Prominent conservative commentator Glenn Beck, one of Tim Ballard’s highest-profile and long-standing supporters, now believes he was “duped” by the former Operation Underground Railroad CEO, saying the allegations he has reviewed amount to “really bad stuff.”
Beck and Ballard have a long-running friendship, with Beck promoting Ballard’s work since the earliest days of OUR, the anti-child-trafficking nonprofit, and Ballard being listed as the executive director of Beck’s nonprofit, The Nazarene Fund, before it was announced earlier this summer that he was no longer with the organization.
But on his show Wednesday, Beck detailed how he had been contacted by five women accusing Ballard of sexual misconduct. He said he assigned a Blaze Media reporter, who spent two weeks talking to the women and investigating their allegations, including, Beck said, reviewing text messages.
The story is finished, Beck said, but Blaze is not publishing it for now because the outlet was asked not to by the attorney representing the accusers. Beck also said he did not want to “re-victimize” the women.
On a show that aired Monday, Beck said what he had heard from the accusers was “just really bad stuff. Really, really bad things.”
After having read Blaze’s unpublished story and hearing the interviews, Beck said, “I will tell you, I believe one side.”
“I will tell you that it is disturbing and I would urge the women who are involved to call their attorney and give permission,” he said during his program. “I know you’re afraid, but the truth sets you free. Let the chips fall where they may.”
Last week, Suzette Rasmussen, the attorney representing at least five women who say they were victims of Ballard, held a news conference on the steps of the Utah Capitol, where she read a statement from the women who said that they had been “subjected to sexual harassment, spiritual manipulation, grooming and sexual misconduct” by the former head of OUR but offered no other details.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Attorney Suzette Rasmussen, representing former employees and contractors of Operation Underground Railroad, makes a statement affirming the claims by her clients of alleged sexual misconduct by Tim Ballard, the anti-human trafficking activist who is considering a run for the U.S. Senate, at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023.
Ballard has consistently denied any sexual misconduct. He posted a video explaining that in some operations, women would pose as his wife as part of a “couples ruse” designed to give him an excuse to not engage physically with the children they were supposed to be rescuing.
But OUR said that when complaints were made about Ballard’s behavior, the organization put Ballard on administrative leave and launched an internal investigation. Ballard ultimately resigned.
“Mr. Ballard’s alleged misconduct,” the nonprofit stated, “does not represent OUR’s values or others within the organization.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also issued a statement rebuking Ballard several weeks ago, stating that he had engaged in behavior that was “morally unacceptable.”
At the time, Beck — who, like Ballard, is a Latter-day Saint — criticized the church, posting on X, formerly Twitter, that the faith had “effectively excommunicated” Ballard through public statements without giving Ballard a fair process.
Beck later deleted the posts.
On Wednesday, Beck said he had considered ending his Monday program early “because I don’t know what’s true anymore, because I had been friends with Tim Ballard for so long, and I had felt completely duped, and I thought if I don’t know that about somebody I’m close to, how can I possibly come on the air and tell people what is true?”
Beck is the latest Ballard supporter to seek distance from the former nonprofit CEO. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes issued a statement last week that he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the allegations against Ballard and that he would no longer be supporting Ballard if he ran for U.S. Senate.
Jimmy Rex, a real estate entrepreneur and podcaster, and Eric Moutsos, a prominent Utah libertarian, both said they have spoken to accusers and also believe their stories.
