David McNew/Reuters
Veteran journalist Mark Halperin is leaving his role as an analyst at NBC News after five women emerged with charges of sexual harassment, the network announced Thursday morning. On Wednesday, three women told CNN that Halperin, the former political director at ABC News, pressed his body up against them—fully clothed but with an erection—without seeking consent. Another woman alleged that while political director at ABC News in the 2000s, Halperin forcibly kissed her, grabbed her breasts, and pressed his body up against hers. “I just froze. I didn’t know what to do,” she was cited as saying by CNN. Other women who previously worked at ABC News have accused Halperin of sexually propositioning them. In a statement to CNN following the allegations, Halperin acknowledged that he “did pursue relationships” with female colleagues—“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,” Halperin said.