Glenn Thrush: New York Times suspends star reporter over alleged sexual misconduct
The New York Times has said it is suspending one of its most prominent White House reporters after he was accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour.
The announcement came after the news website Vox published a report containing allegations that Glenn Thrush had acted inappropriately toward women.
The 50-year-old joined the the Times in January to cover the Trump administration, after having been a reporter at Politico.
“The behaviour attributed to Glenn in this Vox story is very concerning and not in keeping with the standards and values of The New York Times,” the Times said in a statement. “We intend to fully investigate and while we do, Glenn will be suspended.”
The newspaper also stated that Mr Thrush said he planned to enter a substance abuse programme and that it supported his decision.
“I apologise to any woman who felt uncomfortable in my presence, and for any situation where I behaved inappropriately. Any behaviour that makes a woman feel disrespected or uncomfortable is unacceptable,” Mr Thrush said in a statement emailed to The Independent.
This past June, Mr Thrush is alleged to have left a young female journalist in tears at a bar after she resisted his advances.
The incident was so troubling to the woman, Vox reported, that her friend Bianca Padró Ocasio, also a young journalist, texted Mr Thrush about his behaviour the next day.
“I don’t lure anybody ever,” Mr Thrush wrote, according to screenshots provided by Ms Padró Ocasio to Vox. “I got drunk because I got some shitty health news. And 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.”
Other women interviewed by the outlet are said to have described a range of similar experiences, including unwanted groping and kissing. All of the women were in their 20s at the time, Vox reported, and they were relatively early in their careers compared to Mr Thrush, a seasoned journalist.
In a statement, Mr Thrush called the June incident relayed in the story “a life-changing event”.
“The woman involved was upset by my actions and for that I am deeply sorry,” he said. “Over the past several years, I have responded to a succession of personal and health crises by drinking heavily. During that period, I have done things that I am ashamed of, actions that have brought great hurt to my family and friends.”
He continued: “I have not taken a drink since June 15, 2017, have resumed counselling and will soon begin out-patient treatment for alcoholism. I am working hard to repair the damage I have done.”
The author of the Vox report, Laura McGann, also described an alleged incident between her and Mr Thrush five years ago when they were colleagues at Politico. She said Mr Thrush “caught me off guard, put his hand on my thigh, and suddenly started kissing me.”
“I pulled myself together and got out of there, shoving him on my way out,” Ms McGann said.
Mr Thrush said his recollection of his “interactions with Laura differs greatly from hers – the encounter was consensual, brief, and ended by me.”
“She was an editor above me at the time and I did not disparage her to colleagues at Politico as she claims,” he added. “The assertion that I would rate women based on their appearance is also false.”
