Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University: What we know
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned Tuesday after explosive new allegations emerged that he and his wife had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a man who was their business partner.
Falwell initially agreed to resign on Monday, but then refused to do so, Liberty officials said. He apparently reversed himself again Monday night, telling the Wall Street Journal he had submitted his resignation letter.
The evangelical leader had already taken an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month after coming under fire for a photo he posted on social media with his arm around a young woman, with both their pants unzipped and stomachs exposed. While the university did not give reason for his suspension, Falwell drew sharp criticism from many conservatives.
Here is what we know:
What happened?
Reports of Falwell's resignation came after allegations emerged of a years-long sexual relationship involving his wife and a business partner. Reuters published an interview Monday with Giancarlo Granda, who said he had the years-long relationship with Becki Falwell with the consent and encouragement of her husband.
More: Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Jr. taking leave of absence after photo with pants unzipped
Granda told Reuters he met the Falwells in March 2012 at the Fontainbleau Miami Beach hotel while he worked as a pool attendant. The relationship with the couple lasted from March 2012 to 2018 and involved Granda having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell watched, Reuters reported.
The encounters between Granda and the Falwells occurred several times a year at hotels and at the Falwells' home in Virginia, Granda also told Reuters.
Michael Bowe, Jerry Falwell Jr.'s lawyer, told Reuters he denies Granda's allegations. However, before Reuters published its story, Falwell released a statement to the Washington Examiner acknowledging his wife's extramarital affair.
"During a vacation over eight years ago, Becki and I met an ambitious young man who was working at our hotel and was saving up his money to go to school," Falwell said in the statement to the Examiner, not identifying the man. "Shortly thereafter, Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved."
Did he resign?
Liberty's board of trustees accepted his resignation Tuesday. Falwell also resigned from the university's board of directors.
Falwell initially agreed to resign on Monday but later changed his mind after seeing media reports, according to the university. But then Falwell told the Wall Street Journal Monday night that he sent a letter of resignation to the board of directors, telling the paper that he wants "what’s best for the university, and I don’t want to harm the future of the university.”
A major supporter of Trump
Falwell is known for his conservative politics and is an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. Falwell was among the earliest Christian conservatives to endorse Trump during the 2016 presidential election.
Both Falwell and his wife are active supporters of the president. Becki Falwell served as an advisory board member for the Trump campaign's Women for Trump group and appeared in an online campaign video last year that discussed "teaching traditional American Values."
Jerry Falwell was a speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention, saying during his speech that Trump is "down to Earth, loves America and the American people."
In 2017, Falwell said he would lead a presidential task force to trim college regulations and stop interference by the Department of Education at the request of Trump, according to a Liberty University spokesman. Trump also gave a commencement speech at Liberty that same year.
A stringent set of rules
Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, is known for its conservative politics and rules. Its honor code – The Liberty Way – states, "Sexual relations outside of a biblically-ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University."
The university was founded by Falwell's father Jerry Falwell Sr., who was a pastor, in 1971.
The university's honor code also includes dress guidelines, including that students's hair and fashion should avoid "extremes" and must dress "modestly and appropriately at all times." It also states that women's pool attire should be a "modest one-piece swim suit."
Under its entertainment guidelines, it states that anything "inconsistent with Liberty’s standards and traditions (i.e. lewd Lyrics, anti-Christian message, sexual content, nudity, pornography, etc.) are not permitted on or off campus."
Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen and Joey Garrison
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University: What we know
