A fellow candidate for Big Apple mayor alleged on Friday that the city’s Comptroller Scott Stringer had carried out a “smear campaign” against his sexual harassment charge.
Maya Wiley charged against Stringer as the comptroller’s campaign accused Gene Kim – who went public with claims of female sexual assault bombings – of working for another rival, Democratic mayor’s frontrunner Andrew Yang.
“The smear campaign is underway against Scott Stringer Gene Kim in an apparent effort to blunt, disgust and intimidate anyone who bravely came forward to tell a credible story of his sexual assault,” He tweeted.
Wylie sent the message as Stringer’s campaign pointed to the signature Kim’s four relatives, including Yang, gathered as evidence of the relationship and continued their aggressive push to suspect Stringer’s accusations of her mistreatment, including She said she had caught him several times in 2001, when she says she was working as an unpaid intern on her failed campaign for a public advocate.
“Ms. Kim’s lawyer was asked if Ms. Kim worked for another campaign against Scott Stringer. The attorney’s response was false,” Stringer’s spokesman Tryon Stevens said in a statement.
Stevens said, “Ms. Kim worked for Eliot Spitzer in 2013 and we now know that she was working for Andrew Yang this year. Here is a pattern of inaccurate statements made by Ms. Kim’s lawyer. “
Kim on Friday refused to work for Yang’s mayoral campaign, even though he has signed a petition for a slate of Democratic candidates for public office, including Yang, who was named second on the petitions as mayor’s nominee Is on
“I don’t work and have never worked for the Andrew Yang Campaign,” said 49-year-old Kim.
Yang’s campaign denied any relationship with Kim.
Kim, a lobbyist who has previously worked as a political consultant, including the scandal-ridden former government, Eliot Spitzer, has claimed that Stringer had “inappropriate and frequent sex” with her and more than one Bar asked, “Why won’t you f- k me?”
Kim said in her statement on Friday, “We have an impressive list of female candidates – Maya Ville, Diane Morels and Catherine Garcia. It may be time for a woman to become mayor. But I have not worked for any of his campaigns. And as I have said, I have not given my support to anyone. “
“Regardless of who gets my vote, my decision to disclose my experience with Scott Stringer, every time I saw her, I felt she was showing her support for women.”
He said, “I have no interest in pushing anyone into the mayor’s office. My aim is to speak the truth and hold Stringer accountable for his actions. I am disappointed, but not at all surprised by his attacks and attempts to discredit me. This is what I expected them to do. Lying, attacking and retaliating. “
Kim said that she has “collected ballots for several political candidates in various races.”
“And while I’m focused on new and very different career options at the moment, I’m still quite active in my community,” she said.
The board of election ballot petitions obtained by The Post state that Kim collected signatures last month for Yang, Esther Yang, who is unrelated to Andrew Yang, Brad Holliman and Julie Menin.
Esther Yang – whom Kim called a “neighbor and friend” – is running for the post of a district leader on the upper east side.
Regarding Esther Yang, Kim said, “I was happy to help him get his name on the ballot.” “I have also collected signatures for another neighbor, Tricia Shimamura. I still care about the issues that are important to me and what time and effort I will continue to contribute to support my community. “
Esther Yang told the Post, “I asked her to collect some signatures for the district leader to register her name on the ballot, and she was stunned.” “It has nothing to do with Andrew Yang’s campaign. I don’t know that Jean even knows Mr. Yang. “
“I support Jeanne and I believe that the decision to share her story should be focused on,” she said.
Kim’s lawyer Patricia Pastor said her client collected “about 30 signatures” for Esther Yang.
“The fact that Andrew Yang is named, along with Brad Hoylman and Julie Menin, is on a ballot petition circulated by Jean, which does not reflect any sort of working relationship between Jean and the Andrew Yang campaign,” said the pastor , “Railing,” it is nothing more than specific gaslighting, blaming the victim and trying to discredit him. this is unacceptable. “
Andrew Yang spokesman Alyssa Kass said the campaign first discovered that Ms. Kim had issued some petition letters for several candidates, including Andrew, on Thursday night.
“We fully support Gene Kim and applaud the courageous step he shared this week with his story,” Kass said.
Stringer, who turned 61 on Thursday, has completely denied the sexual harassment allegations leveled by Kim, but said that when Kim was 30 years old, the two were “long-term” consenting. Were the relation “”.
He also denied that Kim had worked as an apprentice in his campaign.
Kim, who occasionally does stand-up comedy, appeared on a zoom comedy show Thursday night, and said that “I was supposed to meet one of the politicians I worked with, because she was in her pants.” I could not keep my word, “reference to Stringer.
Meanwhile, Stringer’s campaign has continued support. A leftist Jewish group, the Jewish vote, On friday he said Supporting them.
The group’s decision came after United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 – which represents 20,000 grocery store workers in the city and its suburbs – backed on Thursday.
On the same day, Mayor Bill de Blasio called for an investigation into Stringer’s behavior, although it is unclear which agency on the campaign trail would have jurisdiction over the politician’s conduct.
However, Stringer suffered perhaps his biggest defeat in the hours immediately after Kim went public, when one of his oldest and most vocal boosters, state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), pulled him back.
Still, a longtime Manhattan poll reiterated late Friday that he plans to remain in the running.
“I understand that this is a difficult moment for my supporters, and I know that some of them will feel compelled to withdraw my candidature,” Stringer said in a statement.
“This campaign was always going to be about the people. I have gained a lot of support in the last two days when the campaign has stopped, and I am going to campaign in every neighborhood, in every neighborhood, for the next two months. “I look forward to seeing my opponents in the campaign trail and debates.”
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