involved him having sex with becki falwell while jerry fa falwell looked on. granda shared evidence to support his account, including this phone call. >> he was telling every time he has sex with people like to hurt my feelings or something. >> trying to make her jealous. >> but falwell's story is different. he issued a statement saying his wife had an inappropriate personal relationship with a man they had first met while on vacation and later went into business with. he w on to write he was not involved in the affair, but the man began threatening to publicly reveal the relations w agreed to pay him substantial monies. unite behind donald trump and mike pence. >> falwell, who spoke at the 2016 republican national convention, has been a fierce supporter of president trump. his wife, becki, is an advisory board member of women for trump and appeared in an interview with president trump's

i spoke with jerry and becki falwell. they admit becki did have the affair, but they deny jerry falwell jr. was involved. they tell me granda, who became a business partner, is trying to extort them. the falwells were among the top evangelical supporters of president trump. >> i truly believe mr. trump is america's blue collar billionaire. >> reporter: becki falwell seen here speaking with the president's daughter in law. >> we are so proud of our students here at liberty and it's just such an honor to be able to serve alongside them and we try to teach good family values and good morals. >> reporter: the fall wells now telling me they're victims of a political hit job. the fall wells telling me tonight, david, that although liberty university accepted his resignation, some board members have reached out expressing their support for the family. david? >> all right, kyra, thank you. >>> hundreds of protesters are not giving up in their demands for justice for breonna taylor in louisville. images tonight showing a large cro

who claimed he had an affair involving falwell and his wife is speaking out and we hear hear becki falwell's. janai norman has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. in an interview with "the washington post," falwell calling his former business partner a criminal and a liar, but giancarlo granda is standing by his story calling falwell a predator and painting a picture of falwell's private life that is very different from his public persona. this morning, new allegations from the business partner at the center of the jerry falwell jr. sex scandal. the former president of liberty university, the nation's largest christian college, resigning in disgrace after a one-time miami pool attendant, giancarlo granda, claimed he had a seven-year affair with falwell's wife, becki, and that falwell watched when they were intimate. falwell denies being involved in the affair. in a statement overnight granda standing by his story saying, the falwells would have you believe that i seduced becki into an affair without jerry's knowledge and then spent the intervening seven years trying to extor

a former liberty university student now claiming that he also had a sexual encounter with becky falwell, the wife of the evangelical leader. and that is not the only bombshell. jobina is tracking this from the live desk. >> yes, reggie, the plot thic n thickens here. we're also hearing from the former pool attendant that says that he had an affair with becky and that jerry falwell junior watched. and he said that he met the skoo couple when he was 20 years old. and he is speaking on "good morning america." and jerry falwell junior denies any involvement. >> jerry was aware from dare one of our relationship. and he did in fact watch. >> so how would that work, describe the encounters. >> so let's go back to when i first met them, 20 years old working at the hotel. and i noticed this woman behind me staring at me, she was like would you want to at the back to my hotel room but she said that my husband wants to watch. he will just sit in the corner and watch. it is his thing. and she mentioned that they were actually at a swingers' club the night before. >> all right. and there is also the

reporter: granda shafs 20 years old when as a miami hotel pool attendant he began an affair with becky falwell and jerry falwell watched when his wife and granda were together. >> there was two beds. he was laying on one bed, drunk, ask just, you know, giggling and i told him, hey, if at any point you feel, you know, jealous or upset or anything, just let me know and i'll walk out of here. >> reporter: falwell, then president of liberty university and one of the nation's most prominent evangelicals this week acknowledged the affair to the washington examiner but said he knew nothing about it at the time and had no involvement. how long was jerry falwell jr. involved in this affair >> since day one, march 2012. >> reporter: to back up his claims granda released a tape of a phone call with becky. >> he's telling me every time he has sex with people. like hurt my feelings or something. >> make her jealous. >> the man's voice is falwell and the affair lasted seven years he went into business with the couple in 2013 running a miami hostel, according to granda they are still legally tied. >> i want

granadaing to reuters that he and becky falwell had a years long affair and that jerry falwell wouldd watching them have sex. this is something that jerry falwell deflies. he admits the affair happened but says he had no involvement. now, he had already been on an indefinite leave from his post as president of liberty university after he posted photographs on ingram earlier this month of his pants unzipped or unbuttoned, opened, revealing some of his underpants along with the assistance of his wife so that caused the university to put him on indefinite leave. he had a long back and forth with "the wall street journal" last night. at one point saying, building it and finally cal test. test. test. test. test ful t. -you're welcome. i love it. how'd you do all this? told ya! wir. let's talk dining tables. yes! blow it up. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪ robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood. that selling carsarvana, 100

. >> reporter: john in his own words describing to abc's with his year's long affair with becky falwellunior after meetine pair. jerry falwell admitted his wife's relationship but denied watching. the former pool attendant pushing back. >> jerry is lying. that was his game plan from the beginning throw her under the bus, which i think speaks a lot about who he is, about his character. and he was aware from day one of our relationship and he did in fact, watch. >> gronda a former self-described video game addict who was 20 years old at the time. >> we end upstairs and jerry was laying on the bed. he was drunk and giggling, and again, i'm weirded out and said hey, if at any point you get jealous or want me to back off, just let me know and i'll walk out. he said no, go for it. i don't want to go too much into the details but he enjoyed watching. >> reporter: cnn obtained audio of a 2018 call with the falwells. >> telling me every time i have sex for people. >> make you jealous. >> i'm not trying to do that. >> like a week ago for the whole freaking day. >> the falwells went into the real

news exclusive with the former pool attendant giancarlo granda, who says he had an affair with becki falwell, that falwell watched, meeting the couplehen he was later vacationing and even going into business with them. the falwells now accusing him of extortion. this morning giancarlo granda joins us live. >>> taking over tiktok? the two giant american companies that could be teaming up to buy the widely popular app as the president threatens to shut down the social media platform. what it means for its 500 million users. >>> and taking a stand. the powerful movement rippling through the sports world, demanding justice for the police shooting of jacob blake. baseball's emotional 42 seconds of silence in honor of jackie robinson. this morning, inside the nba players' decision to now return to the court and the surprising big player at the center of it all, the g.o.a.t. himself, michael jordan. >>> good morning, america. we hope you're doing well this morning. it's great to be here with cecilia and janai. boy, do we have a lot to deal with this morning including the fallout from hurricane laur

giancarlo granda was a pool attendant at a miami hotel when he met jerry falwell and his life, becki. they acknowledged they had an affair. they accuse granda of blackmail. granda is demanding an investigation into liberty university where falwell, jr., served as president until he resigned last week. giancarlo granda joins us now. thanks for being here. >> thank you for having me on. >> so there's the salacious side obviously of this story and then there's the cultural significance side of this story, of this leading so-called conservative christian being exposed as a charlatan basically, and i think both of those things are interesting. so let's just start at the beginning. you say that they approached you. beck ie becki falwell approached you in 2012 to come back to yoher hote room. you were 20 years old. you were intrigued and she mentions by the way, my husband is going to be involved, he likes to watch. would you say that that -- >> right. >> you then had a relationship basically with them over the next seven years. was that always the dynamic? did that dynamic play out through

he said he would have sex with becky falwell while jerry falwell jr.ed and he allegedly taped some of their conversations which he shared with reuters. >> [inaudible]. >> falwell is placing the game on his wife. saying becky had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which i was not involved. revelations mark a stunning turn for a couple that has been at the forefront of the american christian movement. >> welcome back to liberty university, mr. donald trump. >> even hosting candidate trump in 2016. >> becky often commented to me it's inconceivable why anyone would run for a national office in the current political climate. the loss of privacy, the security risks and the scrutiny. >> that scrutiny bearing down on falwell. he was a speaker at the republican national convention in 2016 but not this year. >> stocks mixed today. the s&p 500 up to a new record. the nasdaq gained for another record finish. the government pulls back on pronouncepts of a historic break through in treating the coronavirus. fox 29 in philadelphia.

reporter: it's the latest salacious headline involving the university student tells politico that becki falwellerformed oral sex on him in 2008. earlier this week, jerry falwell jr. did acknowledge that his wife had an affair with a different man, giancarlo granda, a then-20-year-old pool attendant he says his wife met at the fontainebleau hotel in miami beach. >> she invited me back to her hotel room. >> reporter: in an interview, granda, who is now 29, says the affair began the day he met becki at the pool. >> i was 20 years old, single. i didn't really think anything of it. and then she said, "by the way, my husband likes to watch." >> reporter: it's the type of lewd behavior that is prohibited at liberty university. i'm just curious if they ever took you to church with them? >> well, actually, we never really spoke about religion. religion, really, to him, wasn't-- it just wasn't that big of a deal. >> reporter: one of the things that jerry falwell jr. said is it's an election year, and he expected this to happen. >> well, let my make it clear-- there is no political motivation whatsoever.

he said their relationship continued till 2018 and involved him having sex with becki falwell while jerrytart out, what consensual adults do in their sex life and it's up for them. i don't judge anybody for anything. you do whatever tickles your exposed fly. but falwell has made it his business to judge everyone else. he speaks out against gay relationships and until five years ago, students at his university weren't allowed to do anything beyond holding hands or even watch r-rated vies. meanwhile he's apparently let this pool boy check his wife's color nation levels. sometimes i think guys like this are reading different bibles to the rest of us because the bible i read says to love thy flab and judge not lest you be judged first. but this guy is, here's something you can do is hot. nothing is more dangerous to a relationship than a sexy pool boy. that's why i only use a pool cleaning robot. i still try to smash the thing but it's not interested. finally, fires sweeping california. >> the firefight continues for firefighters in northern california where three major wildfires are burning

sexual relationship with falwell's wait for several years, relationship involved in having sex with becky falwellle he says jerry falwell looked on. falwell has been on a leave of absence is leader of the christian university. california supreme court overturned the death sentence for scott peterson who was convicted of murdering his wife lacey and their unborn son on christmas eve in 2002. the high court ordering a new sentencing trial after the trial judge they felt made significant errors in jury selection. the court didn't pull the trial was fair and the underlying conviction stand. kentucky fried chicken dropping it single looking good slogan after 64 years saying it doesn't feel right. the slogan is expected to come back when the time is right. >> false promises spread the wealth, free education, free healthcare, the fund the police. they don't sound radical to my ears. they sound familiar. >> given immigrant alvarez comparing today's democrats to what he says he saw in the.castro's cuba. let's bring in bret baer to talk about night one. let's talk your impressions. >> a lot of the early pa

of their relationship remains in dispute but both sides degree granado had a relationship with becky falwellid jerry falwell would watch them. both falwells deny that. our discussion involved both sets of allegation as well as how he first met the falwells. let's start at how you came to meet them. >> right. >> you met them at a hotel. what happened? >> yeah, fountain blue hotel work shift. i noticed this woman behind me staring at me. she is staring at me. she's flirting back and forth, and she invites me back to her hotel. she invites me back to her hotel, but before she invites me back to the hotel, she's like by the way, my husband, he likes to watch. he likes to watch and immediately, i kind of -- i pulled back and i thought it was a little bit odd. i don't like to shame anyone for anything but i did find it odd at the moment and she's like don't worry, he is not going to intervene. he's just going to watch in the corner of the room. he's going to watch in the corner of the room. i'm like okay, i'm a single 20-year-old guy. why not? >> do you know who they were? >> i had no idea who the

becki falwell finally addresses the allegations surrounding her and her family. what she is saying about her marriage and her husband to jerry falwell jr. >>> plus melania trump in the spot. she steps out of her comfort zone to try and help her husband secure another four years in fice. fice. but offi it's not going away. covid-19. more than ever, california needs rapid coronavirus testing. robust contact tracing. support for community health clinics. masks and ppe for those saving lives... for teachers and school personnel educating students. these heroes are doing their jobs. now government must do theirs. keep working through a special session to combat this crisis right now and provide the revenues to solve the problems we know are coming. >>> s >>> still ahead, a first hand look at the coronavirus test that could be the key to keeping students in school but first your local news. ♪ introducing dove advanced care. its new formula with natural oil... is effective and kind to skin... leaving underarms... feeling healthy and protected. and you, more confident and

falwell jr. and his wife becky.ome of the relationship remains in dispute but both sides agree granda had a sexual relationship with becky falwell. granda has said jerry falwell would watch them. both grandas deny that. our discussion involve both sets of allegations, as well as how he first met the falwells. >> let's just start at the beginning of how you came to -- to meet them. >> right. >> met them at the fountain blue hotel. >> yeah. yeah. fountain blue hotel. work shift. i noticed this woman behind me, staring at me. she's staring at me. you know, she's flirting back and forth. and she invites me back to her hotel. she invites me back to her hotel. but before she invites me back to the hotel, she's like, by the way, my husband, he likes to watch. he likes to watch. and immediately, i kind of -- i pulled back. and i thought it was a little bit odd. i don't like to shame anyone for anything. okay. but i did find it odd, at the moment. and she's like, don't worry. he -- he -- he's not going to -- he's not going t

sexual relationship with falwell's wife for years, relationships involved him having sex with becky falwell while jerry falwell looked on. falwell has been on a leave of absence as a leader of the christian school. republicans rally in charlotte, democratic nominee joe biden is staying at home in delaware for now. biden is already trying to sell his tax plan that includes increases. peter doocy is in rehobeth beach delaware. >> joe biden wants more than $6 trillion in new federal spending and that money has to come from somewhere. >> i will raise taxes for anyone making over $400,000. >> barack obama sees shades of the more progressive lawmaker telling the new yorker if you look at joe biden's goals and bernie sanders goals, they are not that different. they both want to make sure everybody has health care and they want to make sure everybody can get a job that pays a living wage. they want to make sure every child gets good education. nearly a third of dnc convention delegates weren't satisfied with the biden platform. more than 1,000 voted against it. more than 3500 voted for it. two doze

jerry falwell admitting she had an inappropriate relationship in a statement to cnn but denied being involved at all let alone having watched. beckyappropriate relationship with this person someone i was not involved n. a statement referring a fatal attraction-type situation and included multiple references to scripture, falwell said it led to stress, weight loss and reflection and has forgiven his wife and seeking professional help. reuters reported texts and said it happened at hotels in miami and the falwell's home in virginia. >> anybody should get applauded and should get standing ovations for what he's accomplished. >> reporter: in one from 2012, becky falwell who's on the board of women for trump allegedly writes to him, right now i'm just missing you like crazy, have you had this affect on all of your lady friends? a june 2020 exchange describes how the relationship deteriorated. granda allegedly writing it is a shame because i wanted to reach a peaceful resolution and just move on with our lives but if conflict is what you want then so be it. jerry falwell allegedly replying you should by now understand i will not be expl

, a former hotel pool attendant who then became a business partner, said he had an affair with becki falwell, jerry falwell, jr.'s wife. granda says falwell junior would watch while they had sex. jerry falwell, jr. is a prominent supporter of president trump. surprising many in 2016 when he endorsrsed donald trump. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org. i'm amy goodman. we are breaking with convention. i am in new york city joined by my cohost juauan gonzalez froros home in new jersrsey. juan: welcome to allll of our liststeners and viewers frfrom around the country a and around the world. amy: the r republicacan national convention opened in charlotte, north carolina president trump , monday. made a surprise speech during the day just minutes after he was formally nominated for a second term. he spoke in front of a group of delegates in charlotte. >> four more years. four more years. four more years. four more years. pres. trump: now if you want to really drive them crazy, you say 12 more years. >> 12 more years. 12 more years. pres. trump: because we

the alleged sex scandal at liberty university, he told politico he had a sexual encounter with becky falwel> with the nation reckoning race and social justice this year. the famous march in washington. with the rub for spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time on the couch with tacos from grubhub? grubhub's gonna reward you for that with a $5 off perk. (doorbell rings) - [crowd] grubhub! (fireworks exploding) >>> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. tens of thousands of people gathered at the national mall this afternoon to call for racial justice and inequality. q abc news' reporter has the story. >> reporter: undeterred by the global pandemic. >> we lay ourselves on the line because this is important. >> reporter: the unforgiving summer heat. >> we didn't come out and stand in this heat because we had nothing to do. black lives matter and we don't stop until it matters to everybody. >> reporter: a crowd of 70,000 marched in washington on friday, fighting for the same thing their mothers andhe c rights movement. >> because of my parents and despi

becki, would you stand? she's done an incredible job caring for students and supporting me, and thank you, sweetie. i love you very much. >> reporter: in an explosive news story about falwell 29-year-old former pool attendant giancarlo granda, granda telling reuters he met the couple in 2012. >> so giancarlo granda told us he had an intimate relationship with becki falwell and that jerry falwell liked to watch. >> reporter: falwell's troubles going public weeks ago following a series of recent racy party photos, one he posted on social media with his wife's assistant. the university forbids alcohol or mediandrel or extramarital sex. falwell later took the photo down and apologized, saying it was from a costume party and just in good fun. >> our whole faith is based on the theology of forgiveness, of -- on the fact that -- i mean, we believe -- jesus taught us that all of us are sinners. we all sin every day. >> reporter: falwell, president of liberty university, took a leave of absence on august 7th. then this week the shocking story from granda who tells reuters his relationship with the falwells lasted from 2012 to 2018. >> the affair, he said, started in 2012. it starte

multiple times a year at hotels and at the falwell's home and they published texts including from becky falwell serves on the board of women for trump and has been called the first lady of liberty university. >> you're there at liberty university and you guys are training tomorrow's workforce. but you're also promoting traditional family values. >> reporter: in one text from 2012, she allegedly writes to granda, right now i'm just missing you like crazy, do you have this effect on all of your lady friends? falwell was one of the biggest trump supporters and he helped the thrice married real estate moguls win the support of white evangelicals a key voting bloc. >> i truly believe that trump is america's blue collar billionaire. he is down to earth, he loves america. and the american people. >> reporter: speaking of that full compensation jerry falwell jr. says he's still owed me confirmed to my colleague danielle burke he will receive $2.5 million over the next two years. and $8 million after that. >> just staggering sums. athena, thank you for that reporting. >>> also, devastating wildfires yea

granda denies blackmailing the falwells, in her first comments about the scandal, becki falwell tellsn love than ever, and adding we have the strongest relationship and jerry is the most forgiving person i ever met. in the same interview, jerry falwell says he never broke a single rule that are for staff members at liberty. falwell had been on an indefinite leave of absence from liberty since early august, after posting this now deleted photo on social media. in a statement monday night, the school said additional matters came to light that made it clear that it would not be in the best interest of the university for him to return from leave. on tuesday, the university said it had accepted falwell's resignation effective immediately, while offering heart felt prayers to the falwells, who are now dealing with a very public fall from grace. >> a photo of himself with his pants open deleted yet jerry falwell jr. says it is his wife who is doing things that would embarrass the school. we'll leave this hour there and we'll continue to watch that space, that story, it is not over. i'm neste

providing text replies from granda including becki falwell and called the first lady of liberty universityversity, training tomorrow's workforce but also promoting traditional family values. >> reporter: one text from 2012 she allegedly writes to granda, "right now i'm just missing you like crazy. have you had this effect on all of your lady friends?" falwell was one of president trump's most prominent evangelical supporters. his january 2016 endorsement helping the thrice married real estate mogul with a history of alleged extramarital affairs win the support of white evangelicals. a key voting bloc. >> i truly believe mr. trump is america's blue-collar billionaire. he is down to earth, he loves america and the american people. >> reporter: now, falwell had already been on an indefinite leave of absence from liberty university after posting a photo on instagram with a woman he said was his wife's assistant showing both with their pants unfastened, something he said was meant lightheartedly. the university board will be meeting to select a surge committee for its next president. jake? >> a

falwell, becki falwell, is listed as a member of the board of women for trump. no word whether she will keep that position. but highlighting the trump family for this convention, as is the embrace of the religious right for all of its substantive problems in terms of who president trump is, you know, we have numerous speakers on night one thanking god for bringing america donald trump and the trump presidency. tonight, mike pompeo will be one of the late-night speakers. he is believed to have taped his speech today on the roof of the king david hotel in jerusalem, while abroad on a diplomatic trip. this means in terms of the visuals, we don't know what he's going to say, but he will be speaking with basically the holy sites of the city of jerusalem as the visible backdrop while he speaks tonight. and we will see what that means in terms of the religious claims or implications there. but it comes on jerry falwell day, and it will also be a shocking departure from state department protocol, which implores and requires diplomats, particularly those who are presiden

falwell's money. granda told reuters he knew about the relationship and even watched granda and becky having sex which he denied to reuters in 2019 it grew contentious. granda allegedly writing to falwell, since you're okay with ruining my life, i want a peaceful resolution but if conflict is what you want, then so be it. nbc news has not seen the message shared with reuters granda denies trying to blackmail the falwells, longtime political activists and trump supporters, telling reuters he was only trying to get bought out of the business they started. the scandal worsening problems for falwell who took a leave of absence from liberty university after posting and then deleting this photo on instagram, telling a radio show it was taken at a costume party in good fun. >> i've apologized to everybody, and i promised my kids i'm going to try to be -- i'm going to be a good boy from here on out. >> reporter: nbc news reached out to the falwells and granda but they did not respond. tonight the institution founded by falwell's father that preaches family values and morals may soon be looking for another pre

telling the "washington examiner" that over eight years he and his wife becky met an ambitious young man working at a hotel, falwelltes becky had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which i was not involved it deteriorated into what he describes as a fatal attraction type situation. according to reuters the man is giancarlo granda, when opened up a youth hospital in south beach with falwell's number he knew about the relationgranda and becky having sex which he denied to reuters in 2019 it grew contentious. granda allegedly writing to falwell, since you're okay with ruining my life, i want a peaceful resolution but if conflict is what you want, then so be it. nbc news has not seen the message shared with reuters granda denies trying to blackmail the falwells, longtime political activists and trump supporters, telling reuters he was only trying to get bought out of the business they started. the scandal worsening problems for falwell who took a leave of absence from liberty university after posting and then instagram, telling a radio show it was taken at a costume party in good fun.

carlo granda in his own words describing taibbi see what he says was his years long affair with becki falwellmer president of liberty university jerry falwell junior after meeting the pair at a miami hotel 8 years ago earlier this week, jerry falwell admitted his wife's relationship with rhonda but denied washing their trysts the former pool attendant pushing back the jury's knows his game plan from the beginning to just throw her under the bus. would say i think speaks a lot about who he is what his character. and he was aware from day one of our relationships and he he did in fact watch. >>rhonda a former self described a video game addict who was 20 years old at the time alleging falwell junior is voyeurism also began on day one we want to stairs and jerry was laying on the bed, he was drunk. and he was giggling. and again i'm kind of weirded out its moment and i said hey if at any point a jealous or you want to back off just. let me know and i'll walk out here, know just go for it i want to mention for into the details but he he he enjoyed watching. cnn obtained audio of 2018 call granda

falwell said you were extorting them. while we tried to distant ourselves, he became aggressive and threaten to reveal the relationship with beckid you threaten the falwells that you would go public if they did not pay you? >> that's false. he called me an extortionist or criminal. if i was extorting, why would he still be hanging out with me. in january 2019, there was a facetime call and becki walking around naked in the house and jerry is following her right behind. >> we obtained communications from someone familiar with falwells dealing that in march, you were asking $1.1 million. they say that was you trying to ex to extort them. >> again, i was only asking what was offered to me. again, i am just asking for what he promised. >> you are saying your 25% stake is worth that figure that i just read? >> in 2016 he himself said this number that ill get $600,000 in net after personal taxes and expenses. >> so -- where is the $1.1 million figure coming from? >> well, if you consider the gross amount. i mean it is right on par. he also back hotel in virginia. and at that time, he was trying to bring me over to virginia. >> did you

in a statement falwell said his wife becki had an affair with granda who later tried to extort them grandae accusation telling reuters that jerry knew about the affair and would sometimes watch him and becki together granda sharing phone conversations with reuters including this exchange from 2018 >> like i don't have feelings or something. >> reporter: all of this less than a month after falwell posted and then deleted this photo on instagram despite his defense that it was all in good fun liberty university put the 58-year-old on indefinite leave in a statement monday night the school said additional matters came to light that made it clear that it would not be in the best interest of the university for him to return from leave. according to the university, falwell responded by agreeing to resign immediately. but then instructed his attorneys not to send his resignation in an interview with "the wall street journal" late monday falwell said he would indeed step down acknowledging that some of his posts on social media had embarrassed the school tonight liberty university says its new lea

today's news comes amid allegations that jerry falwell jr., while president of one of the nation's largest christian universities, used to watch his wife, becki, have sex with another man. giancarlo granda told reuters that he was about 20 years old and working as a hotel pool boy when he began a years-long sexual relationship involving the falwells. granda shared evidence with reuters that he says supports his account, including this phone call. >> reporter: falwell's powerful endorsement of donald trump in 2016 was the first by a major evangelical leader. >> we must unite behind donald trump and mike pence. >> reporter: falwell tells cbs news the reuters article was 90% false and, "i didn't sit and watch anything. that's stupid." but he says his wife did have an affair with granda, while also alleging that the young man was engaging in extortion and threatening behavior, like something out of the movie "fatal attraction." falwell's resignation brings an end to a tumultuous august. earlier this month, he took an indefinite leave of absence after posting this instagram photo. he is seen with his arm around a woman, while both had their pants

falwell says he was aware of the becky's inappropriate personal relationship but says he was not involvedal relationship with becky and says her husband jerry not only knew about it but often watched them together. he gave reuters text messages ad this 2018 audio conversation of the couple >> every time he hooks up with people like i don't have feelings or something. >> reporter: nbc news has not seen the messages or photos shared with reuters. in 2019 granda says the relationship grew contentious. granda writing to jerry, since you're okay with ruining my life i'm going to take the kamikaze route. i wanted to reach a peaceful resolution, but if conflict is what you want, then so be it falwell says granda tried using the affair to extort him something granda denies contending he was trying to end a business relationship with the couple >> president donald j. trump >> reporter: the falwell's are some of president trump's most prominent religious supporters last year becky spoke with eric trump's wife, laura >> we are so proud of our students here at liberty it's such an honor to be able to

falwell said he tried using the affair to extort him. something he denies. >> president donald j. trump. >> reporter: last year, beckike with eric trump's wife lara. >> we're so proud of our students here at liberty and it's such an honor to be able to serve along them. we try to teach good family values. >> reporter: falwell is on a leave of absence after posting and then deleting this photo with a woman that's his not wife, he said it was taken a costume party and in good fun. >>> okay, stephanie gosk reporting for us there. >>> now let's a quick check of the markets, right now the dow is down more than 65 points as apple shares declined for the first time in six sessions, the s&p is going for four straight days of gain. >>> jacob blake's father says he's parl issed from the waist down. we're live in wisconsin after the break. >>> plus, a broader discussion on racial injustice in america as the list of black men shot by white police officers gets longer and longer. you're watching many, snbc. , snc what do you look for when you trade? i want free access to research. yep, td ameritrade's got that. free access to eve

but granda denied blackmailing the falwells, and gave this interesting detail of the affair. , "beckielationship and jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room." listen, i am not here to kink shame. i believe whatever happens between consenting adults is perfectly fine, and i believe jerry falwell jr. wants to watch them from the koirn of th cornee room. what i don't dig is hypocrisy. while carrying on with this pool boy, falwell was still president of a university whose code of conduct says sexual relations outside of a biblically ordained marriage between a natural born man and a natural born woman are not permissible at liberty university. but they're clearly forgetting the biblical story of adam and eve, and kevin who watched from the free. oh, no, no, leave the fig leaf on! ( laughter ) polish the apple, polish-- bite it. again, i'm not looking to judge or shame someone else's consenting sexual encounters. that's falwell's job. granda backed up his claim with plenty of eviden feinbe d two dcussed their relationship while jerry piked from behind a door. you know the old sa

reuters, he says "becki and i developed an intimate relationship and jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room." he met the couple in 2012 as a 20-year-old in miami. on sunday, falwell went public, saying granda had an affair with his wife but said he wasn't involved. in a statement, he accuses granda of blackmail. "he began threatening to publicly reveal this secret relationship with becki and to deliberately embarrass my wife, family and liberty university unless we agreed to pay him substantial monies." granda denies the blackmail accuse sags, even releasing this call with her. >> his new thing is like telling me every time he hooks up with people, like i don't have feelings or something. >> you're going to make her jealous, gian. >> yeah. >> aw, i'm not trying to do that. >> reporter: as president of liberty university, the largest christian university in the country, falwell's 2016 endorsement provided a major boost to then candidate donald trump. falwell recently placed on an indefinite leave of absence from the university after he posted this off-color photo on social media of him and his wife's assistant on a yacht, that he says was a joke. david, i talked t

jerry falwell admitting his wife had an inappropriate personal relationship in a lengthy statement to cnn but denying being involved at all. let alone, having watched. becky an inappropriate relationship with this person. something, in which i was not involved. in a statement that referred to a, quote, fatal attraction-type situation, and included multiple references to scripture, falwell said the affair led to stress, weight loss, and he said he has forgiven his wife and is seeking professional help. also published text provided and told the liaisons it happened multiple times a year. >> anybody should get applauded and should get standing ovations for what he's accomplished. >> in one from becky 12, becky fall well who serves on the board writes to granda, writes now i am missing you like crazy. have you had all of this effect on your lady friends? a june 2020 effect shows the relationship between fallwell and granda had deteriorated. granda allegedly writing to fallwell, it is a shame because i wanted to reach a peaceful resolution and move on but if fall well is what you want, so be it. >> you should by now understand that i will not be extorted. i ha

jerry falwell admitting his wife had an inappropriate personal relationship in a lengthy statement to cnn but denying being involved at all let alone having watched. beckyersonal relationship with this person something in which i was not involved. in a statement that referred to a, quote, fatal attraction type situation and included multiple references to scripture, falwell said the affair led to stress, weight loss, and reflection. he said he has forgiven his wife and is seeking professional help to address the emotional toll. reuters first reported the story also supplying texts supplied by granda who told reuters the liaisons happened at multiple times per year at hotels and the falwells' home in virginia. a june 2020 text published showing how the relationship deteriorated sometime after the couple and granda invested together in a local property granda allegedly writing to falwell it really as shame because i wanted to reach a peaceful resolution and just move on with our lives but if conflict is what you want then so be it. jerry falwell allegedly replying you should by now understand i will not be extorted. i have always treated you fairly and be

jerry falwell admitted his wife had an inappropriate relationship but denied being involved at all, let alone having watched. beckyappropriate personal relationship with this person something in which i was not involved. in a statement that referred to the quote fatal attraction type of situation and included scripture, he said the affair led to stress, weight loss and reflection and he's seeking professional help to address the emotional toll. there were texts published who told ed this happened multiple times per year at hotels in miami and new york and at the falwell's home in virginia. a june 2020 exchange shows how the relationship between the falwells and granda had deteriorated after they invested together in a local property. it really is a shame because i wanted to move on with our lives but if conflict is what you want, then so be it. falwell said i will not be extorted. i have treated you fairly and been restrained in response to your threats. going forward, stop contacting me and my family. granda denied the blackmail accusation. >> we must unite between trump and pence. >> reporter: falwell had been o

falwell jr. involved in this affair >> since day one, march 2012. >> reporter: to back up his claims granda produced a tape of a phone call with becky. in 2018. >> you're saying like -- he's telling me every time he has sex with people. like hurt my feelings or something. >> make her jealous. >> reporter: granda says the man's voice is falwell and the affair lasted seven years he went into business with the couple in lltied. >> i want to break free but it's not just that i think that enough is enough and abuse of power needs to be -- it needs to be addressed. i really think that there should be an independent investigation into liberty university i want to break free i want to get out of this i don't want to be affiliated with this family. >> reporter: the falwells did not return our request for comment. earlier this week falwell accused granda of increasingly threatening behavior granda insists he is the one telling the truth. anne thompson, nbc news >>> there is news tonight raising more questions over whether coronavirus survivors have some measure of immunity researchers believe they have found the first case in the u.s. of a pe