Former lawmaker and frequent MSNBC pundit Harold Ford Jr. won’t appear on “Morning Joe” while he pursues legal action against a woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Ford, who represented Tennessee as a Democrat for a decade, worked at Morgan Stanley when a female reporter accused him of groping and stalking her. As a result, Ford’s employer, Morgan Stanley, fired him.
Ford responded by saying the accusations against him were not true, and that he would sue both her for making false claims, and Morgan Stanley for wrongful termination. But while those actions are ongoing, Ford will not appear on “Morning Joe” or any other MSNBC program.
“MSNBC and Ford agreed he would not be a guest on the network until the defamation lawsuit he says he will file against his accuser and a planned wrongful termination action against Morgan Stanley are settled,” said “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski on Friday morning.
Ford is the second person dropped from “Morning Joe” in the wake of sexual assault charges. Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin was another frequent panelist on the show, but left after being accused of sexual harassment by several women.
Ford said Thursday that none of the charges against him are true, and said the claims undermine real claims that women are bringing forward against men.
“This simply did not happen,” Ford said. “I have never forcibly grabbed any woman or man in my life. Having drinks and dinner for work is part of my job, and all of my outreach to the news reporter making these false allegations was professional and at the direction of my firm for business purposes.”
“I will now be bringing legal action against the reporter who has made these false claims about me as well as Morgan Stanley for improper termination,” said Ford.
