Free Republic

Well, the sexual harassment reckoning that’s sweeping the country has claimed another member of the media: Ryan Lizza. The Georgetown professor and New Yorker writer was fired from the publication earlier this afternoon for “improper sexual conduct.” Georgetown University said that fall semester classes have concluded, but that Mr. Lizza won’t be teaching next semester. In a statement, Lizza denied there was any impropriety, noting that this was a “respectful” relationship with a woman he dated. The lawyer representing Lizza’s accuser said in a separate statement that the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the relationship was anything but...

The likes of Kirsten Gillibrand parade themselves as paragons of avenging feminist virtue in calling on Sen. Al Franken to resign. But the Morning Joe crew sees another motive behind the Democrat’s move to force Franken out: “cynical politics.” Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, and Willie Geist all made similar points: the move to defenestrate Franken is really about Democrats trying to give themselves the high ground on the issue of sexual misconduct. The Dems’ real target is Roy Moore. Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

Hang in there, Al baby! That’s Chris Matthews’ message to embattled Senator Al Franken. Despite many of his fellow Dem senators and the head of the DNC calling for Al’s head over allegations of sexual misconduct, Matthews, on this evening’s Hardball, encouraged Franken not to cave—at least not right away. Excerpts: “Now here’s the question. What does he got to gain in quitting? Why isn’t in his interest to say, you know what? I’m going home this holiday season and I’ll think about it . . . The reason I say this is, won’t he regret any impulsive decision? ....

The fit finally hit the shan for Sacramento mayor and former NBA star Kevin Johnson. His latest troubles are a stark reminder of the despicable White House role in railroading a vigilant government watchdog who red-flagged Johnson's corruption years ago. Sports fans buzzed last week after ESPN shelved a documentary celebrating Johnson's efforts to keep the Sacramento Kings basketball team in his city. The public relations disaster came at the hands of the weekly Sacramento News & Review, which has published damning reports all year long on Johnson's use of public resources for personal gain — along with sports website...

Gerald Walpin, the inspector general who was at the center of controversy in 2009 when he was fired by the White House amid an investigation of an Obama friend, died today. He was 84. Walpin's son-in-law, Allan Tananbaum, said Walpin was struck by a car while crossing a street in Manhattan. Walpin was fired in June 2009 for his investigation of the misuse of money in AmeriCorps, the service organization that was part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, where Walpin served as inspector general. The investigation focused on Kevin Johnson, the former NBA star who became mayor...

We didn’t go there, did we? I mean seriously? Did Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the third ranking member of the House Democratic Caucus, pretty much insinuate that the accusations against Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) shouldn’t be believed because the accusers are white? Conyers is under fire for sexual misconduct. In 2015, he settled a sexual harassment claim to the tune of $27,000 in taxpayer money. Melanie Sloan, a Washington lawyer, claimed to be the subject of verbal abuse by Conyers, even walking into his office to have the Michigan Democrat half-dressed. She has not alleged any sexual harassment, but Deanna...

A second Democratic lawmaker called on Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., to step down Tuesday over sexual misconduct allegations hours after Conyers' former deputy chief of staff detailed three occasions when he made unwanted advances toward her. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a statement that while she had looked up to Conyers for decades, "I believe these women, I see the pattern and there is only one conclusion – Mr. Conyers must resign." Jayapal joined Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., as the only two lawmakers who have said Conyers should resign from Congress. In a statement of her own last week,...

California Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra resigned Monday following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, making him the first lawmaker to leave office amid a spate of reports rocking the state Capitol. The Los Angeles Democrat had previously said he wouldn’t seek re-election and would leave office at the end of the next legislative session. But on Monday, Bocanegra said that he’s decided to leave immediately following reflection over the Thanksgiving weekend and conversations with family, friends and supporters. In a statement released by his office, Bocanegra said he’d hoped he could clear his name. […] Allegations against Bocanegra first came to light...

Warning to Republicans going on Joy Reid’s MSNBC show: mention Al Franken at your peril! When this morning, Republican strategist Evan Siegfried had the temerity to suggest that the way Dems are standing by Franken gives Alabama voters justification to stand by Roy Moore, Reid went off on a tirade, enraged that the two would be mentioned in the same breath: Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

The sexual misconduct reckoning that's sweeping the nation does cross party lines and political persuasions. Republicans and Democrats are in the crosshairs. Liberal media figures have also fallen. Yet, the Left is still engaging in the Bill Clinton protocol, circling the wagons and trying to downplay the accusations. Right now, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has four women, two of which wish to remain anonymous, alleging that he groped them. Leeann Tweeden who fired the first salvo also said that Franken forcibly kissed her during a 2006 USO tour in the Middle East. The other Democrat in the news is Rep....

A funny thing happened on the road to common sense, rationality, and respect for women. Mike Pence somehow became a villain again. In the month since the New York Times and The New Yorker exposed Harvey Weinstein as one of America’s more grotesque sexual predators, we’ve seen the sad reality that sexual misconduct knows no ideological or religious boundaries, and we’ve now understood that it’s far more widespread than many (men, at least) ever knew. Women are describing the workplace as a minefield, and some industries (entertainment and politics) seem to be particularly rife with abuse. What’s a person...

Last week, Mediaite’s Larry O’Connor, who also used to write for our sister site Hot Air, and Fox News contributor Richard Fowler discussed the so-called “Weinstein Effect” with host Shannon Bream. We’ve heard the numerous and rather stomach churning stories of sexual abuse and harassment ever since women started to come forward about fallen Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Now, it’s spreading to other industries in the country. We’ve had liberal media figures, other Hollywood producers, and even a Pixar executive either losing their jobs or facing such a possibility for their bad behavior. Of course, no one is for sexual...

Michigan Rep. John Conyers reportedly settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 with a former staffer who accused the Democrat of firing her because she would not “succumb to [his] sexual advances.” Four former staffers signed affidavits alleging that the longest serving House member made repeated sexual advances to his female staffers as well as having members of his staff contact and transport women they believe he was having affairs with. Two of the women stated in their affidavits that they thought he was using office funds to pay for their travel to and from his apartment and hotel rooms....

CBS News boasts of Gayle King having “received numerous awards for her extensive work as a journalist.” Yet this award-winning journalist wants us to believe that she is dumbfounded by the multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Charlie Rose. Let’s remember: for King, Rose isn’t just some random guy in the news industry. Rose has been King’s co-host of CBS This Morning—someone she literally sat next to and worked very closely with—for going on six years. But on the CBS show this morning, King claimed to be shocked by the Rose revelations: Get the rest of the story and view...

I'm going back & forth with my liberal friends as to who has been accused of sexual harassment lately. There are so many people to account for. It appears that Roy Moore is the only Republican. Can anyone provide an extensive list of the names of those accused, whether Hollywood celebrity, politician or business person? Thank you!

Liberals must be thanking their lucky stars that Bill Clinton messed around with Monica Lewinsky. Because every time the subject of Clinton’s sexual misconduct arises, they can point to the Lewinsky “affair” and slough it off as less serious than what Roy Moore has been accused of. They can thus ignore the most serious allegations against Clinton. Earlier this week, for example, we noted a CNN analyst suggesting that Moore was involved with “children,” whereas Bill Clinton had a “consensual affair” with Lewinsky. Joy Reid pulled the same bait-and-switch on her MSNBC show this morning, saying that what Roy Moore...

When Susan Fowler rocked Uber’s world with a meticulous account of the company’s sexual harassment and gender discrimination issues, the ride-sharing service turned to its only female board member to help clean up its culture (and its image). Arianna Huffington was perfectly poised to position herself as the feminist savior who would advocate for Uber’s women—she oversaw the subsequent Eric Holder investigation, and promised that “no brilliant jerks will be allowed, and no one will be protected because they are top performers.” But being a powerful woman with a stake in a company, and its profits, doesn’t mean Huffington was...

'Unwanted Advances' is a clarion call for accusatory university cultures gone madA spectre is haunting the American campus, and it’s called Title IX. Originally, you might remember, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 was the law that required colleges to have women’s as well as men’s sports teams. It still does that, but since 2011 it does a lot more: Title IX, overseen by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, now covers not just gender discrimination but all forms of sexual misconduct—a generously interpreted term that, if you’re a professor, now seems to include your...

"Nightmare." That's how Scott Hounsell, the former executive director of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, describes the ordeal he went through two years ago, and is still trying to recover from today. "It was the most — the scariest, most devastating nightmare you could ever imagine ever going through ever," Hounsell added. "Because everything that you have and hold dear — my family, my career, everything — was threatened that it would be taken away from me." “ "It's scary. And I will never be able to get out of the shadow of this, ever. They fundamentally changed...

Choice and Consequences By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe themes of early Lent are pretty basic. The ashes of Ash Wednesday announce the simple truth that we are going to die and  thereafter face judgment. Hence, we need to repent and come to believe the good news that only Jesus can save us.Another early reading from Thursday after Ash Wednesday featured Moses laying out the basic reality that all of us have a choice to make. He says to us,Today I have set before youlife and prosperity, death and doom …I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:I have set before you life...