Olivia Nuzzi alleges her former partner orchestrated a blackmail scheme while she was involved with RFK.
The allegations, made by Nuzzi in a filing and presented before a judge in Washington D.C.'s Superior Court recently, and which Lizza denies, represent the latest shocking turn in the aftermath of her hidden relationship with Kennedy, the ex-independent presidential contender. This development has since triggered a broad conversation in the national media about journalistic ethics, given that the incident has been transformed into a political scandalous tale by the press.
As per a court filing from Nuzzi, Lizza "explicitly threatened to release personal information about me, aiming to ruin my life, career, and reputation – a threat he has since executed."
Last month, Nuzzi was put on leave by New York magazine as they conducted a "third-party review" following her confession of having a personal connection with a subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while reporting on it. A trustworthy source informed CNN that the relationship in question was with RFK Jr., who had been the topic of a feature penned by her last year during his presidential run.
Lizza, who serves as Politico's chief Washington correspondent and a co-author of Playbook, was absent during a court hearing this week where Nuzzi obtained a provisional no-contact order against him. Such requests are typically the initial step in domestic disputes and are usually granted swiftly by judges, often without informing the opposing party.
Lizza hasn't acknowledged the accusations in court, but he provided a statement to CNN about the legal proceedings.
"I regret that my ex-fiancée feels the need to make false accusations against me in an attempt to shift blame for her own personal and professional shortcomings. I vehemently deny these allegations and will defend myself robustly and successfully," Lizza declared.
On Tuesday night, Politico announced that Lizza would be taking a leave of absence from the publication until they carried out an investigation into the matter.
"POLITICO and Ryan Lizza have mutually agreed that it would be best for him to step away and take a leave of absence during this investigation," a spokesperson said.
The next court hearing is scheduled for October 15, allowing Lizza to present his response before the judge.
Nuzzi believes that Lizza's alleged harassment started in early July, with the intention of blackmailing her into resuming their relationship and retaliating against her when she refused.
According to her, by the following month, Lizza had stolen a personal electronic device from her, hacked her devices, then anonymously provided damaging information about her to the media. Some of this information might have been "doctored" to harm her more, Nuzzi alleged, and she suspects that Lizza impersonated "an anonymous campaign operative" to disseminate damaging information about her to a political campaign.
Nuzzi further alleged that Lizza, potentially through a third party or an anonymous channel, notified her employer about what she calls "the matter."
RFK Jr. is not explicitly mentioned in the court records.
In her court filing, Nuzzi claimed that Lizza also threatened her with violence "so that he could assume his share of the financial responsibility" for their joint book contract, as per the court records.
During a court proceeding that took place Tuesday morning, a judge granted Nuzzi's request to temporarily bar Lizza from contacting her and to maintain a distance from her and her workplace, according to public court records.
The judge signed off on her request for the police to accompany her when she attempts to retrieve her belongings from Lizza. The couple was reportedly living together within the past year, the court filing stated.
The circumstances surrounding their separation have already impacted Nuzzi and Lizza's relationships with their respective media outlets.
In a message to their readers on September 19, New York magazine confirmed that Nuzzi had been put on leave after she "admitted to the magazine's editors that she had had a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on it, a violation of the magazine's standards related to conflicts of interest and disclosures."
Lizza previously stated that he and his editors agreed that he would no longer cover Kennedy due to his relationship with Nuzzi for Politico.
A spokesperson for Kennedy informed CNN, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life, for an interview she had requested, which resulted in a biased piece."
A spokesperson for Nuzzi declined to make any further comments. New York magazine also declined to comment.
CNN's Hadas Gold contributed to the reporting.
In the wake of these allegations, media outlets have been heavily scrutinizing the role of journalistic ethics in business partnerships. Due to the controversy, Lizza's media appearances have been put on hold, impacting his business as a chief Washington correspondent and co-author.
