Tag Archives: scandal

The Washington Post reports: It was billed as a holy journey, a pilgrimage with West Virginia Bishop Michael J. Bransfield to “pray, sing and worship” at the National Shrine in Washington. Catholics from remote areas of one of the nation’s poorest states paid up to $190 for hotel rooms and overnight bus rides to the nation’s capital. Unknown to the …

The Associated Press reports: Students at Liberty University in Virginia have gathered to protest in the wake of news reports containing allegations that school president Jerry Falwell Jr. “presides over a culture of self-dealing” and improperly benefited from the institution. The News & Advance reports the students gathered Friday at the private evangelical university in Lynchburg. Photos show students holding …

Charisma News, the site best known here for its anti-witchcraft tutorials, its claim that the lifespan of gays is shortened by 20 years, its warning that burning breakfast eggs can summon demons, and its declaration that yoga is white witchcraft, is today quite naturally the place where Jerry Falwell turns to make his case against his accusers. “We have nothing …

Religion News Service reports: In the wake of reports alleging objectionable rhetoric and conduct by Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., students at the evangelical Christian school plan to call for internal and external investigations into the president and administration at a protest on campus Friday (Sept. 13). “We are not calling for Falwell to resign right now,” said Elizabeth …

Ars Technica reports: Reuters today published a selection of emails in which Falwell used insulting or disparaging language to describe Liberty University students, staff, and parents to other administrators. “I’m not going to dignify the lies that were reported yesterday with a response,” Falwell told the AP, but he said he hired “the meanest lawyer in New York” to pursue …

The Christian Post reports: A photographer has pushed back against any suggestion that images he captured of Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. at a Miami Beach nightclub in July 2014 were photo-shopped as the Christian college leader admitted Wednesday to being at the club for about 30 minutes. In a statement to Politico, Jerry Falwell allegedly denied the existence …

From the owner of a Miami Beach nightlife agency: For 21 years, I have maintained an impeccable reputation for documenting Miami Beach’s storied social scene. We wholly reject Jerry Falwell Jr.’s baseless allegation in yesterday’s Politico report by Brandon Ambrosino that one of our pictures was “photo-shopped” or manipulated in any fashion. We, in fact, did not know Politico’s purpose …

The Rising reports: Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. told Hill.TV on Tuesday that he has begun sharing information with the FBI in what he alleged was a criminal conspiracy against him by former board members at the school. Falwell said in an exclusive interview that in the coming days the FBI will review university documents at the Lynchburg, Va., …

The Montgomery Advertiser reports: Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday issued an apology for appearing in a racist sketch during her time as an undergraduate at Auburn University in the 1960s. Audio surfaced of a 1967 interview given by Ivey and her then-fiancee, Ben LaRavia, in which LaRavia recalled a party at Auburn’s Baptist Student Union. Ivey participated in at least …

The Christian Post reports: Stephen Powell, an estranged protégé of controversial evangelist Todd Bentley at Fresh Fire USA, has publicly dismissed his mentor as “not fit for public ministry,” alleging that he has a “perverse sexual addiction” that has driven him to prey on interns. Citing personal and reported testimony, Powell, who runs Lion of Light Ministries in Pineville, North …

The New York Times today published a profile of White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham and man, there’s some doozies in there. An excerpt: Ms. Grisham got her start in national politics as a press aide on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. But she had worked for some time before that in public relations, including a job with the AAA …

NBC Philadelphia reports: A Chester County priest who took the place of a disgraced Archdiocese official is now in trouble with the law as well after being accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his own church. Father Joseph McLoone, 56, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony theft and other related offenses after allegedly …

“Why would Jerry Falwell Jr. – the chancellor of a school with a longstanding anti-LGBTQ history – put up $1.8 million to invest in a gay-friendly hostel with a man he only recently met? “And why did Michael Cohen step in when things got acrimonious and somebody threatened to release racy and compromising photos of Falwell’s wife? “Did Cohen want …

Politico reports: Rep. Duncan Hunter won’t go on trial until next year on corruption charges that involve the spending of campaign cash on vacations, extramarital affairs and other items, a U.S. judge decided Tuesday. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Whelan changed the trial date from Sept. 10 to Jan. 14 after defense attorneys raised questions about whether an appeals court …

The Washington Post reports: A Republican senator held up the confirmation of a White House budget official this week in an attempt to obtain sensitive information about border wall contracts he has been trying to steer to a major donor, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post. The emails show Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) blasting the “arrogance” of the …

Remember last month when I told you about New Jersey pastor who claimed he could exorcise the demons out of men by sucking them off and spitting the resultant “evil” into a Ziploc bag? The pastor has not been charged with any crimes but the civil lawsuits are now flying. Reverend Dr William Weaver, who served at Linden Presbyterian Church …

The Washington Post reports: The governor of Puerto Rico announced late Wednesday that he will resign effective Aug. 2, amid intense pressure from inside and outside his government, after a series of leaked chat messages denigrating his opponents and Hurricane Maria victims triggered outrage from frustrated citizens who had taken to the streets for 13 consecutive days of protests. Ricardo …

The Associated Press reports: Waving flags, chanting and banging pots and pans, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans jammed a highway Monday to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in a crisis triggered by a leak of offensive, obscenity-laden chat messages between him and his advisers. The demonstration appeared to be the biggest protest on the island in nearly …

Bloomberg reports: Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello’s promise not to seek re-election was meant to mollify citizens of the bankrupt commonwealth after reams of embarrassing texts leaked from his administration. On Sunday night, many said Rossello was merely postponing his well-deserved exit. After days of protests, residents of San Juan poured into the colonial quarter to celebrate his retreat — …

Philadelphia’s NBC News affiliate reports: At least 13 Philadelphia police officers will be fired as a result of racist, homophobic and violent social media posts revealed last month by the Plain View Project, Police Commissioner Richard Ross announced Thursday. These officers were found to be the worst offenders among 328 local cops identified in the project’s national database. One of …