Man in McGreevey Scandal Speaks Out
Aug. 13, 2004 -- The man at the center of New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey's resignation has accused the governor of subjecting him to unwanted sexual advances.
"While employed by one of the most powerful politicians in the country, New Jersey Governor McGreevey, I was the victim of repeated sexual advances by him," Golan Cipel said in a statement read by his attorney at a news conference in New York.
Cipel, an Israeli national who briefly served as McGreevey's homeland security adviser in 2002, did not attend the news conference.
McGreevey, who is married and has two daughters, revealed on Thursday that he is gay and had had an extramarital affair with an unnamed man, believed to be Cipel. He said he would resign Nov. 15.
Sources told ABC News that lawyers for Cipel had approached McGreevey's attorneys in recent weeks about settling an as-yet unfiled sexual misconduct lawsuit for millions of dollars.
But Cipel's attorney, Allen Lowy, said on Friday the opposite was true. "It was Mr. McGreevey's representatives who, without provocation, offered a sum of money to make my client go away," he said at the news conference. He said Cipel was a victim of a "smear campaign."
"Our only goal is to attain justice," Lowy said. "Money was never the ultimate goal in my client's search for justice." He said "only time will tell" whether Cipel would file a lawsuit against the governor.
McGreevey's personal lawyer, Bill Lawler, on Friday denied that anyone offered Cipel money to keep quiet, and told ABC News there were no settlement discussions under way, nor would there be. He called Cipel's allegation of unwanted sexual advances "absolutely false and without merit," and said the relationship between McGreevey and Cipel was consensual.
Conflicting Stories
Federal officials are skeptical of allegations by McGreevey's lawyers and assistants that Cipel was trying to extort money, sources told ABC News.
In recent weeks, sources told ABC News, Cipel's attorney had approached McGreevey's attorney about settling an unfiled sexual misconduct lawsuit for $20 million.
