Frequent “Morning Joe” guest Mike Barnicle thinks people were too harsh on journalist Mark Halperin for allegedly sexually harassing and assaulting at least a dozen women.
Halperin, the author of “Game Change,” recently lost his job at NBC News after a number of women came forward alleging he had groped, harassed, and threatened them during his time at ABC News. One woman says she went out to lunch with Halperin only to have him throw her against a glass wall and try to kiss her. Three of the women recalled Halperin pressing his clothed erection against their bodies.
In an article in The Daily Beast outlining Halperin’s long career in media and journalism, Barnicle, who is a senior contributor on MSNBC, said he called Halperin to offer him words of advice.
“Your life isn’t over,” Barnicle recalled telling Halperin on the phone.
Barnicle is no stranger to scandal, as he was caught plagiarizing and fabricating stories during his time as a sports journalist at The Boston Globe–perhaps he feels some sort of connection with Halperin.
“He deserves to be punished for what he did,” Barnicle said. “He deserves to have what he did be deplored. But does he deserve to die? How many times can you kill a guy?”
Barnicle asserts that was Halperin did was “creepy” and “very bad,” but even suggests that he could make a comeback someday, stating, “This is America—it’s geared for comebacks.”