On Twitter, Save 71 criticized Prevo as being “part of the problem,” adding, “We want Falwell to be permanently removed because of the toxic culture he is responsible for, and Prevo is one of his greatest enablers.”
Then, on Monday August 24, a story broke that seriously called into question the morality of both Falwell and Becki. Giancarlo Granda, a business partner of the Falwells, shared the details of an illicit affair he had with Becki, and which also involved Falwell himself. The facts presented by Granda in an article published by Reuters is vehemently disputed by Falwell.
The Falwells met Granda while on vacation in Miami in 2012. The point of the story both sides seem to agree on is that Granda was working at a hotel where the Falwell family was staying and that he approached the couple with a business venture proposal involving the purchase of a youth hostel in Miami. In the article, Granda claimed that the couple preyed upon him and drew him into a years-long affair, offering screenshots of text conversations and audio recordings of phone calls as proof of the incident.
Falwell offered his own version of the story, which was published by the Washington Examiner. In it, the embattled university president claimed that Becki had a brief affair with Granda (whom he doesn’t mention by name, rather refers to him as a “young man”) without his knowledge and that Granda had exploited them by threatening to go public with the affair for several years.
What’s Next for Liberty?
As scandalous as the Falwells’ alleged behavior appears to be, Save71 believes the bigger problem at Liberty lies in the school’s broader leadership. Calling the current Board of Trustees “derelict”, the group is calling for an overhaul of the leadership. In a statement posted to the group’s site yesterday, they outline the ways in which the board has failed the school:
For years, Liberty’s Board of Trustees allowed Falwell to frequently, publicly harm Liberty’s reputation. The Board permitted Falwell and his family to run the school like a personal business at the expense of its faculty and students. Board members sat by while Falwell’s words and deeds disgraced the name of the Lord again and again.
The Board of Trustees is not a legitimate governing body. For years, Board meetings have been infrequent, brief, and filled with propaganda from Falwell and his staff. While some of its members, like Acting Chair Allen McFarland, take an active role at the university, many others do not. The Board is not qualified to determine who is best fit to lead Liberty, and its members should humbly recognize that.
After accepting Falwell’s permanent resignation, four things need to happen for Liberty to move in a positive direction. First, the Board of Trustees must permanently remove all the beneficiaries of Falwell’s inappropriate nepotism. Second, the Board should hire independent legal counsel to investigate the claims of financial corruption documented in previous reporting. Third, SACS, Liberty’s accreditor, should open an investigation into Liberty to determine whether its Board and executive leadership meet SACS’s principles of accreditation.
Finally, Liberty needs a new leader.
The statement also proposes a list of people Save71 believes would form a trustworthy committee tasked with finding a new leader for the school.
Independent journalist Julie Roys has been following the iterations of the unfolding story and speculates that the meeting of the board this morning may include a discussion about whether or not to fire Falwell, which would have an impact on his severance package.
.@LibertyU website no longer names @JerryFalwellJr on its leadership page. Still no formal statement confirming resignation from university. Exec board meeting this morning, followed by full board. I wonder if board is considering firing Falwell w/ cause? https://t.co/kQupAWRMEr
— Julie Roys (@reachjulieroys) August 25, 2020
As of the publishing of this article, no statement has been made from Falwell himself on his social media profiles concerning his resignation.
