Liberty University orders investigation 'into all facets' of operations during Falwell's tenure as president

Liberty University announced Monday that it has hired a top firm to conduct a "forensic" investigation "into all facets" of its operations during the tenure of its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., who agreed to step down last week amid a sex scandal involving his wife and former business partner.

What are the details?

Falwell resigned after Reuters published an interview with a former pool boy and business partner, Giancarlo Granda, came forward claiming he had an affair with Falwell's wife, Becki, and that Falwell would watch the two have sex. Both Falwells acknowledged Becki's relationship with Granda but denied Jerry had any involvement.

Falwell was already on leave from his leadership duties at the institution he had run for nearly 13 years following an uproar over a picture he posted to social media showing him with his arm around another woman while both their pants were undone.

In a statement posted to Liberty University's website, the evangelical institution wrote of Falwell:

Some may say that all the signs were there for a long time before last week. It's certainly fair to say that there were questionable comments made, worrying behavior, and inappropriate social media posts, but all the signs were not there until the start of last week. While we still didn't know the full scope of the matter, we have learned enough about the past to know that we had no choice but to take the leadership of Liberty University in a new direction.

The school then announced:

We are also committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president. One of the leading forensic firms in the world has been retained by Liberty University's Board of Trustees to conduct a thorough investigation into all facets of Liberty University operations during Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s tenure as President, including but not limited to financial, real estate, and legal matters.

Liberty's statement did not mention Mrs. Falwell, who was also accused last week of performing a sex act on a former student in 2008 when she was an employee of the university.

The Associated Press noted that "A number of Falwell's family members have worked for the school, including his son Trey Falwell, who on Monday was still listed on Liberty's website as the vice president of university support services."

In a statement on Sunday, the Falwells told the outlet they "welcome any inquiry as we have nothing to hide."