7 Women Accuse Journalist Mark Halperin Of Sexual Harassment

Update: Two more women, reporter Emily Miller and another journalist who has asked to remain anonymous, have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against journalist Mark Halperin, The Daily Beast reports.

Their claims come shortly after five women shared their encounters with Halperin, who has since been suspended from making appearances as a network contributor on MSNBC.

Miller shared her story on Twitter after linking out to a CNN report, saying in a series of tweets: "To be clear, I was not one of the victims in this story about Mark Halperin. I was another junior ABC employee he attacked. #MeToo. I did not report Halperin to ABC because I thought I was the only one, and I blamed myself, and I was embarrassed and I was scared of him."

The other journalist offered more details about her experience, telling The Daily Beast that in addition to giving her an "occasional lecherous grin," Halperin once made a move on her after calling her into his office.

"He closed the door, and all of the sudden was standing right in front of me, so close he was basically touching me," she said. "He started lunging at me and I had nowhere to go. I told him something like, 'Don't do that,' and said 'I'm not comfortable with the door closed,' but he had me backed into a corner. I opened the door and ran out."

Another day, another round of sexual harassment allegations against a man in a position of power. Five women have accused veteran journalist Mark Halperin of sexually harassing them while he held a prominent role at ABC News, according to CNN.

The accusers said their experiences with Halperin ranged from being propositioned for sex to being kissed and groped without consent. One woman alleged Halperin grabbed her breasts, and three others claimed he pressed himself against them while he had an erection — all without the women's consent. They spoke with CNN on condition of anonymity because Halperin still holds power in the industry, and they fear retribution.

"During this period, I did pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me," Halperin said in a statement to CNN, responding to the allegations. "I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain. For that, I am deeply sorry and I apologize. Under the circumstances, I'm going to take a step back from my day-to-day work while I properly deal with this situation."

But even though he said some of his behavior was inappropriate, Halperin denied to CNN that he had groped one woman and pressed himself against the other three.

In a statement to CNN, MSNBC said Halperin will leave his post as network contributor "until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood." He's also leaving his role as NBC News analyst for the time being.

The women who accused Halperin said they had not brought forward the allegations to ABC News while he worked there. This was confirmed by the network.

"Mark left ABC News over a decade ago, and no complaints were filed during his tenure," ABC News said in a statement to CNN.

But like in many other cases surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace, the accusers said they didn't report Halperin because they feared retaliation since he was powerful, or they were embarrassed by the incidents.

Halperin is the latest on a growing list of men in powerful positions who have been accused of sexual harassment or assault since dozens of women brought forward allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Other men who have been accused and lost their jobs, either because they were fired or resigned, include former Vox Media editorial director Lockhart Steele; former Nickelodeon showrunner Chris Savino; former Amazon Studios president Roy Price; and former Defy Media SVP of content Andy Signore.

If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).