Wyoming Secretary of State, Republican Ed Murray, is contemplating a gubernatorial run in that state. That is, he was, until a former colleague of his stepped forward to accuse him of a heinous act of sexual assault.
"Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray (R), who is considering a run for governor, is accused by a former intern of wrestling her to the office floor and ejaculating on her stomach, the Casper Star Tribune reports."https://t.co/BsFkWi7Gdohttps://t.co/SjZyuectUz
— Patrick (@TrickFreee) December 15, 2017
In 1982, Tatiana Maxwell graduated high school and started working as an intern at a Cheyenne law firm where Murray worked as an attorney. According to a social media post she wrote earlier this week, she told friends at the time about an unspeakably harrowing incident she endured after work one evening. Over pizza, Murray tried to pull down her pants and after Ms. Maxwell told him she was a virgin, “Ed wrestled me down to the carpet in front of the receptionist desk, opened his pants, lifted up my blouse and ejaculated on my stomach . . . I was disgusted and horrified.”
#MeTooFor over 35 years, I’ve had this on my mind. I told close friends about the incident at the time and my then…
Posted by Tatiana Maxwell on Monday, December 11, 2017
“One of the unforgettable memories was of him handing me the box of Kleenex from the receptionist’s desk to clean myself up after … he was finished,” Maxwell wrote in her post.
Because she was afraid of losing her job, she did not report the incident to her supervisors.
Although Murray denies the allegations now, according to , he “married a high school classmate of [Maxwell’s] and was present at two of her high school reunions, where he once tried to apologize to her and a second time ‘alluded’ to the incident.”
Her husband, with whom Maxwell is currently divorcing, has confirmed that she had told him about Murray’s assault numerous times dating back years.
Maxwell states that she did not know Murray was considering running for governor until after she posted her accusation. Rather, her painful decision to come forward arose from her daughters questioning her about the #MeToo movement.
Her words speak eloquently for victims of sexual assault everywhere:
As this issue has grown across our country, my experience comes back to the forefront of my mind. You know, part of the problem is that it feels distasteful to talk about it. This is not polite talk and, somehow, embarrassing. But the reason why it isn’t polite talk isn’t because it shouldn’t be talked about. It’s because it isn’t decent behavior. And the person who should be embarrassed isn’t the person who talks about it, it’s the person who did it.
May her heartfelt words imbue other victims with the courage to come forward and may they strike terror in the hearts of anyone considering sexually assaulting another person.
The tides are turning. And with them, the political fortunes of sexual predators.
