Nassau County DA Calls for Election Opponents to Condemn Controversial Paper

The District Attorney of Nassau County is urging her political adversaries to reject a decade-old academic paper authored by a local Democratic ally, which contains claims suggesting that women might fabricate rape accusations to mask their participation in orgies.

Republican DA Anne Donnelly criticized Democratic opponent Nicole Aloise for not distancing herself from the paper written by fellow Democrat and county councilor Seth Koslow, who is campaigning for county executive.

“Having spent years prosecuting violent offenders, including rapists, I understand the bravery required by survivors to come forward,” Donnelly expressed.

She referred to Koslow’s writings in his 2013 legal articles addressing the Rape Shield Act and social media as “disqualified” and “anti-women.”

Donnelly asserted that Koslow should not hold public office, emphasizing that any lack of criticism from Aloise on this matter is “unacceptable.”

“Anyone aspiring to be Nassau County District Attorney needs to make it clear that this kind of rhetoric—which discourages women from reporting rape—has no place in our community,” Donnelly remarked.

“Nicole Aloise must hold Seth Koslow accountable for his troubling anti-women comments and clarify that she does not endorse such rhetoric,” she added. “Women in Nassau County deserve better.”

Aloise’s campaign has previously declined to distance itself from Koslow.

Koslow, a former prosecutor who later transitioned to a citizen attorney role, argued that the criticisms stemmed from misinterpretations of his academic work and accused Republicans of exploiting scholarly discussions for political purposes.

In response, Koslow’s supporters suggested that Donnelly’s criticisms were unfounded.

Aloise pointed to recent statistics on sexual assaults and noted that crucial organizations like the Safe Center—Nassau County’s only nonprofit dedicated to aiding sexual abuse victims—have faced financial difficulties and closures.

“The real challenge for district attorneys is ensuring the safety of Nassau County, but under Donnelly’s tenure, reported rape cases have surged by 130%, and she’s allowing sexual predators back into the community,” Aloise argued.

Koslow’s campaign dismissed the backlash as exaggerated, stating that the controversial excerpts were taken out of context. The 30-page paper, written while he was still a law student, expressed concerns regarding the Rape Shield laws and suggested reforms to include social media evidence in court proceedings.

His team highlighted that the article was intended as an academic exploration, not a call to diminish the seriousness of sexual assault claims.

Additionally, controversy has escalated after a new television ad featuring relatives of Sarah Good, a victim of murder and rape linked to Koslow’s writings, was funded by his Republican rival, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.