Silver Aide's Rape Accuser Backs Opponent, Gets Called a "Freeper"

Last month, regular readers may recall from Heather Muse's report here at Runnin' Scared, Elizabeth Crothers told the New York Daily News that in 2001 she was raped by J. Michael Boxley, then chief counsel to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Crothers suggested that Silver was more interested in covering his own ass than in helping her.

Crothers also said that she would support community activist Paul Newell (pictured left) in his challenge to Silver in the September 9 Democratic Primary.

This week Crothers reiterated her support of Newell in the New York Times -- in which she was joined by another woman who said Boxley raped her.

The accusation by the second woman, who has not been identified, actually got Boxley nailed on a on a sexual misconduct charge, fined, and put on probation in 2004. (Crothers never filed a criminal complaint, relying instead on an Assembly investigation that went nowhere, she implied, due to Silver's lack of support.)

Silver, who'd expressed "anguish" over Crothers' attack in the News story, found himself obliged to do it again for the Times story. It must give him pause to consider that there are other papers in town.

Perhaps the strangest reaction to Crothers' endorsement came from DaBrinker Report, an anti-Newell site, which posted on July 9:

Elizabeth [Crothers] has her own political consulting shop in California -- which is fine.  But, I have to wonder, does The Albany Project (a major supporter of Newell) know that Progressive Paul's major backer is a political consultant that is a regular "Freeper" (Free Republic" contributor -- an ultra conservative blog)?

The Freeper "Liz," to whose page DaBrinker Report links, does not indentify herself as Elizabeth Crothers, and the anti-immigration posts to which Liz's name is attached ("McCain Proves Amnesty is Political Suicide for the GOP") don't match up well with Crothers' more measured (and signed) posts on the subject at Fox & Hounds Daily ("Immigration brings benefits and costs to California, and we can discuss it with an adult vocabulary.  And immigrants are people, too").

We've requested DaBrinker Report to explain the alleged connection, and are waiting to hear back.