Investment banking behemoth Morgan Stanley fired former Democratic Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr. on Thursday for what it called “conduct inconsistent with our values” in the latest case of a high-profile man to lose his livelihood for allegedly acting terribly with women in a professional setting.
HuffPost broke the story, and spoke to a woman who alleged that Ford forcibly grabbed her one evening in New York City several years ago and then continually contacted her requesting dates after the incident.
A spokeswoman for Morgan Stanley confirmed Ford’s firing, telling the news outlet that he was terminated “for conduct inconsistent with our values and in violation of our policies.”
Ford denied that the incident took place and, in a statement to HuffPost, said that he was going to sue Morgan Stanley and the reporter who wrote the story:
This simply did not happen. 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 support and have tremendous respect for the brave women now speaking out in this important national dialogue. False claims like this undermine the real silence breakers. 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.
Ford, who is married and served in Congress for 10 years after taking his father’s seat, is the latest politician or former politician who has been felled in recent days because of allegations of harassment and other misconduct. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) this week said they were resigning in the face of multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
Read more at HuffPost.