Mark Halperin’s Accusers Lash Out Over His New Book: ‘Appalling and So Upsetting’
“Giving him a book once again puts him in a position of authority and that is a slap in the face to all the women that he has victimized.”
Former political journalist Mark Halperin fell from grace in 2017 after numerous women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment.
Politico reported this weekend that Halperin has a new book coming out soon about how to beat President Donald Trump. The women who accused him of misconduct not only lashed out at the publishing company, but the Democratic strategists who helped him.
The official announcement from Regan Arts will come out on Monday. Politico published the news on Sunday along with the planned statement from the head of Regan Arts, Judith Regan:
“I do not in any way, shape, or form condone any harm done by one human being to another. I have also lived long enough to believe in the power of forgiveness, second chances, and offering a human being a path to redemption. HOW TO BEAT TRUMP is an important, thoughtful book, and I hope everyone has a chance to read it.”
Regan’s statement did not go over well with Halperin’s accusers. Eleanor McManus, the cofounder of Trident DMG, told her story in 2017 and cannot believe anyone would give Halperin a book deal since it “comes before an apology to his alleged victims.” From The Daily Beast:
“He leveraged his position as a prominent journalist to prey on women. He has yet to take responsibility for his actions by apologizing to his victims or demonstrating genuine contrition,” McManus said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “Giving him a book once again puts him in a position of authority and that is a slap in the face to all the women that he has victimized.”
One America News Network journalist and author Emily Miller, who accused Halperin of harassment when they worked at ABC News, told The New York Post:
“This is appalling and so upsetting,” journalist and author Emily Miller told The Post.
Miller was harassed by Halperin when they worked together at ABC News and she was his junior.
“Men like him don’t change. He spent decades using his position of power in the media to sexually assault women. He hasn’t even apologized to his victims!” Miller said.
“Every person who’s helping him regain power and a public platform is complicit in retraumatizing all the victims.”
Halperin supposedly spoke to 75 Democratic strategists for his book. Fox News contributor Donna Brazile defended her decision to contribute to book because “she felt her voice on the book’s subject was needed.”
While Brazile did not back down, David Axelrod apologized on Twitter for answering Halperin’s questions:
To those who have asked, I have known Mark Halperin as a reporter for 25 years. He emailed me three questions about the 2020 race for a book he was writing and I replied in a few sentences, without giving enough thought to how my participation would be used or interpreted.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 18, 2019
By answering Halperin’s questions, I did not in any way mean to excuse his past, egregious behavior and, in retrospect, I regret responding at all.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 18, 2019
Miller thanked Axelrod for his apology, noting that no one told Halperin’s accusers about his book deal. She wishes someone did “so we could at least prepare emotionally.”
CNN’s Oliver Darcy spoke to others who answered Halperin’s questions:
One of ppl who spoke to Halperin for his book is Anita Dunn. Dunn is managing director at SKDKnickerbocker which does work w/Time’s Up. Dunn didn’t respond to my calls, but an SKD spox tells me, “Anita cares about beating Donald Trump, that is the only reason she participated.”
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 18, 2019
I asked @JamesCarville what he would tell Halperin’s accusers about his participation in his book. Carville said, “I know he’s been accused by a lot of people & lost his job. The guy called me & asked me to speak to him on a topic that I obviously care about. And I spoke to him.”
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 18, 2019
I asked @JamesCarville what he would tell Halperin’s accusers about his participation in his book. Carville said, “I know he’s been accused by a lot of people & lost his job. The guy called me & asked me to speak to him on a topic that I obviously care about. And I spoke to him.”
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 18, 2019
Press Forward, a non-profit that works to keep workplaces safe, released this statement:
From @ThePressForward, “an independent initiative whose mission is to change culture in newsrooms,” re: Mark Halperin book deal. pic.twitter.com/cirTB9OuWg
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 18, 2019
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Comments
Metoo feeding frenzy on the left.
Usually I have some doubts about women that come forward to derail a candidate, but these are numerous women that are his political allies. This guy is a piece of garbage and to think he has some magic formula to defeat Trump, that only he thought of is ridiculous. When people say that they helped him for that reason are liars and know they are liars. This guy should be shunned. He was an executive producer of an HBO series and has made millions. It’s not like he won’t be able to feed his family if people treat him as he should be treated.
Interesting. So these “victims” think there should be some kind of review/permission process for anyone to write a book? Not to mention that they have long ago told us that, for some, there will never be an apology or act of contrition that will satisfy them.
Solution? Ignore them and get on with your life.
“He leveraged his position as a prominent journalist to prey on women. He has yet to take responsibility for his actions by apologizing to his victims or demonstrating genuine contrition,” McManus said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “Giving him a book once again puts him in a position of authority and that is a slap in the face to all the women that he has victimized.”
Why do I hear an echo of “Kneel before Zod” in this rant?
And yet if he had done *everything* demanded by the Left, apologized contritely, sent his life savings to anyone who accused him regardless of facts, groveled in sackcloth and ashes in front of the MSNBC building, and done a year of penance in rags, picking up trash around the buildings, does *anybody* think the Left would have declared his guilt forgiven, and blessed this book with unconditional praise?
Not likely.
Odd. But in light of a ‘wax my genitals’ transgendered bully forcing immigrant women out of business while ‘diddle little girls on my private island’ Epstein is murdered in prison as the stool pigeon who knew too much, Halprin’s ‘sexual misconduct’ with grown women seems rather tame.
We are adrift…
“I do not in any way, shape, or form condone any harm done by one human being to another. I have also lived long enough to believe in the power of forgiveness, second chances, and offering a human being a path to redemption. HOW TO BEAT TRUMP is an important, thoughtful book, and I hope everyone has a chance to read it.”
Did she also extend the same forgiveness and second chances and redemption to a man who was accused of something 30 YEARS ago and has had nothing but glowing recommendations from women he has worked with and supervised for the last 20 years. Or was she among those calling for the lynching of Bret Kavanaugh?
I suspect she is only willing to forgive and extend redemption for the right politics. Just saying.
I upvoted you, but have a minor edit to your post…”a man who was WRONGFULLY accused of something 30 years ago WITH NO CORROBORATING EVIDENCE, and has nothing but glowing recommendations from women, INCLUDING RUTH BADER GINSBERG, he was worked with…”
Oh, I thoroughly agree with your edits. I thought about adding them. But I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, and believe that she REALLY AND TRULY believes that Kavanaugh did these (un-collaborated and false) attacks 30-odd years ago.
If she truly believes that, did she, can she, will she extend the same forgiveness and chance of redemption to Kavanaugh as she does to whats-his-name who wrote a book whose accusers have witnesses and collaboration and happened in the last 5 years? or is that second chance only for those who believe as she does.
Don’t like the guy? Don’t buy his book. Don’t draw attention by bitching about his book. Lord help these whiners if they ever encounter any actual hardship in their lives.
So does it help their cause of beating Trump, if they gather the thoughts of lots of politicos who might ordinary communicate secretly with the party and the candidate, and put them out in public in a book?