The Washington Post Drops Garrison Keillor’s Column

WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Post announced Thursday that it will no longer publish columns by former radio host Garrison Keillor, a day after he was fired by Minnesota Public Radio for alleged “inappropriate behavior” with a co-worker.

"Readers are entitled to a basic level of transparency from the columnists they read in The Washington Post. Garrison Keillor failed to meet that standard this week," the newspaper’s editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said in a statement Thursday.

Keillor wrote about sexual harassment in his last column for the paper, arguing that Sen. Al Franken, D-MN, should not resign amid allegations he inappropriately touched several women.

Hiatt noted in his statement that Keillor himself was under investigation for sexual misconduct by MPR when he wrote the column.

"Knowing he was under investigation for his workplace behavior, he should not have written a column on that subject; or, if he was going to write, he should have told his editors and readers that he was under investigation," Hiatt said.

"We have admired many of the columns Keillor has written on a weekly basis for the Washington Post syndicate and news service over the past 18 months," he added, "but we do not intend to publish his columns in the future."

Keillor was fired Wednesday after a coworker said he inappropriately touched her bare back, he said in a statement to The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized," Keillor told The Minneapolis Star Tribune after he was fired. "I sent her an email of apology later and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it. We were friends. We continued to be friendly right up until her lawyer called."

Watch: Minnesotans React To Garrison Keillor Firing

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Baenen