'An awkward conversation': CD1 candidate Carlson addresses student relationship rumors

PROVIDENCE – Calling politics a sometimes "nasty business," especially for gay people, congressional candidate Donald Carlson on Friday sought to set the record straight on the "rumors circulating about me," including a WPRI report that he sent a text message to a student that suggested "a relationship modeled on a website where people can pay to go on dates.”

In a YouTube video he posted on social media, Carlson, who is among 12 Democrats vying for Rhode Island's open 1st Congressional District seat, said that's not what happened during his final year teaching at Williams College.

He acknowledged an "awkward conversation" with a graduating senior for which he "apologized profusely." He stressed: the man was not one of his own students. They had no romantic relationship. No money changed hands and money only came up in context of potential future investment in a geothermal company on the West Coast.

His version of what did and did not happen:

"Back in 2019, I was working at a college. I was helping one graduating senior with his post-college career plans. He had never been my student and I had never supervised him at all, but we shared a lot of common interests in renewable energy and sustainable business and entrepreneurship.

"In fact, we came up with one plan to start a geothermal company on the West Coast after he graduated, and I offered him $5,000 in seed capital if we decided to go in that direction."

"We wound up not doing that, and we never followed through, but we did talk about it," he said.

Voter Guide for RI's Special Election: 2023 Congressional District 1

Carlson describes 'awkward' conversation with student

WPRI reported that Carlson, a visiting professor of economics and environmental studies for the 2018-19 academic year, was told by the college that he would not be invited back after the 2018-19 academic year after an unnamed third party broughts the texts to light.

On Thursday, the Carlson campaign issued an initial statement that said, in part: "We are disappointed by WPRI's decision to air a piece filled with anonymous allegations from anonymous third-party sources with no facts.

"Despite what some unnamed third party may have thought, Don has never made an overture to a student."

On Friday, he said this about one of the more salacious of the texts described – but never displayed – by WPRI: "We had an awkward conversation one time where he was describing a dating website to me, and I somehow misinterpreted the description as a suggestion of a different relationship after graduation.

"I was wrong about that. He gently corrected me and I apologized profusely. He accepted my apology and said nothing had changed about our friendship. ... Bottom line is that I never had any romantic relationship with that man or with any student present or former at any institution with which I've been affiliated."

WPRI described one or more texts in which Carlson allegedly suggested "a relationship modeled on a website where people can pay to go on dates. ... In a later text, Carlson allegedly indicated he would have liked to have given the student about $5,000 to help the student financially," WPRI reported.

Carlson said no cash changed hands. He said another student got wind of the conversation, misinterpreted it and took a report to the dean.

"I've never seen that report and I've never known what was in it, so I've never had a chance to respond or tell my side of the story until now," Carlson said.

He would not, however, provide copies of the texts. His campaign spokeswoman Chelsea DeCesare told The Journal: "Don's video statement stands on its own."

More: Despite some sniping, CD1 candidates mostly agree in debate at RIC

What about his employment at Williams College?

Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. A 1983 Williams alum, Carlson taught courses there from September 2017 through June 2019, according to his LinkedIn page.

As for his position at Williams College, the initial statement by the Carlson campaign said: "His contract as a visiting professor was a one-year term and he never intended to go back. He had a one-year leave from his consulting firm to take the visiting appointment and had always intended to return to the firm, which he did."

Asked for comment on Carlson's version of events, Williams College spokesman Jim Reische on Friday repeated what he had said earlier about WPRI's report: "The allegations are disturbing, and our thoughts go out to everyone affected."

While "Williams can't comment on details of any allegations ... we're relieved to hear that Don Carlson has no interest in trying to teach here again," he added.

Carlson took a leave to run for Congress from his more recent job as the head of a leadership program at Yale Law.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund defends Carlson

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund – which had endorsed both Carlson and then-candidate Nick Autiello before he dropped out of the race – issued a statement in Carlson's defense which Autiello – who at one time was on the advocacy group's board – called "disappointing" and publicly urged the group to retract.

“The story makes no mention of his sexuality or the gender of the student in question,” Autiello posted on the social-media site X on Thursday. “@VictoryFund should retract this statement unless Carlson actually denies the accusation in public.”

In his video, Carlson said: "Malicious stories spread with amazing speed and vindictiveness, especially when they're about gay and lesbian politicians. ... And now I'd like to get back to the issues that matter so much to the people of this state we love. Thanks very much for listening."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI CD1 candidate Don Carlson addresses inappropriate relationship rumor