On Friday, Leah reported that MSNBC Morning Joe Host Mika Brzezinski “attempted to put disgraced journalist Mark Halperin in touch with the women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Brzezinski was actually surprised that they didn’t want to talk with him, saying “there are some hypocrisies here,” and that it’s important that we allow men to validate the truth if we “want to grow as a society.”
"We also have some men who are willing to face the music, who are willing to face the facts, who are willing to admit to their actions 10, 20 years ago, even five years ago," Brzezinski said.
“Mark Halperin is more than willing to meet with his accusers and apologize with them face-to-face,” she continued. “I’ve actually tried to offer him to them. They don’t want to talk to him. They don’t want to talk to him. There are some hypocrisies here.”
“When things happen and men actually want to validate that truth, that’s important that we actually allow that, if we want to grow as a society and learn from each other,” she emphasized. “If we just want to strike people down for political motivation or for anger, we’re not going to get anywhere.”
Brzezinski acknowledged that what she said may seem “explosive.”
Indeed, many others found these comments explosive as well. Hours after this report, Mika was forced to apologize for her potentially insensitive comments.
"We have been trying our best on Morning Joe to have an honest conversation about sexual harassment and sexual assault," Brzezinski said in a statement Friday. "The issue has hit close to home given that Mark Halperin was on our show. I have spent a lot of time talking to some of his accusers and to Mark himself. Often I bring up the issue on our show because I think it would be less than genuine to talk about the growing number of cases without recognizing that a former member of our team acted very badly."
"In our discussion about sexual harassment this morning, I said some things that hurt people. In the case of Mark, my goal today was to start a conversation about hearing from the men whenever we can, but I realize that it is not my place. It isn't my call to make, and for that I am truly sorry. As a victim of sexual assault, I understand that each individual's case is different. This is up to the victims, some of whom I've been in contact with. My hope is for all of us to come together to support the brave women who speak out and help make workplaces safer as we continue this difficult conversation in the months and years ahead."
This apology came after a reporter from the Washington Post tweeted a letter signed by 10 women who have accused Halperin of sexual misconduct and harassment.
Just got this: Ten women who have accused Mark Halperin of sexual misconduct send statement to @msnbc rebutting @morningmika’s comments this morning about Halperin: pic.twitter.com/wgDStvilwM
— Paul Farhi (@farhip) December 22, 2017
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