Thursday, 04 March 2010
MADAM ASSAILS SILVER ON SEXUAL ASSAULT
"Silver no better than Paterson"
NEW YORK - Women's rights advocate Kristin Davis, who announced her candidacy for Governor of New York on Monday, today assailed New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for attempting to block embattled Governor David Paterson from the upcoming budget talks. "If covering up a sexual assault by a staff member is a criteria for being excluded from upcoming budget talks, then Sheldon Silver should not have a seat at the table," said Davis. "Sheldon Silver shielded a top member of his staff from rape charges only to have him rape a second woman."
"Silver's actions are even worse than the allegations against Paterson," said Davis, formerly known as the Manhattan Madam who supplied escorts for Eliot Spitzer and served four months on Rikers Island for doing so. "Sheldon Silver and the Assembly conducted a whitewash investigation clearing his top Aide, then paid a half million dollars of taxpayers' money to settle a lawsuit that would have revealed Silver's failure to fully investigate rape charges against his top Aide Michael Boxley," said Davis who has pledged to collect enough signatures to put her Independent candidacy on the ballot. "Only when Silver's counsel Michael Boxley attacked and raped another woman was Silver forced to act."
"There cannot be a double standard of justice; one for the political class, and one for the average citizen," said Davis. "Sheldon Silver's handling of sexual assault by his top staffer means he is no better than Boxley, Spitzer or Monserrate. Like Paterson, he attempted to cover up a sexual assault. Sheldon Silver is in no position to judge David Paterson or anyone else."
Davis, 34, is running of Governor on a platform of legalizing prostitution and marijuana and taxing both to solve New York economic problems. She pled guilty to promoting prostitution and her bail was set at $2 million.
"Why is it that men can behave badly and assault women and pay no price, while women are penalized?" said Davis a former Hedge Fund Vice President who created the most successful escort service in history. "Michael Boxley got six month probation and $1,000 fine for what was, in fact, a rape. I did four months hard-time on Rikers Island and forfeited more than $5 million for a victimless crime."
