In late 2019, reporter Sue Livio had begun working on a story regarding allegations of sexual harassment against the head of New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association.
That put Livio on a collision course with Whitmer, who had formed a business partnership with the association and it’s president, Hugh O’Beirne. Whitmer had invested heavily in a subscription-based product, NJ Cannabis Insider, and in plans for a joint public event with the association where the two would split the revenues.
An upcoming event was expected to produce revenue for NJ Cannabis Insider and improve Whitmer’s profits in the project, two sources confirmed, who sought to kill Livio’s story in order to protect his business relationship.
“Sue pushed back and (editorial page editor) Tom Moran supported her and said the story had to be written,” one of their co-workers confirmed. “Kevin yielded and the story was written, but the damage had been done.”
After a story on an internal investigation was published, NJ Cannabis Insider ended its relationship with the cannabis industry group.