Report: CBS was warned about Charlie Rose sexual misconduct
More than two dozen additional women have come forward to accuse former "CBS This Morning" anchor Charlie Rose of sexual misconduct, according to a five-month investigation by the Washington Post, which asserts that CBS management was warned about his behavior on three separate occasions over three decades.
The new allegations come nearly six months after the Post chronicled a pattern of sexual misconduct by the longtime journalist toward multiple women. CBS fired Rose in November and PBS canceled his namesake program after those allegations came to light.
Fourteen CBS News employees and 13 women who worked with him at other jobs accused Rose of sexually harassing them, according to the investigation.
In a statement, CBS News President David Rhodes said: "Since we terminated Charlie Rose, we've worked to strengthen existing systems to ensure a safe environment where everyone can do their best work. Some of the actions we have taken have been reported publicly, some have not. We offer employees discretion and fairness, and we take swift action when we learn of unacceptable behavior. That said, we cannot corroborate or confirm many of the situations described. We continue to look for ways to improve our workplace and this period of reflection and action has been important to all of us. We are not done with this process."
The Post reports that managers were alerted about Rose's behavior at least three times – from 1986 to 2017.
The first instance involved Annmarie Parr, then a 22-year-old news clerk, who said Rose made "lewd" comments to her when he was a fill-in anchor on "CBS Morning News" in 1986.
She claims Rose once asked: "Annmarie, do you like sex? Do you enjoy it? How often do you like to have sex?"
Parr claims she reported Rose's comments to a senior producer. The producer, who she declined to name, allegedly laughed and told her, "Fine, you don't have to be alone with him anymore."
In 2003, a former "60 Minutes II" intern, Corrina Collins, claimed Rose plied her with drinks and groped her on a business trip to California. She alleges Rose was drunk and wanted her to come to his hotel room.
After the trip, Collins said she voiced her concerns to Yvette Vega, who was the executive producer of Rose's PBS show. Collins contends that Vega, who did not respond to a request for comment from the Post, shrugged off the episode.
The Post investigation also claims that "CBS This Morning" management was alerted to Rose's frequent one-on-one lunches with 24-year-old staffer Brooks Harris, but no action was taken.
Harris claims that in 2017, Rose took her out for drinks and insisted that she come back to his apartment. She declined.
In a statement, Rose responded to the new allegations in the Post's story: "Your story is unfair and inaccurate."
CBS News said Thursday it has retained an outside law firm to help investigate sexual harassment and misconduct complaints.
Rhodes sent an email to staff regarding the matter, which you can read below.
