For much of this year, Newsmax has been publishing columns by conservative writer Rachel Marsden. Her bio does a fine job of polishing her credentials, including a claim that she “served as director of a key think tank during the lead-up to the Iraq war.” Actually, it appears, she was simply director of development — a title that typically has to do with fundraising and member recruitment rather than involvement in policy — for the now-defunct Free Congress Foundation.
Her bio also states that she is a “former Fox News co-host and contributor,” but doesn’t mention she was escorted out of the building in the process of becoming a former co-host.
So she’s overstating her credentials. But there’s one thing she’s definitely keeping quiet about: being something of a serial stalker.
The Jester’s Court blog has the full rundown (as does Salon); it involves falsely accusing a swim coach of rape and harassment as a college student (turns out she was stalking him), an actual criminal conviction on harassment charges, and a brief affair with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales that ended with her making public their sexually oriented chats. The anonymous Jester’s Court writer also tells of a stalker-y attempt by Marsden to seduce him in an apparent attempt to expose his identity.
Having Marsden as a columnist — even if she is syndicated by an otherwise reputable company — does not help Newsmax’s current campaign of respectability.