PITTSBURGH, PA - Earlier today, Daniel Moraff’s spokesperson took to the pages of the New York Post (of all places) to blast Payday Report as part of the “political establishment.”
Moraff denies allegations published by Payday Report, based on interviews with seven activists and former staffers, that he was banned from Congresswoman Summer Lee’s campaign following several sexual misconduct complaints.
Moraff denied the allegations against him, blaming instead people resenting him for his desire to “challenge the political establishment.”
“Daniel never committed any acts of sexual misconduct,” a spokesperson told the Post in response to the report. “If anyone has evidence of criminal conduct, they know exactly where to take it — a police station.”
“Winning in politics creates enemies. Daniel has always understood that.”
Moraff’s statement that Payday Report is part of the political establishment is ironic since Moraff regularly provided information about establishment politicians to Payday Report when he was based in Pittsburgh.
Indeed, at one point during Summer Lee’s 2022 primary election campaign, Moraff emailed a Payday Report story about her opponent, Steve Irwin, titled “Pgh Congressional Candidate Steve Irwin Led Law Firm’s “Union Avoidance” Division,” to several hundred members of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.
In many ways, Moraff’s statement labeling Payday Report as part of the “political establishment” reminds me of when Payday Report outed former Pittsburgh NewsGuild President Michael Fuoco, a sexual predator, who The New York Times later labeled the “Harvey Weinstein of Pittsburgh”. At the time, Fuoco took to the local press to claim that Payday Report was working in cahoots with union busters.
It should be noted that the story about Moraff was not based on interviews with corporate Democrats associated with the political establishment, but lefty political organizers in Pittsburgh, who were outraged by his conduct. Out of respect for their careers and privacy, Payday Report will not release their names, but the story is easily verifiable, and people are already confirming it.
Strangely, despite many local Pittsburgh activists taking to social media to relate similar stories, the lazy local Pittsburgh press has not followed up. (They must be too busy focusing on local crime stories). However, national reporters are confirming Payday’s reporting.
Marisa Kabas of The Handbasket wrote to her 230,000 Bluesky followers that Payday’s reporting tracks with a story that she is getting ready to release on Moraff.
“Alarming story that confirms my own reporting along similar lines,” wrote Kabas. “I have additional reporting on Moraff that I’ll be publishing on The Handbasket when it’s ready.”
Additionally, former Allegheny County Councilman Tom Duerr took to Twitter to confirm Payday’s account.
“Having worked in Pittsburgh politics since 2016, these complaints against Mr. Moraff were well known and made him the most hated staffer in the region by the time he left - or rather, was chased out,” wrote Duerr. “He should have never gotten another campaign job again after this“
Much like the Fuoco story, which many doubted because it relied on anonymous sources, Payday Report stands by its reporting and believes more stories will emerge to validate it.
Moraff is simply a dishonest person who is desperate to save his career. In 2022, Moraff previously tried to get me to be dishonest and erase quotes from published stories. I believe he is being dishonest again.
If you haven’t already, take a second and read our 3,000 word story “Platner’s Daniel Moraff Barred from Summer Lee’s Campaign Over Sexual Misconduct Complaints”
Finally, spare a few bucks so we can keep doing the hard-hitting reporting.
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