“I read Geraldo’s FB post in which he said he regretted not believing Gretchen Carlson’s claim of sexual harassment”, Van Susteren began. Van Susteren this week flipped the switch on her contract clause allowing her to exit the network if Ailes, who was shown the door in July, left the operation.
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“But I have regrets beyond Geraldo’s and beyond not believing a civil complaint written by lawyers”, she wrote.
In her Friday Facebook post, Van Susteren echoed the sentiments of correspondent Geraldo Rivera, who publicly apologized to Carlson for “stubbornly discounting” the allegations from Carlson and other Ailes accusers.
“Checks written that were suspicious should have been spotted”, Van Susteren wrote.
That includes everyone from the senior people and Board of Directors at Fox News all the way up to NewsCorp. “We all regret it”, Van Susteren said.
Van Susteren is referring to the many women who were kept on the Fox payroll for years, without actually working for the company. Earlier this week, 21st Century Fox reached a $20 million settlement deal with Carlson and apologized for the incident.
Fox News made a decision to pay $20million to settle a lawsuit waged by former anchor Gretchen Carlson this week.
Van Susteren on Tuesday abruptly ended her 14-year career at Fox News, stating that Fox has “not felt like home” for “a few years”.
Van Susteren also isn’t the only one placing blame on the shoulders of Fox executives; reporting in NY magazine from Gabriel Sherman, who broke most of the major news about the Ailes scandal, suggests Ailes’s behavior was likely enabled, or at least tolerated, by more than one high-level Fox executive.
The anchor also replied to a fan who asked where they would be able to watch her in future, saying: ‘Where will you find me? I have not contacted any other networks to see if they might be interested’.
Since Ailes’ departure from Fox and the recently-settled sexual harassment suit filed by former Fox News Channel host Gretchen Carlson, students at the school have petitioned to have the Ailes name removed-an effort they have dubbed “Abandon Ailes”.
Roger Ailes is an Ohio University graduate who donated a $500,000 to OU in 2007. “You all know me – I speak up”.
About noon Friday, Ms. Van Susteren wrote that Fox News had fulfilled her request. I would have heard it. People don’t keep things silent’.
“To all the victims of sexual harassment, direct and indirect, I am sorry for what happened to you”, Rivera said.
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“We all regret it”, said Van Susteren of not initially giving more credence to Carlson’s claims. “The man she described in her pleadings was unknown even to those of us who thought we knew him well”. The Murdochs would not have turned the world upside down but for good cause.
