Jessyn Farrell 'Sorry' For Response To Ed Murray Allegations

SEATTLE, WA - Former Seattle mayoral candidate Jessyn Farrell apologized Tuesday for remarks she made in June about sex abuse allegations against former mayor Ed Murray.

On June 14, Delvonn Heckard suspended a sex abuse lawsuit against Murray. That prompted a sympathetic response from Farrell.

"[M]y heart goes out to Mayor Murray," the former state representative said. "As a city, we must reject the politics of personal destruction. Our voters - and our elected leaders - deserve better."

On Twitter Tuesday night, Farrell said she was wrong. She did eventually call on Murray to resign in July after new abuse allegations surfaced.

"[RE:] my initial statement about Ed Murray. I got it wrong and I'm sorry. Survivors need space to tell their stories, not to be questioned about motives," she wrote. "I called on him to step down in July but I want to be clear that my initial response was wrong."

Farrell's apology comes during a cultural shift in perceptions about victims of sexual assault and harassment. Victims are gaining credibility, while in the past the accused - like in Murray's case - were often given the benefit of the doubt. Stories of assault and harassment are toppling prominent men like Harvey Weinstein and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore.

The sex abuse allegations divided Seattle elected officials and those running for office. When Murray eventually resigned in September, there were two factions: those who called on Murray to step down early and those who waited until the last minute. Mayor-elect Jenny Durkan accepted Murray's endorsement over the summer only to rescind it the day Murray resigned.

Farrell shared her own experiences with harassment while working at the state Capitol earlier this fall. A lobbyist once walked up and patted her buttocks, she told the Northwest News Network.

"That was shocking. It was very clearly a pat on my heinie, not my waist” she said.

Farrell placed fourth in the August Seattle mayoral primary behind Nikkita Oliver and Carrie Moon. All three asked for Murray's resignation in July.

Image via Rachel La Corte/Associated Press