"The behavior attributed to Glenn in this Vox story is very concerning and not in keeping with the standards and values of The New York Times," the outlet said in a statement Monday. "We intend to fully investigate and while we do, Glenn will be suspended."
Thrush was one of the reporters exposed by WikiLeaks as having run his stories by the Clinton camp for approval in 2016.
"Because I have become a hack I will send u the whole section that pertains to u," an email exchange between Thrush and John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's election campaign chief. "Please don't share or tell anyone I did this… tell me if I f*cked up anything."
Following the Times announcement of Thrush's suspension, Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder and publisher, again noted the media collusion that took place between the defeated Clinton camp and Thrush.
— Julian Assange 🔹 (@JulianAssange) November 20, 2017
"Hi, I'm Politico's Glenn Thrush," an image shared by Assange reads. "I was recently exposed in leaked emails sending my stories to Hillary Clinton staffers for approval before they were published."
Though Thrush's collusion with the Clinton campaign (and his pleas that it remain secret) have been widely known since WikiLeaks exposed him, the New York Times still saw fit to hire the reporter to cover the Trump administration.
The encounters that Laura McGann, editorial director at Vox and author of the story accusing Thrush, experienced and was made aware of took place while Thrush was still a reporter at Politico.
"He slid into my side of the booth, blocking me in," McGann recalled of her encounter with Thrush. "I was wearing a skirt, and he put his hand on my thigh. He started kissing me. I pulled myself together and got out of there, shoving him on my way out."
The next day Thrush sent an apologetic email to McGann, she writes, saying "he was sorry, but he didn't say for what, exactly."
In her interviews with several women, McGann recognized a "pattern" in Thrush's behavior. Many incidents started as "unwanted groping and kissing to wet kisses out of nowhere to hazy sexual encounters that play out under the influence of alcohol."
"All of the women were in their 20s at the time. They were relatively early in their careers compared to Thrush, who was the kind of seasoned journalist who would be good to know," McGann wrote. "At an event with alcohol, he made advances. Afterward, they (as I did) thought it best to stay on good terms with Thrush, whatever their feelings."
However, Thrush brushed off the claims that he ever forced himself on McGann, according to NBC News.
"My recollection of my interactions with Laura differs greatly from hers — the encounter was consensual, brief, and ended by me," Thrush said in a statement to the outlet. "She was an editor above me at this time and I did not disparage her to colleagues at POLITICO as she claims."
This is only the latest accusation of sexual misconduct against a well-known media figure following harassment claims that saw outlets cut ties with Mark Halperin, an MSNBC political contributor, and Michael Oreskes, the news chief for NPR.
