New GOP Sex Scandal: Young Republican Prez by Yoss [Subscribe]
Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 01:50:42 PM PDT
Original stories posted in various parts at Blue Indiana.
It seems that the newly elected leader of the Young Republican National Federation has been forced to step down amid allegations that he sexually assaulted another man after a Young Republicans party. Details are still emerging, but the accused man, Glenn Murphy, was a rising star in the Indiana GOP, and his resume includes the leadership of the Clark County Republicans -- a relationship that will also likely be terminated -- and also a position within a consulting firm that has represented Republican politicians such as former Rep. Mike Sodrel. (Hat tip to Advance Indiana.)
Follow me below the fold for information about the allegations, and a look at the quick scrubbing of Murphy's name from the Young Republican website.
Courtesy of the Indiana blog Taking Down Words, we get the police report of not only this incident, but a nearly identical incident that took place in 1998. You can check out both here:
I could write out a summary of the allegations, but the aforementioned Advance Indiana has already done an excellent job in this regard, so I will point you toward his post:
In a shocking police report filed by the Clark Co. Sheriff's office, Murphy is accused of sexually assaulting another man on Saturday, July 28, 2007, while he lay sleeping in his bed. The alleged assault of the 22-year-old man took place in the Jeffersonville, Indiana home of his sister following a Young Republican party in which both Murphy and the 22-year-old man had been in attendance. The victim's sister had urged both men to spend the night at her home because of the amount of alcohol the two had consumed during the party. The victim awoke in the morning to find Murphy performing oral sex on him according to the report. When the victim asked Murphy what he was doing, he responded: "He was holding his dick with one hand and sucking my dick with his mouth." The victim then pushed Murphy away, gathered his personal belongings and left. Murphy was later confronted with the charges by the victim's sister according to the report. The sister says Murphy admitted to her that he performed the sex act on her brother.
[PICTURE OF MURPHY WITH SODREL OMITTED]
Also of note is how quickly the Young Republicans erased any and all mention of their former leader.
The first mention of the resignation came from this site, which simply mentioned that Murphy had resigned, effective immediately, and had already been replaced.
Then came news of a resignation letter which was apparently sent out by Murphy, the text is as follows:
To my dearest friends in Florida, It’s been an absolutely crazy weekend for me, and I just wanted to take a few minutes and share with you some of the decisions I’ve had to make in a very short amount of time. Some you may have heard, some not.
I wanted to address the Floridians specifically because of the close friendships I have developed with so many of you.
First the great news. I bid on a contract for my company a little more than a year ago. I didn’t think it was going to go anywhere. It was a huge project, and taking on the commitment would be life altering for me and my business — my company doing in one year what I would ordinarily do in five. I never thought in a million years that I would land this bid. Well, I landed the bid Friday. Yay for me, right?
There was a major catch.
Due to the nature of the client, one of the stipulations in the contract was that I hold no official partisan titles. (insert gut-wrenching dilemma here) I could help. I could maintain the political consulting division of my business as long as I had additional lead consultants. But I could hold no official Republican positions.
My family sat down with me Saturday evening to look at things from every angle. We’re very close. My mom was pretty blunt about what I needed to do. If I didn’t take the job, there could potentially never be that type of opportunity again and I would be shorting the security of my future and the future of my family. I took mom’s advice to heart.
Every one knows how hard I’ve worked for the party and the Young Republicans. We’ve achieved some amazing things together. So you understand how torturous and monumental this decision is — especially coming after an election I spent the last 6 months of my life working toward.
I spent the majority of my weekend shaking with anxious indecision. I didn’t want to disappoint people. I didn’t want people to be angry. But I prayed with my family, and we determined that I have to take this opportunity for my long-term security.
So what does that mean?
I have resigned from all of my Republican partisan positions and I signed my new client contracts this yesterday. Jessica Colón will take my place as YRNF Chair. We’re working VERY hard to make sure the transition is seamless.
The elections of 2007 and 2008 are absolutely critical and the YRNF needs to be operating at full capacity – no limits, no constraints. I have the utmost confidence in Jessica Colón and the team we have all built to lead the Young Republicans into a new era of accomplishment. I believe in the strength and resolve of the organization and its members and have full confidence that my resignation will in no way hinder the new administration’s capability to make a positive impact on the upcoming elections. Together, we adopted our Recruit, Educate and Deploy strategy. Please support Jessica and the team. The whole 21-person elected team is still in place, save one.
With strong and talented people in place ready to take over the fight, my decision became at least a little easier. It would be (as my mom said) stupid to bypass this business opportunity.
My parents also gave me one other piece of advice. It was a piece of advice that I didn’t need because it was already in my heart to do. Once we made the decision, they told me, "Make sure you talk to all of those nice people in Florida. We know how much they did for you and we know how much you care for them."
So, I hope you can understand how heart-wrenching this has been for me. And I hope you know how much I appreciate everything all of you have done me and for the Young Republicans.
This whole thing has been as unexpected to me as much as it has you. I hope you can support me on one of the "biggest decisions of my life."
Your Friend,
Glenn Murphy
The Young Republicans have quietly and quickly scrubbed any mention of their fallen leader, although the Indiana site hasn't.
Google Cache reveals that the site had Murphy all over it, including a YouTube appeal for GOP presidential contenders to participate in the upcoming YouTube debate. The video has since been removed as well.
I will be updating this story as more details emerge. I just wanted to get this out there so folks could know about it.