Politico's Ryan Lizza on leave after ex Olivia Nuzzi accuses him of harassment, blackmail amid RFK Jr. tryst
Politico's chief Washington correspondent and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza is taking a leave of absence after his ex-fiancée, Olivia Nuzzi, accused him of harassment and blackmail in a court filing.
It was revealed last month that Lizza and Nuzzi had previously called off their engagement when news broke that the star New York Magazine writer had been inappropriately involved with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In the court filing to Washington DC’s Superior Court on Tuesday, Nuzzi reportedly claimed in August that Lizza "explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation—a threat he has since carried out."
"POLITICO and Ryan Lizza have mutually agreed that it is in everyone’s best interest for him to step back and take a leave of absence while an investigation is conducted," a Politico spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
NEW YORK MAG PUTS REPORTER OLIVIA NUZZI ON LEAVE FOR ALLEGED 'PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP' WITH RFK JR.
Neither Lizza nor Nuzzi immediately responded Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Nuzzi had been placed on leave by New York Magazine last month as a result of the Kennedy revelation.
Nuzzi alleged the harassment began in July and accused Lizza of trying to blackmail her into staying together, according to CNN.
"She said by the next month, Lizza had stolen a personal electronic device from her, was hacking her devices, then anonymously shopping information about her to the media," CNN reported. "Some of the information may have been ‘doctored’ to hurt her more, Nuzzi alleged, and she believes Lizza impersonated ‘an anonymous campaign operative’ to give a political campaign information that would hurt her further, according to the court records."
Nuzzi also accused Lizza of tipping off her employer about her relationship with RFK Jr. possibly "through a third party or anonymous channel" and that he "threatened her with violence ‘to assume his share of financial responsibility’ for a joint book contract they had," per CNN's reporting.
A judge granted Nuzzi's request, temporarily barring Lizza from contacting her. A hearing is set for Oct. 15, giving a chance for Lizza to respond in court, though he denied Nuzzi's allegations to CNN.
"I am saddened that my ex-fiancée would resort to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to divert attention from her own personal and professional failings. I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully," Lizza told CNN.
Nuzzi's relationship with RFK Jr. began late last year after she interviewed the then-independent presidential candidate, who has since suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Trump. RFK Jr. is married to actress Cheryl Hines.
It has been reported that Nuzzi initially denied she was personally involved with RFK Jr. after being confronted by her boss, New York Magazine editor David Haskell, but eventually came clean.
"Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal," Nuzzi said in a statement last month. "I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I've disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York."
A Kennedy spokesperson also previously denied any sort of physical relationship and said he had only met Nuzzi once.
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"Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece," a Kennedy spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
New York Magazine said in its statement at the time that Nuzzi would have been removed from her reporting duties on the campaign if it had been made aware of the relationship earlier.
"Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign. An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias," New York Magazine said.
"She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review," the statement continued. "We regret this violation of our readers’ trust."