A political commentator and former University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown student took the stand Wednesday to testify in his own trial where he is accused of raping a woman inside a campus dorm room in 2013.
Cliff Maloney Jr., now age 31, is a resident of Missouri and works in politics as a campaign employee for the Republican party.
He is also the former president of the Young Americans for Liberty organization but was removed in January of 2021 following sexual misconduct allegations, according to a Fox News report at the time.
Last April, Maloney was arrested and charged following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that reportedly occurred at UPJ while he was enrolled there.
Police say the alleged victim, who testified in court earlier this week, accused Maloney of drugging and raping her in September of 2013.
The alleged victim told investigators that Maloney had reportedly invited her back to his dorm while the two were attending a fraternity party.
She claimed that Maloney had offered her a drink and that after consuming it, she “began feeling weird.”
Police allege that Maloney then began assaulting the woman while she was unconscious.
During Wednesday’s testimony, two of the woman’s friends testified to what she had reportedly told them about the night of the alleged assault and what she reportedly remembered.
One of the friends told the jury that the alleged victim claimed that she only remembered “bits and pieces” of the night in question.
The defense then called several of Maloney’s friends and college acquaintances to the stand, who testified that he “has a good reputation as a law-abiding citizen.”
Maloney himself then took the stand and testified to the night of the alleged assault, as well as to when he found out that he was being charged.
He told the jury that when he found out about the allegations, it was “the worst day of his life.”
Maloney testified that he received a call from a detective who began asking him about his time at UPJ and his relationship to the alleged victim.
He told the jury that he had to “Google” the woman and stated that she “looked familiar.”
“I never interacted with her more than four times in my entire life,” Maloney stated.
As for the night in question, Maloney claimed that the woman initiated their interaction and suggested going back to his dorm room.