It's fair to say Giambrone set himself up for this. If he'd kept his personal life personal - beyond refuting published inaccuracies - it's doubtful this story would have seen the light of day. Because he instead trotted out his girlfriend as part of his image construction, the fact that he was simultaneously dismissing her as "someone political" - to a 19-year-old love interest, no less - can be judged a relevant story.
In all honesty, I'm not totally sure what to make of the Adam Giambrone sex scandal - four words I really never thought I'd be typing. (My main reaction is that "I knew a long, long time ago about the fare hike" is pretty much the least sexy quote I've ever heard in a sex scandal that didn't involve Prince Charles.)