NEW YORK (JTA) — The New York Times suspended Glenn Thrush, its Washington, D.C., correspondent, amid allegations he made unwanted advances toward female journalists.
The Times said Monday that it was looking into allegations made by four women that Thrush made sexual advances, including kissing and touching them.
The allegations were published Monday in a Vox article. The women making the allegations include Laura McGann, the author of the Vox article, as well as three unnamed women. Three of the incidents took place while Thrush was working at Politico, while one was during Thrush’s tenure at The Times, according to the allegations.
McGann said Thrush made advances while the two were at a bar.
“[H]e caught me off guard, put his hand on my thigh, and suddenly started kissing me,” she wrote. “Thrush says that he recalls the incident differently.”
McGann wrote that the other women, all in their 20s, had similar experiences, “from unwanted groping and kissing to wet kisses out of nowhere to hazy sexual encounters that played out under the influence of alcohol.”
In a statement, Thrush claimed that his encounter with McGann was consensual but apologized for an incident with one of the unnamed women.
“The woman involved was upset by my actions and for that I am deeply sorry,” he said, according to The Times.
Thrush said he had been struggling in recent years with alcoholism in response to personal and health crises.
“During that period, I have done things that I am ashamed of, actions that have brought great hurt to my family and friends. I have not taken a drink since June 15, 2017, have resumed counseling and will soon begin outpatient treatment for alcoholism. I am working hard to repair the damage I have done,” he said.
An article in The Daily Beast published in April detailed Thrush’s friendship with fellow Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who like Thrush is Jewish.
“Since when are you Jewish?” Haberman asked upon learning of Thrush’s background.
“Since they cut my foreskin off when I was a baby,” Thrush quipped back.
According to The Daily Beast, he grew up near Brooklyn’s Coney Island.
The accusations are the latest in a flood that has roiled the worlds of entertainment, politics and the media since last month after dozens of women alleged that Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein harassed and in some cases assaulted them.
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