Transcript

11.18.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of the Washington Post for Tuesday,
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November eighteenth, twenty twenty five. As a reminder, Radio I
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed material. Your reader for today is Cindy Fraser. Today's
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front page headlines from the Washington Post are Acting FEMA
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chief resigns. Richardson had been hard to reach during Texas
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flooding in July. Next Judge a Sale's comy case quote
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profound errors by prosecutor. Government misconduct may have tainted process.
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Our next headline, abortion fight could doom ACA plans In Congress,
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lawmakers are divided on potential changes to federal subsidies. Next.
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US Anglican archbishop suspended amid probe. Our next headline, Uncle
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Dennis takes center stage in an NBA scandal. Leonard's advisor
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helped the Clippers star build his business and courted controversy.
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And the final headline from today's front page, DC Halfway
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House lacks details for completion. Now, let's turn to our
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first item, entitled acting FEMA chief resigns. Richardson had been
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hard to reach during Texas flooding in July by Brianna Sachs.
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David Richardson on Monday resigned as acting head of the
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Federal Emergency Management Agency, ending a brief tenure leading an
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agency that the Trump administration has publicly expressed a desire
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to dismantle. Richardson, who spent about six months as the
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acting head of the nation's disaster response agency, has kept
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a low profile and is known for often being inaccessible,
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including during the early hours of the flood disaster in
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Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. In recent months,
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five current Agents employees said Richardson spent little time in
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daily operations meetings and shrank away from the role one
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that typically demands the administrator be easily reachable. The staffer,
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like others interviewed for this story and previous coverage, spoke
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on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.
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After The Washington Post and other outlets reported Richardson's resignation Monday,
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Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia
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McLaughlin said in a statement that FEMA's current chief of Staff,
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Karen Evans, will step into this important role at the
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beginning of December, DHS oversees the Emergency Management Agency. Richardson
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handed in his resignation letter Monday morning, according to a
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person familiar with the situation, and plans to go into
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the private sector. In the statement shared by McLoughlin, the
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Department expressed appreciation for Richardson's quote dedicated service and wisham
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continued success in his return to the private sector. The
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latest departure comes as FEMA faces an uncertain future and
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could face a significant overhaul. The administration is waiting for
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guidance from a review council commissioned by President Donald Trump
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and headed by DHS Secretary Christy L. Nom working on
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a report of how disaster response can be improved in
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the United States. The council could recommend ways to reform
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or perhaps further shrink the agency. We anticipate the forthcoming
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release of the FEMA Review Council's final report, which will
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inform this administration's ongoing efforts to fundamentally restructure FEMA, transforming
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it from its current form into a streamlined, mission focused
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disaster response force. McLaughlin said Richison did not immediately respond
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to a request for comment. Since Trump took office FEMA
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has lost as much as a quarter of its workforce,
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according to multiple of theis within the agency, amid recent changes.
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Dozens of employees in August signed their names to a
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public letter criticizing the agency's leadership and warned that it
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had been operating under leaders who lack the qualifications and
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authority to manage femous operations. Employees also said leadership had
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eroded the agency's ability to effectively manage emergencies and other operations,
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including national security work, pointing specifically to string at new
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rules and budget restrictions imposed by GNOME, which require her
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approval for any expenditure over one hundred thousand dollars. People
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within the agency had come to understand that Richardson's time
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in the role would be limited, and official with knowledge
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of the situation said the administration had been planning to
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replace him around the end of this year's hurricane season.
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The season officially runs through November thirty, but no tropical
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activity is immediately expected in coming days, according to National
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Hurricane Center forecasts. The morning of his resignation, Richardson attended
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an agency meeting at eight thirty a m. But did
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not say a word about his departure, according to a
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person who was in the meeting. This person later learned
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about Richardson's departure from a news article. In one recent meeting,
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according to three people within FEMA and DHS, Richardson himself
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said he did not expect to be in the position
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after Thanksgiving. Richardson, a former Marine Corps artillery officer who
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was leading the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office, took
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over for Cameron Hamilton in May after nome Astard Hamilton
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for publicly contradicting the administration's desired aim to eliminate FEMA
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as it exists to day. Hamilton, who now consults on
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disaster response and recovery operations, has spoken out about his
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concerns over FEMA's direction and the kind of leadership the
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agency and the country need right now. Unfortunately, we have
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a FEMA that is not as well equipped and prepared
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as they have been before, Hamilton said in an interview,
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Instead of the rhetoric of abolish and dismantling, we should
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be seeing this agency as a tremendous asset. They are
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some of the best public servants I have ever worked
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with because they maintain a survivor centric focus. He said,
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of Richardson's resignation, I wish Dave well, but he never
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should have been there to begin with. Richardson was leading
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the agency in an acting capacity and maintained both this
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role and his position at CWMD During his several months
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in office, Richardson was frequently absent, did not frequently interact
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with employees, and would often leave headquarters during the workday,
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according to interviews with nearly thirty current and former agency
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officials interviewed earlier this year, many of whom spoke on
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the condition of anonymity because they said they feared retaliation.
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The Post also reviewed internal messages, email, and records that
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supported the official's claims that Richardson was frequently difficult to
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get in touch with, especially on evenings and weekends. In September,
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the Post reported that Richardson was unreachable during the critical
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early hours of the Texas floods. He had been on
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a weekend trip with his two sons and did not
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jump into the ongoing disaster response until Sunday evening, nearly
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two days after the swollen rivers swept through communities, a
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disaster that ultimately killed at least one hundred thirty people.
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The Post later learned that Richardson's network password had expired
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on July third, hours before dense reigns triggered rapid, fast
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moving floods, despite receiving warning emails to reset it. That
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meant he did not have access to his email as
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the disaster began. A senior official with knowledge of the
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situation said Richardson did not regain access until he reset
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the password on the evening of July sixth. Throughout that
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holiday weekend, officials across the agency were calling and emailing
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him to get his help approving and deploying resources, in
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part because of nome's strict budget new policy that meant
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that to send search and rescue assets and other aid
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to Texas, FEMA officials needed Richardson to get those requests
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in front of NOME. Richardson's absence was one factor in
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the agency's inability to rapidly get some of the twenty
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eight specialized search and rescue crews at contracts to Texas.
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During his first day at FEMA, Richardson held an all
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hands meeting that quickly made headlines. He told thousands of
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staff members listening in, don't get in my way. He
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was there to achieve the President's intent for FEMA, which
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would probably transform the agency. What is going to look
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like in the end, We'll find out, he said, and
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then added, I and I alone speak for FEMA. The
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next article from Today's front pages and Time judge as
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sales Comy case quote profound errors by prosecutor, government misconduct
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may have tainted process by Jeremy Roebuck and Perry Stein.
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A federal judge on Monday offered a blistering assessment of
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the Justice Department's case against former FBI Director James B. Comy,
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detailing what he described as a disturbing pattern of profound
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investigative missteps and possible misconduct that could imperil the prosecution.
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US Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick criticized authorities for their cavalier
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attitude towards the rights of Comy and others. Lindsay Halligan,
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the Trump appointed U S attorney overseeing the case, also
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appeared to have made fundamental misstatements of the law to
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the grand jury that indicted Comy on charges of lying
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to Congress. He wrote, those irregularities potentially undermine the integrity
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of the grand jury proceeding. Fitzpatrick said he ordered the
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Justice Department to the handover full transcripts of those proceedings
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to the defense. Late Monday, the federal district judge overseeing
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the Komi case temporarily paused Fitzpatrick's order at the Justice
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Department's request. U S District Judge Michael Knochmanoff said he
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would review Fitzpatrick's decision and decide in the coming days
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whether to uphold it. In Fitzpatrick's twenty four page opinion,
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he said he recognized that ordering the prosecution to turn
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over grand jury material was an extraordinary remedy, noting that
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grand jury material is typically kept from defendants and their
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lawyers until trial, but given the prospect that government misconduct
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may have tainted the grand jury proceedings, disclosure of grand
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jury materials under these unique circumstances is necessary. His ruling
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offered the most complete accounting to date of the rushed
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push to charge Komi with a crime, following President Donald
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Trump's demand in late September that the Justice Department moves
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swiftly to prospcus his long time foe. Other Trump targets
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who have drawn Justice Department's scrutiny in recent months, including
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new York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor
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Lisa Cook have joined Comby in highlighting what they described
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as the Department's transformation into a tool aiding Trump in
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his bid for retribution. Kmy has sought dismissal of the
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case against him on several grounds, including the potential grand
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jury irregularities raised by Fitzpatrick, as well as arguments that
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Halligan's appointment was illegal and that the prosecution is an
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improper extension of Trump's personal animosity toward him. James, in
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a series of motions Monday, also questioned the grand jury
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proceedings that led to her indictment last month on mortgage
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fraud charges, another case overseen by Halligan. Her attorneys urged
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to judge to dismiss the case because of quote outrageous
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government conduct by administration officials. Cook has not been charged,
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but remains under investigation in Georgia on similar mortgage fraud allegations.
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Her lawyers asked Attorney General Pam Bondy to drop the
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matter in a letter Monday, describing the accusations against her
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as baseless and prepared with no or minimal research into
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the actual facts. Trump attempted to fire Cook from the
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FED in August, using the mortgage fraud allegations as justification.
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The Supreme Court in October blocked the firing at least
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until January, when the court is scheduled to consider whether
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Trump has the power to remove her. In Commei's case,
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Halligan obtained an indictment just days before the statute of
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limitations would have expired on his case, and after reviewing
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the grand jury transcripts, Fitzpatrick said he came away with
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deep concerns about the process here, The procedural and substante
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of irregularities that occurred before the grand jury, and the
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manner in which evidence presented to the grand jury was
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collected and used, may rise to the level of government
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misconduct resulting in prejudice to mister Komy, Fitzpatrick wrote. A
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former White House aide whom Trump appointed in September as
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interim us Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Halligan
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had no previous experience as a prosecutor. She presented the
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Komi case to the grand jury alone after several career
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prosecutors in her office concluded there was insufficient evidence to
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move forward. In Fitzpatrick's retelling Monday, Halligan appeared to misrepresent
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the law as she sought to explain away gaps in
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the evidence amid tough questioning from grand jurors. At one point,
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Fitzpatrick said, she appeared to suggest that Kmie would have
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to answer those questions himself and explain his innocence at
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trial on mischaracterization of the government's burden to prove its
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case beyond a reasonable doubt. At another point, Halligan appeared
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to improperly suggest to the panel that they did not
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have to rely on the act evidence before them, but
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could indict on the assumption that the government would have
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what Fitzpatrick described as more evidence, perhaps better evidence, that
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would be presented at trial. Fitzpatrick also expressed particular concern
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that the single FBI agent who testified to the grand
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jury previously acknowledged that he had inadvertently reviewed sensitive material that,
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in the judge's estimation, should have prevented the agent's involvement
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in the case going forward. Allowing that agent to testify
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was highly irregular and a radical departure from past DOJ practice,
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The magistrate judge wrote. The records at issue included communications
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and other documents seized during a previous investigation involving Comy's friend,
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attorney and confident, Daniel Richmond, a law professor at Columbia University.
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Richmond served briefly as an attorney for Comy following Trump's
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decision to fire him as FBI director in twenty seventeen.
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Prosecutors contend that Komby authorized Richmond to serve as an
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anonymous source to the news media and then lied about
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it to Congress during a twenty twenty hearing. The FBI
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obtained search warrants in twenty nineteen and twenty twenty to
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examine Richmond's personal and professional devices as part of a
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separate investigation into whether he had been involved in disseminating
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classified information. That probe was closed with no charges in
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twenty twenty one, but as prosecutors began building their current
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case against Kombe this summer, investigators relied on material previously
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sees from Richmond as a cornerstone of their inquiry, raising
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concerns on a number of fronts. Fitzpatrick said, typically prosecutors
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must obtain new search warrants to review material sees as
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part of prior investigations. Something the judge said Halligan and
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her team did not do Additionally, because Richmond had served
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as an a journey for Comy during at least part
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of the period under review, some of the sea's communications
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could be subject to attorney client privilege and should have
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been kept from the team building the Komi case. He
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noted this cavalier attitude toward a basic tenant to the
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Fourth Amendment, and multiple court orders left the government unchecked
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to rummage through all of the information ceased from mister Richmond,
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and apparently in the government's eyes, to do so again
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anytime they chose, he wrote. Fitzpatrick also questioned Monday whether
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the record provided by the government of the grand jury
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proceedings was complete. The Justice Department has said that the
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grand jury indicted Komy on two counts after rejecting a
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previous version of the indictment with an additional charge. Yet
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the transcript that prosecutors provided to the court contains no
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record of Halligan presenting the second indictment for consideration or
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any deliberation on that version of the indictment. Fitzpatrick said,
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it now appears that may not have happened. The judge wrote,
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if this procedure did not take place, then the court
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is in uncharted legal territory in that the indictment returned
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in open court was not the same charging document presented
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to and deliberated upon by the grand jury. Lawyers for
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James in their filings Monday, also raised questions about the
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grand jury proceedings that resulted in the mortgage fraud charges
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against her. As with Combi, Halligan alone presented the case
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to grand jurors after other prosecutors concluded there was insufficient
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evidence to proceed. Prosecutors contend that James lied on a
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mortgage application to obtain more favorable loan terms while purchasing
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a Norfolk home. James has denied any wrongdoing. In their
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filings Monday, her attorneys accused Bill Pulty, the director of
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the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who has pushed mortgage fraud
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allegations against several Trump foes, of misconduct on several fronts,
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among them his firing this month of internal investigators at
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his agency who were looking into whether he had improperly
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accessed mortgage records while pushing for a Justice Department investigation
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against James. According to the filings, Fanny Made's director of
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Mortgage fund investigations had previously concluded that the James case
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did not contain clear and convincing evidence of fraud. This
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indictment is the product of months of illegal and unethical
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behavior by government officials, only made possible by the misuse
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of a federal agency, the disregard of exculpatory evidence, the
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systematic removal of ethics officials and career prosecutors who stood
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in the way, and the improper attempt to install an
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unqualified US attorney with nothing to offer except undying loyalty.
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James attorneys wrote. If this brazen, continuous disregard for the
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Constitution is not outrageous government conduct, nothing is. Andrew Ackerman
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contributed to this report next as an item entitled abortion
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fight could doom ACA plans. In Congress, lawmakers are divided
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on potential changes to federal subsidies by Riley Began and
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Theodoric Meyer. Democrats emerged from the longest government shut down
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in US history with a hard won promise from Republicans.
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The Senate will vote next month on legislation to extend
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Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats desperately want to preserve
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before they expire at the end of the year, but
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Democrats will need Republican votes to pass a bill, and
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a deep divide between the two parties over abortion is
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already threatening to scuttle any deal. Republicans, under pressure from
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anti abortion advocates, have insisted that any extension should include
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additional restrictions on abortion coverage for plans that get government subsidies.
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Democrats will refuse a request. That's the message that we've
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shared with a lot of our Democrat colleagues. You can't
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do it under your existing framework, and you're never going
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to get any Republican votes, because we believe strongly taxpayer
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dollars should not go to fund abortions, said Senator Mike Rowns,
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Republican from South Dakota. It's pretty clear Republicans are solid
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on that particular issue. Democrats argue that the subsidies already
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contain abortion restrictions and that Republicans are picking a fight
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that will doom the nascent negotiations to think that they
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would use this as a demand, which they know is
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not ever going to get Democratic support. What it tells
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me is that they're not serious about extending these tax credits,
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and they're not actually trying to find a path forward,
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said Senator Tina Smith, Democrat from Minnesota. For months, Democrats
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have been pushing Republicans to extend a premium subsidies that
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Congress put in place under President Shi o'biden in twenty
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twenty one to support most of the twenty four million
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Americans enrolled in ACA insurance plans. Without an agreement, more
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than twenty million people who benefit from the subsidies will
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face higher health insurance premiums, and millions are expected to
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become uninsured. Democrats said they wouldn't vote to fund the
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government unless the subsidies were extended, but Republicans refused to
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negotiate on policy changes until the shutdown ended. That happened
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last week, when a cohort of Senate Democrats accepted the
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promise of a future vote on a bill of their
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choice on the subsidies. Now, Democrats have less than a
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month to negotiate a bill that can win support of
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at least thirteen Republicans in the Senate. ASA monthly premiums
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for twenty twenty six have already spiked twenty six percent
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as the expiration date nears, but Republicans are insisting that
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the subsidies should not be allowed to be used on
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any plan that covers a border, regardless of whether the
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subsidy itself pays for the abortion coverage. That's only one
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of several potential changes to the subsidies that Republicans are seeking.
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They have also suggested implementing minimum out of pocket premiums
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and income caps, or turning the subsidies into a direct
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payment that could be used for health care costs. However,
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the abortion provision appears to be the proposal with the
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least room for compromise with Democrats. Currently, in states that
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haven't beenned, abortion insurance plans purchased using the subsidies can
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offer abortion coverage, but the federal government can't pay for it. Instead,
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enrollees are asked to pay at least one dollar per
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month to pay for the coverage themselves to ensure that
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federal money doesn't directly pay for abortions. That monthly surcharge
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has historically exceeded the cost of abortions that insurance plans
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pay for, according to the Government Accountability Office. So Democrats
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argue that the subsidies already comply with a High Amendment,
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a long standing law that bans the use of federal
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funds for abortions, but anti abortion advocates and many Republicans
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argue that the current policy is insufficient because the subsidies
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help Americans buy plans a cover abortion, even though the
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surcharge means the federal government is not paying for it directly.
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Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America, an influential anti abortion
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organization that maintains a public score card of lawmakers votes
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on abortion related legislation, sent a letter to senators this
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month saying any votes to extend the existing ACA premium
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subsidies without changes would be double weighted in its rankings.
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The one dollar surcharge for abortion coverage emerged through a
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compromise between anti abortion Democrats and President Barack Obama to
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pass the ACA in twenty ten, which was paired with
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an executive order assuring no federal funds would be used
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to subsidize abortion. Abortion rights opponents had originally pushed for
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a provision in the ACA that is close to what
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Republicans are now demanding. Anti abortion groups have long argued
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that the ACA does not adhere to the High Amendment
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because of that deal, the surcharge is a joke, it
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still has the effect of subsidizing abortion plants with taxpayer funds,
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said Marjorie Dennisfeller, president of Susan b Anthony Pro Life America.
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It's really wishful thinking to think it's not an issue.
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Dnonsfelser said she has spoken to every Republican Senator she
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could about her organization's position and has gotten little pushback.
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She expects Republicans to refuse to vote for any bill
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to extend the subsidies that doesn't include the restrictions that
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her group is seeking, which could make it impossible to
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reach a bipartisan agreement. It's obviously going to be very tough.
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Gaining enough Democrats to make that happen would be pretty
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record setting. It would be a miracle, she said, but
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it depends on how much they care about actual affordable
25:07
health care. Democrats say they won't agree to include the
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abortion language Republicans are seeking in the bill they draft.
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They argue it would severely restrict Americans access to abortion
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because insurance companies would probably drop abortion coverage altogether to
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remain eligible for the ACA marketplace. They also say it
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would complicate coverage and states that require insurance plans to
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cover abortion. Each state has its own laws governing whether
25:34
abortion can be covered through the ACAI marketplace. Twenty five
25:38
states bar all marketplace plans from covering abortions, while twelve
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states require all fully insured plans to include abortion coverage.
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If Republican's proposal becomes law, residents of the twelve states
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that require abortion coverage who get health coverage under the
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ACA around three point seven million people in twenty twenty three,
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according to k f F, could not use federal subsidies
26:03
for marketplace plans. Smith, a former leader for Planned Parenthood
26:08
in Minnesota, said republicans demands were a huge overreach that
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would dictate what kind of coverage private insurers can offer.
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If you're talking about creating policies that are going to
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drain more people away from the insurance markets, then that
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is going to destabilize health insurance for everybody in this country.
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Smith said. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat from Massachusetts, called their
26:33
proposal in his statement a back door abortion ban. Senator
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Tammy Baldwin, Democrat from Wisconsin, said the demand was one
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of an array of policies that Republicans have championed since
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the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in twenty twenty
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two that would move the country closer to banning abortion altogether.
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They're going at it in all sorts of ways, but
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if you look at this policy plus that policy, that's
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really the end result, Baldwin said in an interview. Senate
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Democrats are also facing pressure from outside groups to stand
27:09
strong on abortion policy in any deal. We are counting
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on and urging our champions in Congress who support abortion
27:18
access to remain firm in their stands that any negotiations
27:22
about extending ACA premium tax credits must not include additional
27:28
abortion restrictions. Amy Friedrich Karnik, director of Federal policy for
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the Gumacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, said in a statement,
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some Senators are optimistic that they can find a path
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to extending the ACA subsidies that will satisfy both sides.
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Congress has had to navigate thorny challenges around abortion during
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every major health care debate. We deal with hide all
27:53
the time, said Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of
27:57
the few Senate Republicans who supports extending the subsidies as written.
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It's not easy, but we deal with it. Others are
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more skeptical. The high amendment is already on the ACA
28:09
tax credits and has been for a while, said Senator
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Reubyan Diego, Democrat from Arizona. I think this might be
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them trying to get out of voting for the tax extension.
28:21
Then next aumn from today's front page is entitled U
28:25
s Anglican archbishop suspended amid probe by Ian Shapira. The
28:32
archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, who is
28:35
facing allegations of sexual misconduct against two women, was suspended
28:39
Sunday from his duties leading the sixteen year old denomination.
28:44
Stephen Wood sixty two, a married father who has been
28:47
an archbishop since June twenty twenty four, has been temporarily
28:51
removed from his job and all clerical duties by the
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denomination's dean, Bishop Julian Dobbs. In his order announcing the suspension,
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Dobbs said he issued it with the consent of five
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of the church's most senior bishops. The suspension, Dobbs wrote,
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will last no longer than sixty days unless it is extended.
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The decision to inhibit Wood, as the church calls the
29:14
disciplinary process, comes as he faces a possible ecclesiastical trial
29:19
that could lead to his defracking. This action does not
29:23
determine guilt or innocence, nor does it prejudge any allegation
29:27
or future proceeding, Dobbs wrote in the order. Despite his suspension,
29:32
Wood technically remains the denomination's archbishop. He will also still
29:37
receive his salary. According to the church's spokeswoman Kate Harris,
29:42
the inhibition is widely viewed among priests and parishioners as
29:45
a more forceful measure than the voluntary, paid leave of
29:48
absence would took earlier this month. In addition to an
29:53
online petition signed by more than one hundred fifty clergy
29:56
as of today, the Diocese of South Carolina issued letter
30:00
on Friday calling for his inhibition. While he has placed
30:04
himself on a leap of absence, such leave can be
30:07
ended at his discretion. The letter read, an inhibition, though
30:12
not a statement of guilt or innocence, protects the integrity
30:16
of the inquiry and ensures that the process needed to
30:19
seek the truth can proceed without interference. Wood did not
30:24
immediately respond to messages from The Washington Post on Monday
30:27
morning seeking comment about his suspension for nearly a month.
30:32
The Anglican Church in North America, founded in two thousand
30:35
and nine by conservatives who had split years earlier from
30:38
the Episcopal Church over its approval of an openly gay bishop,
30:42
has been mired in a crisis over its leadership. On
30:46
October twenty a group of Wood's former colleagues at Saint
30:49
Andrew's Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where Wood was
30:52
the longtime rector, filed a complaint with a denomination alleging
30:57
that he tried to kiss the church's children's ministry directs
31:00
inside his office in April twenty twenty four, two months
31:03
before his archbishop election. The complaint document, known as a presentment,
31:09
is meant to prompt a church board of inquiry, which
31:12
determines whether its allegations merit an ecclesiastical trial. If found guilty,
31:18
the accused faces a range of punishments from censure to
31:21
suspension to defrocking. Three days after the presentment was submitted,
31:27
the post was a first to publish its allegations. Aside
31:30
from the alleged attempted kiss, the presentment also accused Wood
31:34
of plagiarizing sermons and bullying and demeaning church staff members
31:38
during the years preceding his status as archbishop. A week
31:42
and a half after the Post's article, on November third,
31:46
the Denomination announced that he was taking the voluntary leave
31:49
from his duties as both archbishop and the bishop of
31:52
a diocese of more than forty churches in the South.
31:55
In his own statement, Woods said the leave would last
31:58
until the proceedings to addresses allegations are resolved. He also
32:03
declared in a separate email that day to a Saint
32:06
Andrew's congregants that he was retiring as rector of Saint
32:09
Andrew's Church in South Carolina, a position he held for
32:13
twenty five years. In his public statement to the Denomination,
32:17
would categorically and emphatically deny the accusation that he tried
32:21
to kiss his employee, Claire Buxton, who two months after
32:25
the alleged incident resigned from Saint Andrew's Church. Well, I
32:28
grieved that anyone experiences harm in the church, as I
32:31
have noted to my parish. I believe the charges against
32:35
me lack merit, he said. But four days later, on
32:38
November seventh, the Post reported that the presentment against Wood
32:42
had been revised to include new allegations from a second woman,
32:46
claiming he sexually harassed her. The woman identified in the
32:50
complaint only as Jane Doe I submitted a brief statement
32:55
saying that Wood's conduct with her included pressuring me to
32:59
be in situation I was uncomfortable with, even after I
33:02
expressed my discomfort, prushing me to be in a private
33:05
space with him one on one to drink alcohol with him,
33:09
despite me saying it was inappropriate and that I was uncomfortable.
33:13
Jane no one, the presentment said, would cooperate with the
33:17
denomination's investigation on the condition that her anonymity be guaranteed.
33:23
The expanded presentment also featured a lengthy affidavit by the
33:26
denomination's former spokesman Andrew Gross, who accused Wood of habitual
33:32
and intentional attempts to deceive and manipulate leaders in staff.
33:37
Gros recounted how Wood told him that he wanted to
33:40
secretly pay ten thousand dollars to a preest critical of
33:43
his leadership to go on sabbatical. Gross also chronicled how
33:47
he was briefing Would on misconduct allegations against several bishops
33:51
when Wood halted him and said he didn't want to
33:54
know anything else. Additionally, Gross alleged in his affidavit that
33:59
shortly after Wood's election as archbishop, he grew quote obsessive
34:03
about a possible presentment against him. Gross wrote that he'd
34:07
heard a credible report of Wood and the denomination's previous dean,
34:11
Bishop Ray Sutton, having a conversation in which they were
34:15
floating the possibility of a quote bishop friendly Board of Inquiry,
34:20
the church body that determines whether a presentment warrants an
34:23
ecclesiastical trial. When the Post first reported that allegation on
34:27
November seventh, Sutton gave a statement firmly denying that any
34:31
such conversation ever occurred. But on Saturday, Sutton resigned his
34:36
dean and in the statement he walked back his denial.
34:40
My intent was to express that I could not recall
34:43
such a conversation ever taking place, and I apologize for
34:46
stating that incorrectly. Aside from the allegations against Wood, the
34:52
denominations priests and parishioners also are upset about how the
34:56
accusations entered the public domain. Priests and former staff at
35:00
Woods Church in South Carolina who wrote the presentment said
35:03
they initially sought the endorsements of numerous bishops. The denomination
35:08
requires that presentments be signed and sworn to by either
35:11
three bishops or a mix of ten parishioners and priests.
35:15
The presentment was ultimately offered to four bishops, but they
35:19
turned the South Carolina group down. Chip Edgar, the bishop
35:22
of the Diocese of South Carolina, wrote a letter Thursday
35:26
to parishioners disclosing his early involvement and saying he supports
35:30
the presentment and its authors. I acknowledge it. It didn't
35:34
always seem like I did. I've apologized to them and
35:37
sought their forgiveness, which they have generously given, But I do,
35:41
Edgar wrote. Chris Warner, a Virginia based bishop overseeing churches
35:46
in the mid Atlantic, told The Post in an interview
35:49
that he declined to endorse the presentment. He said that
35:52
when he was approached in May, he didn't read the complaint.
35:56
He said he knew from one of its authors that
35:58
the document contained allegations that would behaved improperly with a
36:02
female staff member at Saint Andrew's Church, but Warner said
36:06
he didn't know about the specific allegation that would placed
36:10
his hand on the back of the woman's head and
36:12
tried to turn it toward him for a kiss. Still,
36:16
he said, I had some sense that the allegation was
36:19
possible along those lines. He said that he understood that
36:23
there was a potential, unwanted advance that did not involve
36:27
physical touch. In the spring, when Warner was asked to
36:31
review the presentment, he said he told one of its
36:34
authors that the group should first submit the complaint to
36:37
the Denomination's head of Safeguarding and Canonical Affairs. That office,
36:41
he said, was put in place precisely to investigate allegations
36:45
of bishop or other clergy misconduct. He said that if
36:49
they felt stonewalled through that process, they could return to him,
36:53
and then he'd read it. One reason Warner said he
36:56
wanted them to go through the Denomination's safeguarding office was
37:00
that there are women in that process who will very
37:03
likely catch any nuances that I, as a man, might miss.
37:07
He also said he urged them to wait until next year,
37:10
when he said the Denomination's disciplinary canons would be overhauled
37:14
to be more efficient. When Warner read the submitted presentment
37:18
in October and then its expanded version earlier this month,
37:22
he felt deeply upset. When I read it, I was disturbed,
37:26
and when I read the second one that came around.
37:29
I was sick, Warner said. On Sunday, Warner emailed his
37:33
diocese to explain his version of events. He also apologized
37:37
both to his dioceses, lay and clergy women, and to
37:41
the women who made allegations against Wood. While I do
37:45
not know them personally, I now agree for them. Warner
37:47
wrote to Claire and Jane, I am sorry I did
37:51
not hear your voices when they were brought to me.
37:53
I recognize that women's experiences are too often overlooked or minimized,
37:58
particularly in systems led by men, where my response contributed
38:02
to further pain or trauma. I ask your forgiveness. He
38:06
ended his note by saying he asked the denomination's most
38:10
senior bishops to place an inhibition on Wood. Warner's decision
38:14
to not read the presentment felt like a shock to
38:17
his clergy. Just one year ago, in November twenty twenty four,
38:22
Warner announced that he'd issued quote godly admonitions to the
38:26
current and former rectors of the Falls Church Anglican, one
38:30
of the denomination's largest churches, for failing to initiate an
38:34
investigation into sex abuse allegations by a former youth minister
38:38
from the nineteen nineties. It's clear that there are some
38:41
very angry and hurt people, and I get it. It's
38:44
hard to gain that trust back. But the way we
38:47
do that is through honesty. Warner told the Post. We
38:50
have some serious self examination to do in the Anglican
38:53
Church in North America, and I am committed to being
38:57
a part of that. The next racle from today's front
39:01
page is entitled Uncle Denni's takes center stage in an
39:05
NBA scandal. Leonard's adviser helped the clipperd star build his
39:09
business and courted controversy by Albert Samaha and Sam Fortier
39:14
from Los Angeles. The meeting was set for July afternoon
39:18
in twenty nineteen, and the goal was clear. Closed a
39:22
deal with Kawhi Leonard, the reigning Finals MVP and the
39:26
top prize of the NBA summer. With the stakes that high,
39:30
the Los Angeles Clippers enlisted big names. Doc Rivers, deir coach,
39:35
who hosted the meeting at his house in Malibu, Jerry West,
39:39
the Hall of Famer and team consultant, Lawrence Frank, the
39:42
team's president of basketball operations, and Steve Balmer, the richest
39:47
owner in basketball. Leonard brought his agent, his mom, Kim,
39:52
and his uncle Dennis Robertson. Only Leonard and his agent
39:56
were officially authorized to negotiate, but as a meeting he
40:00
went on, it was clear to West whom the Clippers
40:03
needed to win over. Dennis seemed to be the commander
40:06
of the roost, Wes said later in a previously unreported
40:09
deposition for a lawsuit related to the team's pursuit of Leonard. Robertson,
40:15
a retired banking executive and Leonard's unofficial manager, didn't want
40:20
just a maximum salary for his nephew, Balmer said in
40:23
a deposition for the same case, he wanted sponsorship opportunities
40:28
for Leonard and a house for himself. NBA rules allowed
40:32
Balmer only to quote make introductions he told Robertson. According
40:37
to his deposition, what transpired next is unclear, but Leonard
40:42
and Robertson chose Los Angeles then set out on expanding
40:46
their business and real estate portfolios, ushering the Clippers into
40:50
a swirl of controversy and lawsuits in the process, even
40:55
in a league notorious for back channel negotiations and handshake deals. Robertson,
41:00
known in NBA circles, as Uncle Dennis stands out for
41:04
his bold pursuit of unconventional agreements the channel income into
41:08
Leonard's pockets and his own. According to records obtained by
41:12
The Washington Post and interviews with people who know him,
41:16
those pursuits have left a trail of conflict in their wake,
41:20
peaking with allegations surfaced by journalist Pablo Torre that Balmer
41:25
by passed NBA salary cap rules by funding a no
41:28
show marketing agreement for Leonard with a team sponsor, Aspiration,
41:33
whose founder is facing federal fraud charges. The NBA is
41:38
investigating the allegations, which Balmer and Leonard have denied, but
41:43
the revelations, along with court records and interviews with more
41:46
than two dozen people around Leonard, shed light on the
41:49
shadowy secondary economy that fuels player movement in the NBA
41:54
and the unique role Robertson plays in that market. It's
41:58
a saga of greed, fame, and betrayal that has captivated
42:02
sports fans and ensnared one of the best and most
42:06
mysterious players of his generation. It began soon after Leonard
42:10
turned pro, when the sports agency that signed him put
42:14
Robertson on its payroll and sent payments to a pair
42:17
of k l lcs, according to allegations Leonard's former agent
42:22
made in a lawsuit against the agency, which deny those
42:25
allegations in court filings. Later, Leonard's college strength coach got
42:30
a job with the Clippers on the condition that he
42:33
payd Robertson ten percent of his salary, the coach said
42:36
in an ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit he filed against the Clippers,
42:40
who have sought to move the dispute to private arbitration,
42:44
and when Leonard was seeking a new contract in twenty nineteen,
42:48
record show Robertson's childhood friend tried to extract a payment
42:52
from the Clippers if Leonard signed with the team, dragging
42:55
Balmer and West into depositions before a judge dismissed the case.
43:00
Through it all, Robertson has served as his nephew's primary
43:04
business partner and is listed as a manager for nine
43:07
of the twenty five LLC's registered to Leonard, according to
43:11
records filed with state authorities. The Clippers declined to comment
43:15
on the record for this story, and have said they
43:18
will co operate with the NBA's investigation of the aspiration deal. Robertson,
43:23
who rarely issues public statements, didn't respond to interview requests
43:28
or detailed questions for this story. Neither did Leonard or
43:31
his agent, Mitch Frankel. At the Clippers media day this fall,
43:36
Leonard said he and his representatives did nothing wrong, but
43:40
his uncle's business moves have brought at least one consequence.
43:44
The spotlight Leonard has long sought to avoid now shines
43:48
brighter than ever. He still has that banking mindset. Carlos Dux,
43:53
who managed players at the sports agency that signed Leonard,
43:56
said of Robertson, He's about what he can get and
44:00
how he can get it a father figure. In the
44:04
fall of two thousand seven, an unusual visitor walked into
44:07
the gym at Martin Lutheran King Junior High in Riverside, California.
44:12
Coach Tim Sweeney Junior didn't typically allow parents into practice,
44:16
but he made an exception for the uncle of a
44:19
promising new transfer, especially given that he had come all
44:22
the way from the East Coast. Robertson, who worked in
44:25
banking at the time, told Sweeney not to pigeonhole his
44:29
sixteen year old nephew as a big man. Sweeney agreed
44:33
he saw the six foot six, long armed forward as
44:35
a Division one wing, and over time, the coach built
44:39
a rapport with Robertson, who Sweeney said, flew out a
44:42
few times a year for big games. He was definitely
44:46
involved all throughout high school, Sweeney recalled, Dennis was one
44:50
of the main people that wanted him to come over
44:52
to Riverside King. A few months later, Leonard's father was
44:56
shot to death while closing up shop at the car
44:58
wash he owned. With my dad passing away, there aren't
45:02
too many men in the family, and Robertson is a
45:06
great guy to just talk to that has been through
45:08
my experiences at my age, Leonard told the San Antonio
45:11
Express News in twenty fourteen. He's just been through life already.
45:17
Robertson had been a high school basketball star himself at
45:20
Susan Miller Dorsey High a renowned Los Angeles public school
45:24
that count's lawyer Robert Kardashian and author Charles Burkowski as
45:29
former students. He gained a reputation as a smooth talker
45:32
who was obsessed with basketball, persuading classmates to rebound for
45:36
him at a local park Dennis was always running his mouth.
45:40
Classmate Talace Gudrum said, He'll ask you any question, even
45:45
uncomfortable questions. He didn't care. He eventually played at the
45:49
College of Idaho, majoring in business administration. Team mate Doug Brigham,
45:54
a fellow business major, recalled Robertson transitioning seamlessly under the
45:58
rural campus. You want to be around him, said Brigham,
46:02
who is now the college's president, and noted that Robertson
46:05
often returns as a guest speaker. You could tell who
46:08
was going to have a career and do well at
46:10
whatever he was doing. With a Wall Street boom in
46:13
full swing, Robertson moved East for a job in the
46:16
finance industry, working his way up to become a vice
46:19
president of retail banking at Chase. He commuted to Manhattan
46:23
from a condominium in New Jersey, while most of his
46:26
family remained in southern California, including Kim and her son,
46:30
who had become a modest college prospect. Justin Hudson, the
46:35
San Diego State assistant coach who recruited Leonard, recalled yet
46:38
a small circle mom uncle, high school coach, two AAU coaches.
46:44
No one asked for money or challenged Kim, who was
46:46
running the show. He said Robertson was in the loop,
46:50
but not overbearing. Hudson said he wasn't there when the
46:53
coaches visited Leonard's home or when Leonard visited campus. Two
46:58
former San Diego stata Letic directors and two former teammates
47:02
said they didn't remember meeting or hearing of Robertson either,
47:06
even as his nephew led the Aztecs to the Sweet
47:09
sixteen as a sophomore. Hudson said he liked Robertson, but
47:13
spoke to him less than weekly and never about things
47:16
such as playing time or the NBA. It was just
47:19
how's my nephew doing. But as Leonard developed into an
47:23
NBA prospect, Robertson advised his sister behind the scenes on
47:27
how to handle the agents who swarmed her son. According
47:30
to two people with direct knowledge of the situation, who,
47:34
like others in this story, spoke on the condition of
47:37
anonymity to discuss private negotiations, Leonard's descendants came at the
47:42
perfect time for Impact Sports, a successful NFL agency whose
47:46
founder Frankel, was looking for a star to lead his
47:49
new basketball division. Frankel, who was based in Florida, built
47:54
out the southern California operation, in part by hiring Doue
47:57
to recruit players and partnering with agent Bryan Alphos. When
48:01
Leonard decided to go pro after a sophomore season, he
48:05
signed with Alphas and Impact in part because of under
48:08
the table payments that are common across the basketball business.
48:11
According to four people with knowledge of the situation and
48:15
allegations Alphas later made in court, Impact put Robertson and
48:20
Leonard's mother on the payroll for at least five years,
48:23
and made payments of seventeen thousand, seven hundred forty one
48:26
dollars and sixteen thousand, one hundred eighty nine dollars to
48:30
two unnamed LLCs referred to as KL three and KL four.
48:36
Alphus alleged in court. The agency deny those allegations in
48:40
court and reached a settlement with Alphus, who declined an
48:44
interview request for this story. In twenty eleven, Leonard was
48:49
drafted fifteenth overall and signed a Boilerplate rookie contract for
48:53
four years and eight point three million dollars. Three years later,
48:57
he helped the San Antonio Spurs win a champampionship and
49:00
was named Finals MVP, setting himself up for a massive
49:05
new deal that would secure generational wealth. That year, Robertson
49:10
retired from banking. According to his online biography, he took
49:14
a position at Protocol International, the corporate etiquette training company
49:18
founded by his wife, Cheryl Walker Robertson. As president of
49:22
Protocol's Elite Athlete Division, Robertson provided quote consulting, coaching, and
49:28
guidance to pro athletes, colleges and universities, high schools, and
49:32
AAU teams, the biography says, but his main job appeared
49:37
to be running Kawhi Leonard, Inc. He started making appearances
49:41
at Impacts offices, where everyone called him Uncle Dennis. The
49:45
nickname struck some as odd because Robertson had a more
49:48
professional background than some of the other uncles who hung
49:51
around their players, but two former Impact employees posited that
49:55
Robertson liked the persona because it belied his financial expertise. Quickly,
50:01
according to Dow and two others, Robertson began boxing out Alphas,
50:06
preferring to work directly with Frankel. Elphus left in twenty
50:10
sixteen and sued Impact, claiming he didn't get his cut
50:14
of a large commission. The case ended with a settlement
50:17
record show, and Frankel has been Leonard's sole official representative
50:21
ever since. Robertson later told ESPN that Frankel paid him
50:26
as a consultant. Mitch is going to do whatever it
50:30
takes to hold on to Kawai, Due said. In twenty fifteen,
50:34
Leonard won Defensive Player of the Year honors and signed
50:38
a rookie maximum contract extension for five years and ninety
50:41
four point three million dollars. Two weeks before the start
50:45
of the next season, he bought land to build a
50:47
new house for his mom in San Antonio, and Robertson
50:50
bought a condo in South Florida. The Leonard business was booming,
50:55
and Robertson had secured the position of chief adviser Trouble
51:00
in Texas. For a while, San Antonio seemed like paradise.
51:05
Leonard won another Defensive Player of the Year award and
51:08
was a perennial MVP candidate, finishing second in the voting
51:11
in twenty sixteen and third in twenty seventeen, all while
51:15
maintaining a lower public profile than most athletes of his stature.
51:20
He does not want to be a superstar. His mom
51:23
once told ESPN he does not want to be in
51:26
the limelight. He just wants to be good at what
51:29
he loves to do. His inner circle hadn't changed much
51:33
since high school. A few close relatives, his longtime girlfriend
51:38
and his childhood friend, Jeremy Casseleberry, who played with Leonard
51:41
in high school and college and has been an assistant
51:44
coach for Leonard's pro teams every year since twenty fifteen.
51:48
Leonard wasn't active on social media and rarely appeared in commercials,
51:53
instead working with Robertson to find lower profile off the
51:56
court opportunities. He hired a New York City law lawyer
52:00
to register a real estate holding company, and listed Randy Shelton,
52:04
his strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State, as
52:07
a manager of a new company called KL two Performance,
52:11
which hosted basketball clinics in southern California. One of IMPACT's
52:16
major investors told ESPN that he helped Robertson and Leonard
52:20
find an investment property in Manhattan that earned them seven
52:24
figures a year in rental income. But trouble began in
52:28
twenty seventeen. Early in the year, Robertson demanded that he
52:33
and his nephew get equity stakes in the Impact Agency.
52:36
According to two people with knowledge of the request, the
52:39
league's collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits players from owning equity in
52:43
a business that represents other players. Lebron James and the
52:48
NBA have denied rumors that James owns a stake in
52:52
Clutch Sports Group, the agency founded by james longtime friend
52:56
Rich Paul. Meanwhile, Impact was recruiting a promising college prospect
53:01
named og Anenobe, whose favorite player was Leonard. When the
53:05
agency asked Leonard to reach out to Ananobe, Robertson refused
53:09
on Leonard's behalf because Impact wouldn't give them equity, one
53:13
person with knowledge of the situation said Annanobe, whose representatives
53:17
did not respond to a request for comment, eventually signed
53:21
with a different agency. Impact eventually dissolved and Frankel left,
53:25
bringing Leonard with him. Injuries led Leonard to miss all
53:29
but nine games in the twenty seventeen through eighteen season.
53:33
Spurs officials complained that Robertson and Leonard's personal training team
53:38
held him back even after team doctors cleared him. ESPN
53:42
reported Leonard and his camp were distant and disconnected from
53:46
the Spurs, and Robertson gave a rare interview to deny
53:50
the story. At the same time, Leonard's negotiations for a
53:54
new sneaker deal stalled with Jordan Brand, the division of
53:57
Nike that had sponsored him since he entered the league.
54:00
Behind the scenes, Robertson was encouraging his nephew to leave
54:04
San Antonio and Nike behind. People close to them said
54:08
Leonard demanded a trade, landed in Toronto, signed with New Balance,
54:13
and promptly won another title and Finals MVP trophy. In
54:17
the champagne soaked Raptors locker room, Leonard and Robertson took
54:21
their most famous picture together, Leonard is grinning, ski goggles
54:25
perched on his forehead, and Robertson is beaming, decked out
54:29
in a Kale two New Balance shirt. That summer, Leonard
54:34
was eligible for the NBA's highest salary brand, and suitors
54:38
lined up to pay him. Toronto was an unlikely forever home,
54:42
but Robertson asked the Raptors for an ownership stake in
54:45
the NHL's Maple Leaves and ten million dollars per year
54:49
in sponsorship income. The Toronto Star reported the Raptors declined
54:54
to comment for this story. Once again, it's Denna's asking
54:58
for the moon, do remember thinking any time he heard
55:01
about Robertson's proposals. In reality, Robertson's eyes had long been
55:06
on Los Angeles and an old friend there was eager
55:10
to help. His friendship with Johnny Wilkes stretched back to
55:13
their days as high school basketball teammates. They had carpooled
55:17
in wilkes nineteen seventy two Cadillac double dated to prom
55:21
and stayed in touch over the decades, According to Wilkes
55:24
and mutual friends, photo show Wilkes helping Leonard's mother move
55:28
out of her San Antonio home, Robertson attending Wilkes's mother's
55:32
seventieth birthday party, and Wilkes joining Leonard's family in Oakland
55:37
to watch the Raptors play the Warriors in the twenty
55:39
nineteen finals. Inseparable, classmate Decuba Milkmillion Porter said, like brothers,
55:47
Wilkes had connections of his own. His older brother played
55:51
a few years in the league in the early nineteen eighties.
55:54
Wilkes sometimes texted Robertson asking whether he was interested in
55:58
representing certain players he knew. Among those he encountered on
56:02
the Southern California hoop circuit was Magic Johnson, the Lakers
56:06
president of basketball operations and former star for the team.
56:11
Wilkes later testified that he first wanted to help get
56:14
Leonard to the Lakers. In his deposition, he said that
56:18
he talked with Johnson about the Lakers paying Wilkes a
56:21
finder's fee if Leonard signed with the team, and that
56:24
he planned to share the fee with Robertson. Then, on
56:28
April ninth, Johnson announced his surprise resignation from the Lakers.
56:33
In his deposition, Wilkes said Robertson asked him to arrange
56:36
a meeting with Johnson to find out why he resigned.
56:40
Wilkes shared two voicemails with the Post that he said
56:43
he received from Johnson in the weeks after he stepped down.
56:47
In one, Johnson confirms a meeting and asks Wilkes to
56:50
send Robertson his cell number. In another, Johnson asked him
56:55
to tell ka why let's go and win these next
56:57
seven championships in the next ten years, you know with
57:00
the Lakers. Leonard has denied Wilkes played a role in
57:04
his free agency decision, and the Lakers did not respond
57:08
to requests for comment. Johnson, who also did not respond,
57:12
told ESPN at the time that he was in touch
57:15
with Leonard through an intermediary and only informally supporting the Lakers.
57:19
But by then Wilkes's attention had turned to the Clippers
57:24
Balmer's star hunt. As Leonard entered free agency. Balmer, the
57:29
former Microsoft CEO and the Clippers billionaire owner, was facing
57:34
a seemingly impossible task challenging the Lakers as the best
57:38
basketball show in town. He had spared no expense since
57:43
he bought the team in twenty fourteen. He was building
57:46
a new arena so the Clippers wouldn't have to share
57:49
a home court with their cross town rivals. He had
57:52
poached West from the Golden State Warriors. He had put
57:55
together exciting playoff teams, but none had reached the conference finals.
58:00
Now he needed a star, which meant he needed Robertson.
58:05
Clippers officials had been trying to build connections with Leonard's
58:08
inner circle for a year's record show. Mark Hughes, the
58:13
team's assistant g M, and a former assistant coach at
58:16
San Diego State, had reached out to Leonard's personal trainer Shelton,
58:20
as early as twenty seventeen, when the Clippers began sensing
58:23
some discontent between Leonard and the Spurs. Shelton alleged in
58:28
his lawsuit. Due to the constraints of time, we will
58:31
be unable to complete this item. This concludes the reading
58:34
of the Washington Post for to Day, Tuesday, November eighteenth,
58:38
twenty twenty five. Your reader for to day has been
58:41
Cindy Fraser. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions
58:46
concerning this program, please feel free to call us at
58:49
eight five nine four two two six three nine zero.
58:52
Thank you for listening, and now please stay tuned for
58:55
continued programming on Radio I