The left likes to get on their soapbox. But behind the scenes, they have skeletons in their closet.
Now a Democrat Congressman was caught in a huge cover-up that’s coming back to bite him.
Old Albany Habits Die Hard
In the corridors of New York politics, protecting powerful allies often seems to trump supporting those who step forward with uncomfortable truths.
Rep. Joseph Morelle, a longtime Democratic figure, finds himself backpedaling once again over his handling of a 2001 s-xual assault allegation against a top aide to then-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The case underscores a pattern where loyalty to the party machine can cloud judgment, leaving victims to fight an uphill battle even decades later.
Morelle’s Quick Dismissal of the Accuser
Back in 2001, Elizabeth Crothers, a former state Assembly staffer, accused Michael Boxley—Silver’s influential legal counsel—of r-ping her after she visited his apartment. She confided in then-Assemblyman Scott Stringer that night, describing how Boxley forced himself on her.
When a reporter approached Morelle shortly afterward, he didn’t hesitate to side with his friend Boxley. Morelle declared, “I absolutely don’t believe a word of it.”
In a recent court affidavit tied to Crothers’ ongoing lawsuit, Morelle revisited that moment: “When the allegation was made, I did not know Ms. Crothers, and do not believe I had ever met or spoken with her.” He added, “My statement in 2001 was intended to be supportive of Michael Boxley.”
Critics see this as emblematic of Albany’s old guard: rushing to shield a connected player while brushing aside a young staffer’s trauma, without even speaking to her first.
Later Regrets and Lingering Questions
Morelle eventually issued a public apology in 2018, acknowledging, “Many years later, in 2018, I publicly apologized to Elizabeth Crothers for making that statement in 2001. I recognized that my 2001 statement was insensitive and made without full knowledge of the facts.”
He has since positioned himself as more attuned to issues of abuse by men in power. Yet the timing raises eyebrows—his contrition came long after Boxley pleaded guilty in 2003 to s-xual misconduct involving another Assembly staffer, Rikki Shaw, admitting in court to intercourse without consent.
Boxley, in depositions for Crothers’ civil suit under the Adult Survivors Act, denied her claims and invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 40 times. Meanwhile, Crothers’ attorney has blasted the state’s aggressive defense of the Assembly, questioning whether real change has taken root in New York politics.
As one survivor put it in support of Crothers: “More than 20 years after I was r-ped, Albany is still protecting the politically connected instead of holding predators accountable.”
The trial is set for August 2026. For many watching this unfold, Morelle’s initial instincts reveal how insider politics can too easily sideline victims—leaving doubts about whether the lessons from past scandals have truly sunk in for figures like him.
