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Falwell Blasted Liberty Student as ‘Retarded’

September 12, 2019 at 11:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In emails to his colleagues over the years, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr has denigrated students and staff at the Christian university he runs, referring to one student as “emotionally imbalanced and physically retarded” and calling the school’s police chief a “half-wit,” Reuters reports.

He also called some Liberty students “social misfits.”

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr.

Falwell Says He’s Target of ‘Attempted Coup’

September 11, 2019 at 9:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. told the Associated Press that he is asking the FBI to investigate what he called a “criminal” smear campaign orchestrated against him by several disgruntled former board members and employees.

Falwell claimed he has evidence that the group improperly shared emails belonging to the university with reporters in an attempt to discredit him. He said the “attempted coup” was partially motivated by his ardent backing of President Trump.

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr.

Some Photos Jerry Falwell Didn’t Want You to See

September 10, 2019 at 10:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

World Red Eye posts photos of Jerry Falwell Jr. partying at a Miami nightclub — photos that multiple Liberty University officials told Politico that Falwell “tried to make disappear.”

Falwell originally claimed the photos are fake.

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr.


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Falwell Steered University Land Deal to Personal Trainer

August 27, 2019 at 4:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Evangelical leader and prominent Donald Trump backer Jerry Falwell Jr personally approved real estate transactions by his nonprofit Christian university that helped his personal fitness trainer obtain valuable university property,” Reuters reports.

“Around 2011, Falwell, president of Liberty University in Virginia, and his wife, Rebecca, began personal fitness training sessions with Benjamin Crosswhite, then a 23-year-old recent Liberty graduate. Now, after a series of university real estate transactions signed by Falwell, Crosswhite owns a sprawling 18-acre racquet sports and fitness facility on former Liberty property.”

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr.

Falwell Denies Hiring Cohen to Deal with Racy Photos

May 8, 2019 at 3:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. denied to Fox Radio asking Michael Cohen to intervene in a case where someone reportedly claimed to possess racy “personal” photos that were potentially embarrassing to Falwell and his wife.

Falwell insisted that “no compromising or embarrassing photos” of himself existed.

He added: “While we have a long-standing friendship with Michael Cohen, we never engaged or paid Cohen to represent us in any legal or other professional capacity, and Cohen did not ever resolve any legal matter on our behalf.”

Filed Under: White House Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr., Michael Cohen

Cohen Says He Helped Falwell Handle Racy Photos

May 7, 2019 at 5:34 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Months before evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr.’s game-changing presidential endorsement of Donald Trump in 2016, Falwell asked Trump fixer Michael Cohen for a personal favor,” Cohen said in a recorded conversation reviewed by Reuters.

“Falwell, president of Liberty University, one of the world’s largest Christian universities, said someone had come into possession of what Cohen described as racy ‘personal’ photographs — the sort that would typically be kept ‘between husband and wife.'”

Said Cohen, without divulging specifics: “I actually have one of the photos. It’s terrible.”

Filed Under: White House Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr., Michael Cohen

Falwell Urges Trump to Fire Sessions

August 27, 2018 at 6:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jerry Falwell Jr. told Politico that he urged President Trump to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his handling of investigations into Russian election meddling, saying the attorney general has lost evangelicals’ support.

Falwell also said he plans to bring up the subject again Monday evening at a small gathering with Trump and the first lady.

Filed Under: White House Tagged With: Jeff Sessions, Jerry Falwell Jr.

University Wants Students to Carry Weapons

December 5, 2015 at 2:48 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 63 Comments

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. urged students to carry concealed weapons on campus in the wake of  the San Bernardino massacre, the News and Advance reports.

Said Falwell: “It just blows my mind when I see that the President of the United States says that the answer to circumstances like that is more gun control… I’ve always thought if more good people had concealed carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in.”

He added: “Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here.”

Filed Under: Gun Control Tagged With: Jerry Falwell Jr.

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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