Morgan Stanley Fires Harold Ford Jr. as an Adviser After Conduct Complaint

Morgan Stanley has fired former congressman Harold Ford Jr. as a senior adviser to the firm after investigating a claim of inappropriate conduct.

A spokeswoman for the Wall Street bank said Mr. Ford had been fired for "conduct inconsistent with our values and in violation of our policies." A person familiar with the matter said the firm had received at least one complaint verified by the bank that he had behaved inappropriately toward a woman.

A memo at the security desk at the firm's Manhattan headquarters on Thursday instructed staff not to allow Mr. Ford into the building.

His firing was earlier reported by the Huffington Post.

Mr. Ford couldn't be reached for comment. A tweet by a Twitter account with Mr. Ford's name created in July 2009 said: "In regards to news today, This simply did not happen. I have never forcibly grabbed any woman or man in my life."

Mr. Ford joined Morgan Stanley in 2011 as a senior adviser, a role that typically involves communicating with clients and appearing at firm events.

The son of a long-term Tennessee congressman, Mr. Ford served in the House of Representatives for a decade before running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2006. He worked for Merrill Lynch and its later parent, Bank of America Corp., before joining Morgan Stanley.

He also serves as a political analyst for MSNBC. A representative for MSNBC wasn't immediately available for comment.

--Peter Rudegeair contributed to this article.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 07, 2017 14:58 ET (19:58 GMT)