CNN host Michael Smerconish recently appeared on HBO “Real Time” with Bill Maher and asked a simple question about his pariah pal Mark Halperin.
“Has he owned it and has he been punished? Smerconish asked. “I thought had been punished enough. If not, then I ask the question, are we advocating the professional death sentence for someone like him because I am not comfortable with that.”
The LA audience gave him a meager round of applause.
Smerconish, one of the few men in media besides MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough to show mercy for Halperin, likes to mention the “500 days” that Halperin was out of the limelight. He believes that this was an incredible hardship in the face of women who allegedly experienced Halperin’s hard-ons and harassment at ABC.
The Daily Beast is out with another story on Halperin. In this one, Halperin has a call with MSNBC President Phil Griffin in which he “threatens” him for not allowing him to slide back into the network’s good graces.
The #MeToo Movement has fresh reasons to want to nail Halperin.
Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, who took down Roger Ailes, was the nicest of the naysayers.
“Of course Mark Halperin wants to make a comeback but he should of thought of that before harassing countless women at work,” she tweeted. “Why don’t we ask when the women will make comebacks? Women who did nothing wrong.”
Adrienne Lawrence, an attorney and contributor to the lefty show, The Young Turks, essentially said: F**k No!
She wants him in the hospital — partitioned away like “Bubble Boy.”
“Mark Halperin continues to show that he still holds the same type of unapologetic entitlement he displayed while reportedly harassing and assaulting women,” Lawrence tweeted. “This man doesn’t need to apologize, he needs to be quarantined and under intense therapy.”
Brianna Wu, a Democratic congressional candidate in Massachusetts, remarked that “Maybe since he threatened a man, it will be taken seriously.”
Lawrence’s reply: Five bullseye emojis with the arrow bang in the middle.
Recode co-founder Kara Swisher had something to say about all this.
“Threatening Phil Griffin is about as effective as trying to win a tweet war with @chrissyteigen: Journalist Mark Halperin ‘threatened’ MSNBC chief for axing his comeback, The Daily Beast reports.”
The Daily Beast report says Halperin got Griffin on the horn and “dished up vague threats against his former boss.” What those threats involved is anyone’s guess.
The story says Griffin was “furious” about the exchange and would not “likely” take his calls again.
Really. Not likely?
Other women rounded out the chorus of anti-Halperin voices Tuesday.
“I’m grateful to @thedailybeast for staying on this story and to @MSNBC for not letting this predator back on their air. Many Halperin victims are vigilant want to make sure he doesn’t assault more women. #metoo,” tweeted journalist/political operative Emily Miller Tuesday morning. Miller, a former correspondent at One America News Network, is among the women who have accused Halperin of “attacking” her.
Halperin has acknowledge bad or inappropriate behavior. He has denied sexually assaulting anyone.
RealClearNews White House Correspondent Susan Crabtree remarked, So glad this story is out – kudos to @emilymiller and so many others for taking a stand against his orchestrated comeback.”
In the second week of August, Halperin floated a bizarre theory about alleged pedophile Jeffrey Epstein after he was found hanging by a bed sheet in his cell. Halperin, once thought to be skilled and brilliant as the co-author of Game Change, wondered if Epstein had faked his own death. (RELATED: Halperin Floats Weirdest Epstein Conspiracy Theory — People Are Pissed)
Back in April, he came out of hiding to apologize and apologize and apologize. (RELATED: Halperin Wants A New Job)
During his time away from political world fame and fortune, Halperin interned with former prisoners from Rikers Island, some one whom were murderers. The group was The Fortune Society, which helps prisoners assimilate back into society after some of them have done time for heinous crimes.
What a resumé builder. Halperin had to wonder, if they be welcomed back into the regular world, why couldn’t he?
In the meantime, for more Mark Halperin hot takes, you can read his daily roundup in the “Mark Halperin’s Wide World Of News.”
Because what would his brand of journalism be without his name?
Perhaps, lucrative.