Many eyes had been on the Gray Lady in recent week to see how they would respond to the Thrush charges.
7 Times Matt Lauer Came Under Fire, From Sexual Harassment Accusations to Ann Curry Ousting (Photos)
Matt Lauer was terminated by NBC News on Wednesday after the company received a complaint of sexual harassment against him. But that's not the first time the longtime "Today" host found himself in hot water.
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Rumors of extramarital affairs dogged Lauer during his tenure on "Today," with tabloid reports linking him to other members of the show, including Natalie Morales. In 2010, NBC News finally responded to the allegations, calling them "completely inaccurate and unfounded" and "reckless and harmful to the Lauer family."
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Ann Curry was ousted from "Today" in 2012 as the show was losing ground to ABC's "Good Morning America," and after she issued a tearful on-air goodbye Lauer was widely viewed as the reason for her departure. New York Magazine later reported that the two had a tense off-camera relationship, and though Curry took the fall, Lauer was more to blame for the show's declining viewership.
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In 2012, Lauer was criticized for asking Anne Hathaway about an upskirt photo taken at the premiere of "Les Miserables" and attempting to make a joke of the situation by saying he'd "seen a lot of you lately." Hathaway was praised for how she handled the situation, gently shutting down the line of questioning by saying it was unfortunate that the culture "commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants."
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In 2006, Lauer's wife Annette Roque filed for divorce, alleging that she suffered "cruel and inhumane" treatment at the hands of her controlling husband. The two eventually reconciled and Roque, who was pregnant at the time, withdrew the paperwork, but the documents were obtained and published by the National Enquirer in 2014.
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Lauer's former co-anchor Katie Couric joked about his behavior in a 2012 interview with Andy Cohen. "He pinches me on the ass a lot," she said, calling it Lauer's most annoying habit. Video of the interview, which was handled jokingly at the time, was recirculated following his termination for a sexual misconduct allegation.
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Lauer moderated a pair of NBC News town halls during the 2016 presidential election, which were widely slammed for the way he questioned the two candidates. Lauer repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton about her email server and rushed past other, more concrete policy issues. Meanwhile, he was perceived to have gone much softer on Donald Trump, failing to press the then-nominee on repeated falsehoods.
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Lauer was finally axed by NBC News and removed from "Today" in 2017, after the company received a "detailed complaint" from a colleague accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior.
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Morning show host was axed following a sexual misconduct allegation by an NBC News colleague
Matt Lauer was terminated by NBC News on Wednesday after the company received a complaint of sexual harassment against him. But that's not the first time the longtime "Today" host found himself in hot water.