Michigan Rep. Dale Kildee (D) has strongly denied allegations that he sexually abused a family member 50 years ago, calling it an attempt at “blackmail” by his relatives and a plot to discredit him by “political adversaries.”
Kiledee, an 82-year old Democrat who recently announced his retirement, was accused of molesting his second cousin Patrick fifty years ago, for a period of five years. At the time the alleged abuse began, Patrick was 12.
The allegations were first reported by the Washington Times on Sunday, and according to the story Patrick’s mother brought forward the allegations because she blames Kildee for Patrick currently residing in a state psychiatric hospital.
From the Flint Journal:
They claim that the incidents happened at Patrick’s home starting in 1961 in the Traverse City area. The boy had a bedroom in the basement of the house and Kildee would stay with the boy in the basement when he was visiting the family.
“We encouraged (Kildee) to run for office and even went down to Flint to spur him on,” Patrick’s mother Jane was quoted in the story. “He spent almost every weekend at our house … it turns out, in my son’s bed.”
Kildee called the allegations “completely false and shameful” in a statement on Sunday. “This is a concerted effort by distant relatives, two of whom have a long history of mental illness and multiple run-ins with the law, along with political adversaries to destroy my reputation by lying about something that never took place more than 50 years ago.”
He said his political opponents made similar allegations in the last election, but “authorities and reputable news outlets rejected these false allegations.”
“These allegations resurfaced recently when the accuser’s son asked me for money and federal benefits, which I refused to do and which I formally reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Kildee said.
