Political writer Olivia Nuzzi has accused her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza, of possibly exposing her affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following a months-long campaign of harassment and blackmail, which allegedly involved stealing and hacking her devices, according to a shocking legal filing.
Nuzzi, 31, was granted a no-contact order against Lizza, a prominent Politico journalist, on Tuesday in a Washington, DC court. She has claimed Lizza had harassed her after their breakup earlier this month, according to a CNN report. Nuzzi also went on to allege that Lizza, 50, "explicitly threatened to make public personal information to ruin my life, career, and reputation — a threat he has since carried out."
Counter Allegations and a Lawsuit
Nuzzi's career took a hit last month when New York magazine placed her on leave after she admitted to a personal relationship with RFK Jr., following her profile of his independent presidential campaign last November.
Nuzzi and RFK Jr. have maintained that their relationship was never physical, though it reportedly involved explicit sexting and "incredible" Facetime sex sessions. According to friends who spoke with Page Six, Nuzzi was impressed by the 70-year-old RFK Jr.'s "sexual stamina."
However, Nuzzi is not suing Lizza for the expose. According to court documents cited by The New York Times, Nuzzi accused Lizza of providing "damaging information" to New York magazine.
Lizza, a journalist covering Washington politics, has vehemently denied all the allegations.
"I am saddened that my ex-fiancée would resort to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to divert attention from her own personal and professional failings," he told The Post.
"I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully."
Following CNN's report, Politico released a statement saying that Lizza and the outlet had mutually agreed on his leave of absence while an investigation is ongoing. According to CNN, the no-contact order granted to Nuzzi on Tuesday is a common measure in domestic disputes.
Blackmailing Campaign
Nuzzi believes that Lizza began his alleged harassment campaign in July to blackmail her into rekindling their relationship, according to CNN. The next month, Lizza reportedly stole one of Nuzzi's electronic devices, hacked her accounts, and tried to leak information about her to the media, as mentioned in court documents obtained by CNN.
Some of the information shared may have been "doctored" to cause further harm, the filing suggests.
Nuzzi also claimed that Lizza posed as "an anonymous campaign operative" to provide damaging information about her to a political campaign, CNN reported.
According to court documents, Lizza also allegedly threatened Nuzzi with violence to force her to "assume his share of financial responsibility" related to a joint book deal they had.
RFK Jr. was not mentioned in the court filings.
A DC judge reportedly granted Nuzzi's request to temporarily bar Lizza from contacting her and to keep away from her workplace. The judge also approved that police will accompany Nuzzi when she visits the home they previously shared earlier this year.
Lizza was fired from his position at The New Yorker in 2017 after misconduct allegations surfaced, though he denied any wrongdoing at the time.
Nuzzi's legal battle with Lizza coincides with her magazine conducting a "more thorough third-party review" of her work after an internal investigation found no signs of bias.
Lizza had previously said that he would refrain from covering RFK Jr. in Politico's popular Playbook due to his relationship with Nuzzi.
