Scandal

The BBC reports: A former deputy chief whip alleged to have groped two men in a private members’ club has been suspended as a Conservative MP. Chris Pincher will sit as an independent after he was reported to Parliament’s behaviour watchdog. He quit his government job in a resignation letter on Thursday, saying he had “drunk far too much” and …

The BBC reports: Tory deputy chief whip Chris Pincher has resigned from the government, after allegations that he groped two men at a private members’ club. In his resignation letter, he told the PM he “drank far too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people”. Witnesses told the BBC he was seen “extremely drunk” at the Carlton Club, the Conservative …

Courthouse News reports: A jury on Wednesday found four of the five Navy officials accused of trading military secrets for sex parties with prostitutes, luxurious dinners and travel paid for by defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis guilty of bribery and wire fraud. Following a four-month trial, 12 jurors unanimously found Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman, and …

The Christian Post reports: A new report details allegations of sexual misconduct against well-known contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter Chris Rice, who reportedly engaged in “massages” with underage boys and invited them to stay overnight at his home. Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, a leading Evangelical organization specializing in “empowering Christian communities to recognize, prevent and …

From the Justice Department: A federal grand jury has returned a twenty-one count indictment against Andrew Demetric Gillum, 42, and Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, 53, both of Tallahassee, Florida. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. The Indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, defendants Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit …

CNN reports: The South Dakota state Senate on Tuesday voted to convict and remove state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg from office on two articles of impeachment after he struck and killed a pedestrian in September 2020, making Ravnsborg the first elected official to be impeached and removed in the state’s history. The Senate needed approval from two-thirds of the Republican-controlled, …

Axios reports: Former Marine Gen. John Allen, the president of the prestigious Brookings Institution, resigned from his post on Sunday amid a federal investigation into his role in a foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar, Axios has confirmed. Allen was placed on leave by the Brookings Institution last week after the FBI reportedly seized his electronic data for the …

The Christian Post reports: Former Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt has been formally suspended as pastor emeritus at First Baptist Church Woodstock in Georgia after an investigation deemed credible allegations that he sexually assaulted a younger pastor’s wife several years ago. While praising “the supernatural work of God” over the last three decades, church leaders said they believe “this …

The Associated Press reports: The prestigious Brookings Institution placed its president, retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen, on administrative leave Wednesday amid a federal investigation into his role in an illegal lobbying campaign on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. Brookings’ announcement came a day after The Associated Press reported on new court filings that show the …

The Christian Post reports: The 12,000-member Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, continued its legal sparring with founding Pastor Stovall Weems and his wife, Kerri, in a new lawsuit earlier this month demanding that the couple vacate a million dollar waterfront home owned by the church after Weems completely resigned from all work with the church in April. Church officials argued …

Fox News reports: The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected the appeals of multiple Republican gubernatorial candidates to appear on the primary ballot after the state’s Board of State Canvassers disqualified them following an issue with fraudulent petition signatures. The Friday decision by the state’s highest court means that former Detroit police chief James Craig, businessman Perry Johnson, financial advisor Michael …

Religion News Service reports: A Southern Baptist task force has asked the denomination to set up a “Ministry Check” website to track abusive pastors, church employees and volunteers and to spend millions on reforms to prevent abuse and care for survivors. Most of the suggested reforms are voluntary. Some could involve years of study and preparation, prompting a skeptical response …

Dakota News Now reports: South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will not run for re-election in 2022, regardless of the outcome of his Senate impeachment trial. Ravnsborg first won the office in 2018 after winning in a crowded state Republican convention race. He would go on to defeat Democratic nominee Randy Seiler in the November general election. Ravnsborg’s tenure as …

The Associated Press reports: In response to an explosive investigation, top Southern Baptists have released a previously secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse. The 205-page database was made public late Thursday. It includes more than 700 entries from cases that largely span from 2000 to 2019. Its existence became widely known Sunday …

The New York Times reports: Five Republican candidates for Michigan governor were disqualified by a state canvassing board on Thursday for submitting nominating petitions that officials said had contained thousands of forged signatures. The decision sent the race, in a key battleground state, into chaos and dealt a serious blow to the party’s plans to challenge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the …

And absolutely nobody was remotely surprised: Todd Chrisley’s former business partner testified in his federal fraud trial Tuesday that they paid a blackmailer $38,000 in cash after the anonymous person threatened to expose their intimate relationship. Mark Braddock, who turned Chrisley and his wife Julie into the FBI, told an Atlanta jury that he had an affair with Chrisley for …

Variety reports: Kevin Spacey has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” The decision was unveiled today by the U.K.’s prosecution agency Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which has spent over a year reviewing a file passed to them by the Metropolitan Police. “The CPS …

Religion News Service reports: A former Southern Baptist Convention leader stepped inside the Florida beachside condo of a pastor’s wife, 24 years younger, pulled down her shorts, pinned her to the couch, got on top of her and pulled up her shirt. The assault on July 25, 2010, is one of the more graphic descriptions of sex abuse in a …

The Washington Post reports: The report describes how key Southern Baptist leaders engaged in a pattern of ignoring, stonewalling and even “vilifying” sex abuse survivors. The report details multiple instances when Southern Baptist leaders shot down requests by survivors and other concerned members to maintain a database of abusers. Publicly, the leaders said they couldn’t because of “church polity,” or …

The Voice Of OC reports: Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu abruptly resigned Monday, following a tough week that saw the Angel Stadium land sale temporarily halted following damning allegations stemming from the unveiling of an FBI corruption probe into city hall. In an official affidavit, FBI agents wrote that Sidhu shared city information with the Angels and tried to ram the …