Until Monday, 2017 had been a wonderful year for journalist Ryan Lizza. He was responsible for the reports that brought down Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director and was considered to be the star reporter at The New Yorker.
Well, sadly for him, 2017 eventually turned against him and has quite possibly become the worst year of his life.
“The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct. We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza,” a spokesman for the liberal magazine said. “Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further.”
Lizza contradicts the magazine’s description of his firing, however. “I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate,” he said in a statemen released in response to his former employee’s announcement. “The New Yorker was unable to cite a company policy that was violated.”
He went on to say that he is sorry for “my friends, workplace colleagues, and loves ones for any embarrassment this episode may have caused.” He concluded by saying that “this decision, which was made hastily and without a full investigation of the relevant facts, was a terrible mistake.”
Law firm Wigdor LLP represents Lizza’s accuser. The law firm wasn’t happy with Lizza’s statement, saying that the journalist’s conduct did “in no way” constitute “a respectful relationship as he has now tried to characterize it.”
How the mighty have fallen in recent months. The only question seems to be: who’s next?
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