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A CBS News employee is accused of trying to extort $2 million
from David Letterman, forcing the late-night host to admit in an
extraordinary monologue before millions of viewers that he had
sexual relationships with female employees.


      Letterman said that "this whole thing has been quite scary."
But he mixed in jokes while outlining what had happened to him,
seeming to confuse a laughing audience at Thursday's taping about
whether the story was true.


      The network said the person who was arrested works on the
true-crime show "48 Hours" and has been suspended. A person with
knowledge of the investigation said the suspect is Robert J.
Halderman. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because
authorities have not released the suspect's name.


      A "48 Hours" producer named Joe Halderman was part of a team
nominated for an Emmy for outstanding continuing coverage of a news
story in a news magazine in 2008. Two numbers listed for Halderman
were disconnected, and a message left at a third number was not
immediately returned Thursday.


      Letterman's "Late Show" audience was the first to hear the
story, which came as a shock since the 62-year-old Letterman had
married longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko in March. The couple began
dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry, born in November 2003.
Fatherhood and his heart surgery in 2000 had seemed to mellow
Letterman, who took over as the most popular late-night comedy host
this summer after NBC replaced Jay Leno with Conan O'Brien on the
"Tonight" show.


      Letterman sat behind his desk to outline the scheme after a
monologue that targeted some frequent foils like Sarah Palin and
Dick Cheney.


      Three weeks ago, Letterman said, he got in his car early in the
morning and found a package with a letter saying, "I know that you
do some terrible, terrible things and that I can prove that you do
some terrible things." He acknowledged the letter contained proof.


      He said it was terrifying "because there's something insidious
about (it). Is he standing down there? Is he hiding under the car?
Am I going to get a tap on the shoulder?"


      Letterman said he called his lawyer to set up a meeting with the
man, who threatened to write a screenplay and a book about
Letterman unless he was given money. There were two subsequent
meetings, with the man given a phony $2 million check at the last
one. Letterman joked it was like the giant ceremonial check given
to winners of golf tournaments.


      He told the audience that he had to testify before a grand jury
on Thursday.


      "I was worried for myself, I was worried for my family," he
said. "I felt menaced by this, and I had to tell them all of the
creepy things that I had done."


      He said "the creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women
who work for me on this show. My response to that is yes, I have.
Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Yes, it would,
especially for the women."


      Whether they wanted to make the relationships public was up to
them, he said.


      "It's been a very bizarre experience," he said. "I felt like
I needed to protect these people. I need to protect my family. I
need to protect myself. Hope to protect my job."


      CBS said in a statement that "we believe his comments speak for
themselves."


      Perhaps as a defense mechanism, Letterman sprinkled his remarks
with jokes: "I know what you're saying," he said. "I'll be
darned, Dave had sex."


      He said he wouldn't talk further about it, and recited a Top Ten
list. But it wasn't far from his mind. During banter with actor
guest Woody Harrelson, Letterman said, "I've got my own
problems."


      It was not immediately clear when the relationships took place
or how long they lasted. Letterman's "Late Show" has been on the
air since 1993. Before that, "Late Night with David Letterman"
aired on NBC from 1982 to 1993.


      Letterman won't be taping a show Friday. Friday night's show was
taped Thursday.


      Alicia Maxey Greene, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District
Attorney's office, declined to comment.


      It's the second set of embarrassing headlines for Letterman in
four months. In June, he apologized to Palin for making a crude
joke about the former Republican vice presidential candidate's
14-year-old daughter. Although there was a small "fire Letterman"
demonstration outside of his studio later, CBS stood by its
late-night star.


      Last fall Letterman sharply denounced Palin's running mate, John
McCain, for abruptly canceling a "Late Show" appearance. Weeks of
withering jokes by Letterman eventually forced McCain to come on
the show and beg for forgiveness.


      Letterman was also the victim of a 2005 plot by a former painter
on his Montana ranch to kidnap his nanny and son for a $5 million
ransom. The former painter, Kelly A. Frank, briefly escaped from
prison in 2007 before being recaptured.


      Another alleged extortion scandal surrounding a public figure,
Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino, similarly forced him
this summer to acknowledge an affair.

Gallery

A CBS News employee is accused of trying to extort $2 million
from David Letterman, forcing the late-night host to admit in an
extraordinary monologue before millions of viewers that he had
sexual relationships with female employees.


Letterman reveals affair, blackmail plot during monologue

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