Lehigh Valley congressional candidate Marty Nothstein announced Aug. 24 in a news conference, he has been cleared of undefined sexual misconduct allegations dating back to the year 2000. He has been exonerated by SafeSport, an independent nonprofit committed to ending all forms of abuse in sports. It generally only reports on its investigations when disciplinary action has been taken.

In an Aug. 23 email from SafeSport Director of Investigations Michael Henry, Nothstein was told, “The center is not proceeding with any further proceedings at this time and the matter is now closed.”

This investigation was based on an anonymous tip made 11 days after Nothstein announced his congressional candidacy earlier this year.

Nothstein had previously been cleared by Upper Macungie police and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office.

At a news conference Aug. 17, Nothstein said the women allegedly involved denied there had been any sexual misconduct and submitted affidavits stating so.

These undefined allegations were the focus of a lengthy story in The Morning Call bylined by three reporters.

During 2000, when this undefined sexual misconduct supposedly occurred, Nothstein was in training for the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He would go on to win the gold medal in sprint cycling.

Though The Morning Call had been offered the affidavits from the supposed victims, Nothstein campaign team member Dennis Roddy said then editor of The Morning Call Robert York refused to accept them. “We don’t know what’s in them,” Roddy reports York as having told him back then.

“Why don’t you tell them what happened?” Roddy challenged editor of The Morning Call Pete Leffler at the Aug. 24 news conference.

“I’m not going to answer,” Leffler responded. Roddy identified Leffler as a participant in the discussion concerning these affidavits.

“The only reason this ever gained any attraction with the public was the recklessness and disregard for standards by reporters and editors at The Morning Call,” Nothstein said. He called the story “a clear example why good people don’t seek elected office. It is evidence of why people hold such skepticism about elected officials and our local newspaper.”

Nothstein was also critical of SafeSport, saying it “should not be used as a weapon to destroy people‘s lives.”