Liberty University announced Monday it has hired one of the "leading forensic firms in the world" to conduct an investigation into "all facets" of the university's operations under Jerry Falwell Jr.'s leadership, including "financial, real estate, and legal matters."
The state of play: Falwell resigned as president of Liberty University following a Reuters story alleging that he and his wife had a years-long intimate relationship with business partner Giancarlo Granda. The top Trump ally and evangelical leader had endured a series of controversies and had taken an indefinite leave of absence before being forced to resign.
What they're saying: "While we had been willing to extend grace and understanding to Jerry Falwell, Jr. before, once the revelations about his past personal life came more fully to light, we acted swiftly and decisively to ask for his immediate resignation, which we received," Liberty University’s executive committee said in a statement.
- "Some may say that all the signs were there for a long time before last week. It’s certainly fair to say that there were questionable comments made, worrying behavior, and inappropriate social media posts, but all the signs were not there until the start of last week."
- "While we still didn’t know the full scope of the matter, we have learned enough about the past to know that we had no choice but to take the leadership of Liberty University in a new direction."
