Politico reporter Ryan Lizza — the previous fiancé of New York Journal political reporter Olivia Nuzzi, who was concerned in a sexting scandal with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — will stay on the publication, although he’ll now not edit its high-profile publication.
Lizza introduced that he shall be “returning to my long-form journal roots” by contributing extra prolonged items for the net publication.
“I’ll stay Politico’s Chief Washington Correspondent however with a deal with in-depth options, profiles, and interview,” Lizza wrote on his X account on Monday.
Lizza, 50, was accountable for the Playbook publication earlier than he was positioned on go away final October after the 32-year-old Nuzzi accused him of blackmail and harassment.
Politico denied that the shakeup was related to the Nuzzi-Kennedy saga.
“For greater than a decade now, there was a brand new stewardship of Playbook with a change of Administration. A brand new Playbook for a brand new Washington,” a Politico spokesperson informed Each day Beast.
The Playbook publication will now be helmed by Jack Blanchard, Politico’s veteran UK reporter, in accordance with the Each day Beast.
John Harris, Politico editor-in-chief, revealed that Lizza will put a “particular emphasis on contributing to POLITICO Journal” going ahead.
The Submit has sought remark from Politico and Lizza, a former political analyst for CNN whose byline has appeared in publications comparable to New Yorker and New Republic.
Nuzzi had accused Lizza of hacking into her private units and making an attempt to coerce her into rekindling their relationship by threatening to launch private info. Lizza has denied these allegations.
The controversy started when Nuzzi, then a correspondent for New York Journal, was reported to have engaged in a months-long, private relationship with Kennedy, 70, whereas masking his unbiased presidential marketing campaign.
Upon disclosure of the connection in September, New York Journal positioned Nuzzi on go away and initiated an exterior overview of her work.
A subsequent investigation performed by the regulation agency Davis Wright Tremaine discovered no inaccuracies or proof of bias in her reporting.
Nonetheless, the journal and Nuzzi mutually agreed to half methods, citing issues over journalistic ethics and the looks of a battle of curiosity.
David Haskell, New York editor-in-chief, stated Nuzzi wouldn’t have been assigned to cowl Kennedy’s marketing campaign had the publication been conscious of the connection.
The scandal led to the dissolution of Nuzzi’s engagement to Lizza, who is claimed to have found her relationship with Kennedy.
Nuzzi filed a protecting order towards Lizza, accusing him of hacking and blackmail.
In his response, Lizza alleged that he found, “Nuzzi had been dishonest on me with a married man [RFK Jr.] for nearly a 12 months.”
“She admitted the affair and over the course of weeks of conversations she confided how she fell into what she described as a ‘poisonous’ ‘unhealthy’ ‘silly’ ‘psychotic’ ‘loopy’ ‘indefensible’ relationship with a 70-year-old ‘intercourse addict’ who informed her he wished to ‘possess,’ ‘management,’ and ‘impregnate’ her,” he claims in court docket papers seen by Web page Six.
Nuzzi beforehand accused Lizza of getting “hacked” her units for “the aim of stalking and surveilling me and to gather supplies to make use of as blackmail to intimidate me again right into a relationship, and to inflict public ridicule and humiliation in addition to skilled harm as punishment once I wouldn’t return to the connection.”
She has additionally claimed he, “utilized a 3rd occasion or nameless channel,” to tell her employer in regards to the affair.
Lizza has fervently denied the allegations — and stated that he “pleaded along with her to go to her editors and disclose her affair earlier than they discovered about it on their very own.”
In November, Nuzzi withdrew her petition for the protecting order, along with her lawyer stating that she wished to maneuver on from the matter.
Kennedy, who has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to function secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Providers, denied having a relationship with Nuzzi.
An announcement from Kennedy learn that he “solely met Olivia Nuzzi as soon as in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a success piece.”
Nuzzi acknowledged sustaining communications with Kennedy that had been private in nature although she insisted that the connection was by no means bodily.
She expressed remorse for not disclosing the interplay earlier to her bosses at New York.
“The connection was by no means bodily however ought to have been disclosed to forestall the looks of a battle,” Nuzzi stated.