MPR: Allegations against Keillor far beyond single touch

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Minnesota Public Radio came under fire last November for not fully explaining why it severed ties with Garrison Keillor, the former host of its iconic, long-running variety show "A Prairie Home Companion."

Tuesday, however, saw MPR is break its silence about ending its relationship with the legendary broadcaster, with MPR President Jon McTaggart saying in a letter to members that Keillor had been accused of "dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents" over a matter of years.

Keillor originally claimed he was fired from MPR because he placed his hand on a woman's bare back while trying to console her--an accusation McTaggart says was never made.

One woman did claim, however, that Keillor engaged in "other unwanted sexual touching."

A 12 page letter from the woman's attorney details many of the alleged incidents including excerpts of "emails and written messages, requests for sexual contact and explicit descriptions of sexual communications and touching," according to McTaggart.

He says if the letter was made public, "we believe it would clarify why MPR ended its business relationship with Garrison and correct the misunderstandings and misinformation about the decision," his note to MPR membership stated.

But he says MPR hasn't released the letter because of its "commitment to protecting the privacy of those involved, including Garrison."

McTaggart says MPR waited to tell its side of the story until it conducted an outside investigation and participated in mediation with Keillor.

But he says, "Now that there is renewed media interest in this story, we want to inform our members and the broader public of the important facts and information that compelled us to take the actions we did."

Fox 9 attempted to contact Keillor but could not reach him for comment.