44°
Was this whole thing a “honey trap”?
Text conversations between Morse and a member of the College Dems were revealed by the news publication Thursday, Aug. 13. The texts appear to show intent among club members to set Morse up for a fall.
Morse is accused of "inappropriate" relationships with university students while a professor there. No complaints about Morse have been filed with the university, said the mayor. No one has come forward to contradict this assertion and specific charges have not been levied.
Questions about whether the scandal is connected to incumbent Congressman Richard Neal, whom Morse is challenging in the election, have also surfaced. Neal’s campaign has denied any such connection.
Likewise, College Dems have said that the accusations are not politically motivated.
Text messages appear to show students were at least discussing how allegations against Morse could help Neal.
Discussions about Morse’s campaign for Congress among the College Dems stretch back to October 2019, the Intercept reported. The allegations against Morse were revealed in early August when the UMass student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, wrote an article about the Collge Dems’ and Morse. In a letter to the newspaper, the College Dems say Morse dated students, 18 years or older, and that he used College Dem events to find potential romantic partners.
The Dems had to clarify on Wednesday, Aug. 12, that Morse had only ever attended one of the club’s events during the course of his campaign.
Morse, 31, has said that he has had relationships with students, but that they were all consensual. He has denied intentionally using his political and professional power to romantically influence students. Morse has admitted, however, that dating students while a professor was not the responsible thing to do. Morse stopped being a UMass professor back in 2019.
Timothy Ennis, the chief strategist for the UMass Amherst College Democrats, said in chats that The Intercept received that he was a “Neal Stan” and that he felt conflicted about attempting to bring down Morse, but that he needed a job. Ennis said that Neal would provide him with an internship, the news publication reported. That would be unlikely to happen, however, if Neal lost the election in November.
Club member Andrew Abramson texted with Morse and shared those texts with friends. The Intercept quotes Abramson as describing his texts with Morse as “not overt, but it’s clear he’s not talking to me for no reason,” he said. “Also don’t mind me totally leading him on.”
“This will sink his campaign,” Ennis texted.
Fall out from the College Dems’ accusations have included some campaign sponsors backing away from Morse. Some Holyoke City Councilors have called for Morse to resign as mayor. Some people have called for him to drop out of the Congressional race.
Meanwhile, others have rallied around the mayor. Reaction to the sex scandal has been overblown, said one of Morse’s supports the LGBTQ Victory Fund, and maybe, in part, fueled by homophobia. Morse is gay.
Since the allegations surfaced, Morse’s campaign has done well with campaign donations.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Worcester and receive free news updates.
