Names and faces
Radio and TV host Tavis Smiley labeled his “indefinite suspension “a rush to judgment,” saying PBS “overreacted” in its investigation of sexual misconduct claims against Smiley. “If having a consensual relationship with a colleague years ago is the stuff that leads to this kind of public humiliation and personal destruction, heaven help us,” Smiley said in a social media post. “This has gone too far. And, I, for one, intend to fight back.” He said PBS didn’t identify his accusers, refused to talk to his staff and failed to let him defend himself “against allegations from unknown sources.” On Wednesday, the Public Broadcasting Service said an independent investigation by a law firm uncovered “multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS.” A spokesman responded to Smiley’s comment by saying “The totality of the investigation, which included Mr. Smiley, revealed a pattern of multiple relationships with subordinates over many years.” The ouster comes weeks after PBS cut ties with anchor and talk show host Charlie Rose, citing “extremely disturbing and intolerable behavior” by him toward women at his PBS talk show. He has been with PBS for 14 seasons and some 3,000 episodes.
Former Apprentice star Omarosa Manigault Newman denied Thursday that she was fired from her job at the White House — as she hinted that she has stories to tell about what she’s seen and heard there. In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, Manigault Newman also said reports that she made a scene while being escorted from the White House grounds this week are “100 percent false,” and questioned why no photos or video of the alleged ruckus had surfaced. She said she resigned after a conversation with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly about some of her concerns. Her White House pass has been cut off, according to the Secret Service, although she will remain on the staff through the administration’s one-year mark. She also denied reports that she tried to enter the White House residence to see President Donald Trump, calling those reports “ridiculous” and “absurd.” The outgoing presidential adviser who once was a contestant on the first season of The Apprentice alluded to seeing and hearing things during her 11 months in the White House that made her unhappy and uncomfortable. She declined to elaborate, citing her continued employment by the White House. “As a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people,” she said, adding that she has a story that people will want to hear.