Five women have accused journalist and political analyst Mark Halperin of sexually harassing them while he was the political director at ABC News, CNN reported on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old, who co-authored the book Game Change, is currently an analyst for NBC News. The women, who did not want their names made public, told CNN that Halperin sexually harassed them a number of times and in a number of ways, ranging from kissing to groping. They did not report the harassment earlier because they were scared of retribution.

Halperin told CNN in a statement: “During this period, I did pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me.” He added that he now understood that his behaviour was inappropriate and caused pain to others, and he was sorry for that. “Under the circumstances, I’m going to take a step back from my day-to-day work while I properly deal with this situation.”

“Mark left ABC News over a decade ago, and no complaints were filed during his tenure,” ABC News was quoted as saying in a statement.

These allegations come in the backdrop of a series of high-profile allegations of sexual harassment, including those against photographer Terry Richardson, Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein and director James Toback.