Seattle's out mayor, Ed Murray, on
Friday called charges that he sexually abused a troubled teen in the
1980s “simply not true.”
“To be on the receiving end of such
untrue allegations is very painful to me,” Murray said during a
press conference where he did not take questions. “These
allegations dating back to a period of more than 30 years are simply
not true … I will continue to be mayor.”
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, a man
identified only by the initials D.H. claims that he carried out a
sexual relationship with Murray after meeting him on a bus at the age
of 15.
The man, who admits he worked as a
prostitute and was on drugs at the time, claims Murray propositioned
him for sexual favors for as little as $10-$20 in his Capitol Hill
apartment.
According to the lawsuit, the man
recently decided to come forward after undergoing counseling.
Two additional men, Jeff Simpson and
Lloyd Anderson, told The
Seattle Times that Murray paid them for sex in the 1980s when
they lived in a Portland, Oregon center for troubled children. Both
men said that they were willing to testify about it.
Sgt. Pete Simpson of the Portland
Police Bureau told the AP that the department has found no records
connecting either man to Murray.
The age of consent in Washington is 16.
The 61-year-old Murray was elected
mayor in 2014 after nearly two decades of service in the Washington
State Legislature. He is currently seeking re-election. Murray's
husband Michael Shiosaki works for the city of Seattle.