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A former intern of New York City mayoral candidate, Scott Stringer, is accusing him of groping and soliciting her for sex.
Jean Kim, who interned for Stringer’s 2001 campaign, says, “[during] this campaign, I traveled back-and-forth to campaign events with him. Scott Stringer repeatedly groped me, put his hands on my thighs and between my legs and demanded to know why I wouldn’t have sex with him.”
“I never disclosed this before because I was fearful of his vindictive nature that he would retaliate against me and destroy my career in politics,” she added.
During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Stringer denied Kim’s sexual misconduct allegations, saying that they are “untrue and do not reflect my interactions with anyone, including any woman or member of my staff.”
Stringer described Kim as a “friend” and an “active supporter.”
“I remember Ms. Kim well. And these are the facts: I met Jean in the late 1990s. She supported and donated to my campaign for public advocate, beginning as early as 1999,” he said. “She was a peer. She was not — absolutely not — an intern on the campaign. Our internship program was made up of college students. She was not part of that.”
Kathryn Garcia, one of Stringer’s rivals in the mayor’s race and sanitation commissioner, says Stringer should drop out of the race.
“Scott Stringer should stand by his own policy of zero tolerance for sexual harassment and drop out of the mayoral race,” Garcia said.
Another candidate for New York City mayor, attorney Aaron Foldenauer, believes that the other candidates are protecting Stringer. Foldenauer is calling for Stringer to exit the race.
“Adams, Wiley, and Morales are all part of the clubby world of New York City politics. Now that the allegations have hit close to home, these other candidates have abandoned survivors like Jean Kim in order to protect Scott Stringer and their fellow members of the political establishment.”
