Rantz: Mayor Murray must resign

The news is way worse than anyone could ever imagine. Now, we find out, Mayor Ed Murray’s cousin alleges he was sexually abused by Murray at the age of 13. Mayor Murray must resign.

RELATED: Seattle mayor’s cousin accuses him of sexual abuse, Times reports

Murray denies the latest allegations in a Seattle Times story by Lewis Kamb and Jim Brunner. He says there is a “backstory” between his family and his cousin’s family. Murray believes they want to “finish” him off.

His excuse is ridiculous. There is still tremendous stigma associated with being a victim of sexual abuse, particularly for men when the abuse was by another man. Why would the cousin come out now to settle some family score? This excuse, particularly since it’s the fifth excuse to push back against allegations of abuse, seems untenable.

Murray also took issue with the timing of the Times report. “You’ve never been willing to portray anything but one side of the story,” he told the Times. “But on this one, this is bizarre beyond belief.”

When is a good time to cover a claim that you abused your cousin?

Look, I originally thought he should stay the course and keep his position. One allegation from someone, whose lawyers acted a bit odd during a political campaign, can be seen as politically motivated. Five accusations, including one from a family member, that follows what seems like a pattern? Sorry, but you don’t get to hold this position anymore.

Mr. Mayor, you need to step down, and, moreover, citizens need to demand it. What does it say about Seattleites if we’re able to let this slide and what’s it say about a council that doesn’t aim to impeach?

Follow @https://twitter.com/jasonrantz