Former Politico reporter Joe Williams is defending himself against the allegations that he assaulted his ex-wife, saying she’s the one who has been “aggressive” toward him.
In a Thursday afternoon statement provided to The Daily Caller, Williams said his ex-wife is trying to destroy him and claims the charges were “wrongfully filed.” Williams said he plead guilty to a domestic violence charge in May to “avoid an acrimonious, embarrassing trial.”
His statement — which despite being ousted from Politico originated from a company email address — came after FishbowlDC reported this week that Williams plead guilty to second-degree assault on his ex-wife in May and is serving six months probation as a result.
Williams’ side of the story: “The facts: Amy Alexander, my ex-wife, confronted me in February when I came to pick up our autistic son for a therapy appointment. My wife accosted me in front of him, and I defended myself. In retaliation to my protective order, she wrongfully filed charges against me. In the best interest of my children, I chose to avoid an acrimonious, embarrassing trial.”
“I was not arrested,” the reporter added.
The former White House correspondent accused his wife of being an aggressor.
“Sadly, this is the latest incident in a difficult post-divorce relationship; I’ve contacted police and social services several times because of my former spouse’s aggressive behavior. Most people keep these matters private. I wanted to do the same.”
But Williams suggested his wife had something to do with the news getting out about his guilty plea to the assault charge.
“Earlier this week, my former spouse threatened several times to create with a ‘PR disaster’ for me and vowed I ‘won’t work in this town again.’ As a result, the right-wing noise machine opted to add fuel to my former spouse’s fire with the publication of half truths out of context,” he said.
Earlier Thursday, Alexander declined to comment on her ex-husband when reached by The Daily Caller.
“I appreciate your asking, but I have nothing more to add at this time,” she said.
In his statement, Williams took aim at Betsy Rothstein, the editor of FishbowlDC, accusing her of being part of a “right-wing noise machine.”
“By exposing my personal life for no relevant or justifiable reason, they’ve also proved my larger point: The right-wing noise machine will bully anyone who disagrees with their world view,” he said.
It’s been a tough several weeks for Williams. He recently lost his job at Politico for making racial and otherwise derogatory comments about conservatives and his then-employer on MSNBC and Twitter.
The Daily Caller attempted to interview Williams on Thursday afternoon outside of a television studio in Washington D.C., but he brushed the questions off.
“Actually, I’m going in, so I’ll call you back,” he told TheDC.