With two days before New Yorkers head to the polls, Julia Salazar, a candidate for State Senate in New York’s District 18, has had to defend herself as attacks on her character abound. In one of her latest tweets, she alleged that David Keyes, a spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu, sexually assaulted her. She explained that she decided to speak out because a story aimed to out her.
Instead of looking at her past politics – people have criticized Salazar for her past as a conservative with anti-choice and pro-Israel views – and the ways she has misled the public, stories have started to dig into her personal life. Last week, news broke that the 27-year-old candidate was once arrested for allegedly trying to defraud Kai Thompson, the wife of former Met Keith Hernandez. (She sued for defamation and won a settlement, but outlets focused on a supposed affair she had with the former baseball player.)
“And so, now we are talking about these baseless accusations rather than how to protect affordable housing or win universal health care — issues my opponent has refused to champion and address as a State Senator and throughout this race,” her team said. “Women in politics always face a double standard, and the extreme scrutiny of my personal life in this race has been a manifestation of that.”
Today, in a tweet, she accuses the media of maligning her once again. “I’ve been informed that a story is about to run which identifies me as a victim of sexual assault,” she wrote. “Before this runs, I want to come forward and confirm that I was a victim of sexual assault by David Keyes – the Prime Minister of Israel’s spokesperson to foreign media. This story appears to be an effort to cast doubt upon my, and other women’s, accusations against Keyes. I’ve spoken to other journalists who were investigating accusations against David Keyes on background about this experience, but have never spoken on the record about it until now.”
In the post – where she doesn’t name the publication or reporter(s) – she criticizes the way that survivors of sexual assault and abuse are treated. Read her entire message below.