False Rape Accusations Levied Against TV Host

Charles Payne, host of “Making Money” on Fox Business and Scottie Nell Hughes, a political commentator, had a 2 year long sexual affair. Both were married and cheating on their spouses. Mrs. Hughes ended their affair in 2015.

Two years later, she accused Payne of sexual harassment including being coerced into a 2 year sexual relationship with him. Payne was subsequently suspended in July 2017, while the network investigated her allegation. Payne, acknowledged what he described as a two-year “romantic relationship” from 2013 - 2015 but denied any harassment had occurred.  Mrs. Hughes claims she was blackballed from the network after she ended the affair and later reported Payne to top executives at Fox News claiming sexual misconduct. Mrs. Hughes was never an employee of Fox News, but appeared as a guest across on numerous Fox News and Fox Business Network programs with the hope of becoming a paid contributor. She worked as a paid contributor at CNN during the 2016 presidential election. Her contract with CNN ended this past January.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Mrs. Hughes told her lawyer, that she stayed in the relationship with Payne because she believed he would help her chances of landing a position at Fox network.

After Fox completed its investigation, Payne returned to the network in early September. On September 18, Hughes and her attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and Jeanne M. Christensen, filed a lawsuit against Fox News and Payne, alleging that Payne raped her over a 2 year period from 2013 - 2015.

In her lawsuit, Mrs. Hughes said that Mr. Payne had “pressured” his way into her hotel room in July 2013 and coerced her to have sexual intercourse with him, even though she had refused his advances. She said that over the next two years she was forced to engage in a sexual relationship with Mr. Payne.  In exchange, she said, she received career opportunities, including increased appearances on Fox News and Fox Business and the promise that Mr. Payne would help her land a contributor contract, a job that can pay several hundred thousand dollars a year.

Mrs. Hughes claim of being forced to have sex with another man over a 2 year period seems a complete farce. Nobody put a gun to her head. Nobody tied her down. Nobody threatened to punch her. Nobody drugged her. Nobody forced her to drink alcohol. Mrs. Hughes was free to say 'NO' at anytime over a 2 year period. Her judgement was not impaired. She was a grown adult in charge of her own decisions.

This is not rape. Instead, its a backstabbing wife claiming her cheating and lying is not her fault. This is a wife who advanced her career by hurting her family. This is a wife being self centered.

Perhaps the fraudulent rape lawsuit against Payne - a member of the media - will make journalists reconsider their biased reporting about college rape investigation guidelines. Too often, journalists undermine issues of false rape allegations.

Biased media reporting such as this Associated Press / PBS article discussing possible changes to college sexual assault investigation guidelines is common.  The article includes assistant secretary for civil rights Candice Jackson's flippant comment "90%" of sexual assault accusations [on college campuses] fall into the category of, We were both drunk' & her subsequent apology saying she did not mean to diminish anyone's sexual violence  experience. The article also included the hypocritical statement by feminist Senator Patty Murray claiming Jackson's comment shows the Office of Civil rights "is not prepared to take accounts from [sexual assault] survivors seriously". In fact, since the 2011 "Dear Colleague” letter, the Office of Civil rights has not taken statements from the accused seriously. Neither have colleges. Neither has Senator Murray. The Associated Press / PBS article concludes by giving an example of sexual assault at Baylor University but ignores examples of false rape such as the fraudulent University of Virginia rape case.

The Associated Press and PBS give readers the impression that problems with fraudulent rape accusations are overstated therefore current guidelines should not be changed. This is not objective reporting.

Journalists should realize the lenient standards of guilt they support against male students can also be used against the media. If a media employee like Charles Payne can be falsely accused, then journalists are equally vulnerable whether they work for Fox News, ABC News or CNN.

The rape allegations against Charles Payne are ridiculous. If found liable, it means grown adult women are not accountable for their actions.