The Wall Street Journal fired chief foreign affairs correspondent Jay Solomon on Wednesday over an ethics violation: he had potential business dealings with an Iranian-American businessman, who was also a source.
Solomon has written a book on secret deals involving Iran but his potential conflict was during an Associated Press investigation. According to a statement by parent company Dow Jones, he “is no longer employed by The Wall Street Journal.”
The statement continued: “We are dismayed by the actions and poor judgment of Jay Solomon. The allegations raised by this reporting are serious. While our own investigation continues, we have concluded that Mr. Solomon violated his ethical obligations as a reporter, as well as our standards.”
The AP reported that Iranian-born magnate, Farhad Azima, who has been linked to deals involving the CIA, offered Solomon a stake in a company. The news agency reported Solomon was offered a 10 percent stake in the company, Denx LLC.
“I clearly made mistakes in my reporting and entered into a world I didn’t understand.” Solomon told the AP on Wednesday. “I never entered into any business with Farhad Azima, nor did I ever intend to. But I understand why the emails and the conversations I had with Mr. Azima may look like I was involved in some seriously troubling activities. I apologize to my bosses and colleagues at the Journal, who were nothing but great to me.”
The AP reviewed “tens of thousands” of emails and texts regarding the potential deal.