May 10, 2004
Drinking With Your Assemblyman...In His Motel Room
A nineteen year-old intern for Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell 4th (Harlem; pictured, left) says he gave her a few glasses of scotch while in his motel room near Albany. The intern's boyfriend urged her to tell police, who haven't investigated yet. The Daily News says that if Powell were arrested, " the likely count would be unlawfully dealing with a minor." Now, Gothamist can understand giving an underage person a glass of wine or champagne at a celebration (with lots of people around), but in this post-Clinton-and-Condit world, a politician giving his underage female intern drinks in a motel room - that's just bad idea jeans. Especially when Daily News headlines read, "Pol gave me booze."
In other sex-and-politics news, The Times talks with City Coucil Speaker Gifford Miller about the sex harrassment charges against Councilman Alan W. Jennings Jr.: "I certainly wish I'd launched the investigation sooner."
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Clayton Powell + 19 year Intern + Alone in Motel bedroom + Scotch = Good Times
It is possible that Mr Powell had no dirty intentions. But just look at his Pic. Doesnt he look like Mr Suave to you?
looking at the picture, he kind of looks like a 80's porn star gone straight.
The worst idea of all, clearly, is his moustache.
Rico Suave? I don't know whether to make a paper bag test joke or a "cover every Harlem political constituency" joke.
The 'stache is a carryover from his father, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., to whom he has a strong resemblance. He doesn't look at all like his older half-brother, ACP III, or his nephew, also ACP IV.
Yeah, his nephew is the real Adam Clayton Powell IV. The assemblyman changed his name to ease his way in politics. I knew the real ACP IV a bit when we were growing up on Roosevelt Island, and I've never liked what his uncle did.
Not too "bright" ;)
Wow. I'm clearly a dense as a stone; it took me three full minutes of puzzling before i realized the legal drinking age must be something older than nineteen in New York.
Adam Clayton Powell should bring all his 18+ interns on a road trip to Montreal, where they can all get schmammered on Fin Du Monde while staying on the right side of Johnny Law.
1. Powell is innocent until proven guilty
2. the intern recanted the rape charge and said her boyfriend put her up to it
3. The intern worked for another pol, not Powell
4. the intern came back the following morning to resume their liaison
5. where does Powell go now to get his reputation back? why mujst an accusation be put on the front page but the racantation goes on the back page?
I just want to say one thing, the credibility of the intern is now in question because she saw dollars signs and the Powell legacy. Isn't it strange a day after she cries rape, she recants her story. One, its hard enough for real victims of rape to come forward and then someone like her comes along. Two, even if the charges are dropped, Adam Clayton Powell IV has a damaged reputation to pick up from the ruins and rebuild. Look, a 19 year old girl knows when she's going to a hotel room with a man-she's not going there to play tidiwinks, alright. Especially, with someone like Powell-who's a public figure, influential and very good-looking. I don't know which turnip truck she fell off of, but she had consensual sex with him and admitted to it. Hello, am I the only one here that's saying duh! She's now saying "show me the money" and picturing herself on talk shows like "Dateline" and 20/20. She told him to use a condom-if she was raped, he wouldn't have complied with her request. In all of this, trying to remain composed, the Assemblyman is handling this whole fiasco with class(and probably with the advice from his lawyer) keeping quiet-this is because it all comes out in the wash. It reminds me of a saying from Shakesphere-"What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive."
I just want to say one thing, the credibility of the intern is now in question because she saw dollars signs and the Powell legacy. Isn't it strange a day after she cries rape, she recants her story. One, its hard enough for real victims of rape to come forward and then someone like her comes along. Two, even if the charges are dropped, Adam Clayton Powell IV has a damaged reputation to pick up from the ruins and rebuild. Look, a 19 year old girl knows when she's going to a hotel room with a man-she's not going there to play tidiwinks, alright. Especially, with someone like Powell-who's a public figure, influential and very good-looking. I don't know which turnip truck she fell off of, but she had consensual sex with him and admitted to it. Hello, am I the only one here that's saying duh! She's now saying "show me the money" and picturing herself on talk shows like "Dateline" and 20/20. She told him to use a condom-if she was raped, he wouldn't have complied with her request. In all of this, trying to remain composed, the Assemblyman is handling this whole fiasco with class(and probably with the advice from his lawyer) keeping quiet-this is because it all comes out in the wash. It reminds me of a saying from Shakesphere-"What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive."