If This Brooklyn Kingmaker Is Asking, Saying No Is Risky Option

By N. R. KLEINFIELD, WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN

Nancy Siesel/The New York Times

Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez in his Brooklyn district in 1998. He once told an author: “The most important factor in politics is loyalty. The second most important is respect.”

State Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, now engulfed in accusations of sexual harassment, demands loyalty, but some criticize what they call heavy-handed tactics.

Legislators Debate Expulsion in Sexual Harassment Case; Lopez Vows to Remain

By DANNY HAKIM and THOMAS KAPLAN

A defiant Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez said he would not resign from the Legislature over multiple sexual harassment allegations.