CNN is reporting that NBC news analyst Mark Halperin is accused of Sexual Harassment by five different women from when he worked for ABC. Halperin has pretty much admitted to the misbehavior, stating that he did pursue relationships with women he worked with but now realizes that his behavior was “inappropriate and caused others pain.” Sarah Palin, who was a subject of a controversial book Halperin co-wrote called “Game Change” that was turned into an HBO movie starring Julianne Moore as the former governor of Alaska, expressed a degree of schadenfreude in her Twitter feed.
"Finally. Talk about a true game change. Mark Halperin is one of the most unethical and dishonest men in America,... https://t.co/SZcG4SqInA
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) October 26, 2017
What Halperin allegedly did
The women in question allege that Halprin engaged in unwanted touching and groping. He propositioned them for sex, grabbed their breasts, and pressed his erect genetics against them. Halperin denies the latter two misbehaviors.
The women did not come forward before now and are still maintaining their anonymity because even though Halperin left ABC a decade ago, he still wields considerable power in the realms of politics and journalism. They also felt embarrassed about the alleged incidents.
None of the women filed a complaint about Halperin either when he was at ABC or after he left. In contrast, women who felt aggrieved by former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly were not shy about pursuing him in the courts and winning substantial settlements. The revelations of Halperin’s alleged misbehavior comes on the heels of continuing scrutiny of O’Reilly and the news of the sordid instances of sexual abuse by former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Why does Sarah Palin so pleased?
Sarah Palin believes that she was ill-used by Halperin because of her depiction in the book “Game Change” and the HBO movie that was made from it. The account made her appear to be both deranged and more than a little stupid. Breitbart documented at the time what it called the “Top Ten Lies” of the film version of the book, claiming that it contained scenes made out of whole cloth in an effort to demonize Palin.
The release of the HBO show was timed to coincide with the 2012 Republican primaries when, at the time, the movie was being filmed, Palin was expected to run for president. Palin, after spending some time contemplating such a run, decided against it.
Halperin has defended the sourcing in his book, even though a lot of them are either anonymous or were people with reasons to hate Ms. Palin who wanted to blame her for the defeat of Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.
In any event, Halperin has decided to step away from his role as an NBC news analyst while he deals with the accusations. His career as a journalist may be over and the satisfaction would certainly be Sarah Palin’s.