Gov. Kathy Hochul called the rape accusations against Brooklyn state Sen. Kevin Parker “extremely disturbing” Tuesday, but stopped short of calling for the embattled Brooklyn Democrat to step down.
“As the information unfolds, I may have a strong opinion on that but right now I just want to see what else is out there,” Hochul told reporters Tuesday. “Let’s let this unfold a little bit.”
Parker is facing rape charges from a woman who helped him coordinate relief efforts for Haiti nearly 20 years ago. Olga Jean-Baptiste alleges in the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court late last week that Parker grabbed her by the wrists and raped her at his apartment.
“[Jean-Baptiste] was frozen in fear and was unable to cry out,” according to her lawsuit.
Parker’s spokesperson didn’t respond to request for comment.
The lawsuit against Parker was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which reopens the window for filing charges for sex crimes beyond the statute of limitations. That window closes this week.
Hochul was quick to take credit for passing the legislation.
“I’m the one who extended the Adult Survivor Act that created the environment for people to come forward with, you know, horrific incidents of assaults from the past,” Hochul said Tuesday.
Senate Democrats are taking the allegations seriously and “will take appropriate action as more information is learned,” their spokesperson, Mike Murphy, reiterated to The Post Tuesday.
Parker is no stranger to accusations of violence. In 2005, he was charged with assault after punching a traffic agent who was writing him a ticket for double parking. Those charges were dropped after Parker completed an anger management course.
Parker returned to anger management school again after he was convicted of misdemeanor criminal mischief after breaking a New York Post photographer’s camera in 2010.