New York Times reporter suspended in harassment probe

NEW YORK (NY)
Associated Press

November 20, 2017

By David Bauder

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times says it has suspended White House reporter Glenn Thrush while it investigates charges that he made unwanted advances on young women while he worked as a reporter at Politico and the Times.

Laura McGann, a Politico colleague of Thrush’s, wrote on Vox on Monday that Thrush kissed her and placed his hand on her thigh one night in a bar, after urging another person who had been sitting with them to leave.

The Times, in a statement, said “the alleged behavior is very concerning” and not in keeping with the Times’ standards. The newspaper said it supports Thrush’s decision to enter a substance abuse program. Thrush didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment, but told Vox that he apologized to any woman who felt uncomfortable in his presence.

Thrush worked at Politico from 2009 to 2016, when he joined the Times. His visibility is such that he was portrayed on “Saturday Night Live” during its skits earlier this year about White House news conferences.

McGann, who was an editor at Politico, said the incident happened five years ago at a Virginia bar that was a hangout for Politico employees. The incident made her angry, even more so when she said Thrush spread stories blaming her.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.