Seattle mayor accused of sexually abusing male teenager
The mayor of Seattle, Washington, Ed Murray, has denied allegations that he once paid a homeless, drug-addicted male teenager for sex in the 1980s, vowing to continue his re-election campaign.
In a brief news conference on Friday at the Seattle office of his private attorney, Murray said the allegations filed in a civil lawsuit on Thursday "is now a legal matter that is in the courts."
"To be on the receiving end of such untrue allegations is very painful. It is painful to my husband and for those who are close to us," said Murray, who is homosexual.
Murray, 61, neither disputed nor acknowledged whether he was ever acquainted with or had even met his accuser. The mayor then turned and walked away as reporters shouted after him.
Just as he was preparing to launch a re-election campaign, Murray was hit Thursday with damning allegations from three men that accuse him of sexually abusing them in the 1980s.
The Seattle Times has reported that two other men have previously accused Murray of abusing them when they were teenagers. Murray has denied those allegations and no charges were ever filed.
Bob Shulkin, Murray's attorney, said the lawsuit was politically motivated. The mayor himself said he would "not back down."
Murray's spokesman, Jeff Reading, previously suggested unnamed Murray enemies were behind the claims. "It is not a coincidence that this shakedown effort comes within weeks of the campaign filing deadline," Reading said.
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