WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — Longtime Washington Times columnist Arnaud de Borchgrave will take a three-month leave from the newspaper while editors review his work following accusations of plagiarism.

The newspaper announced de Borchgrave’s hiatus in a statement published Tuesday.

Editor Ed Kelley says the accusations about de Borchgrave’s work “require attention.” His column is published weekly in The Times and is distributed by United Press International.

The Washington Post and Salon.com have published articles quoting passages from de Borchgrave’s columns that appear to have been lifted without attribution from other published material.

The 85-year-old de Borchgrave served as editor of The Times from 1985-1991 and writes about foreign affairs. He said in a statement to The Associated Press last week: “If I dropped a few quote marks inadvertently, mea culpa. Everyone makes mistakes.”

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