Rep. Steven Horsford (D., Nev.) admitted to a decade-long affair with a former Hill intern on Friday after an investigation verified the identity of a podcaster who had been recounting the relationship.
"It is true that I had a previous relationship outside of my marriage, over the course of several years," Horsford said in a statement given to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I'm deeply sorry to all of those who have been impacted by this very poor decision, most importantly my wife and family. Out of concern for my family during this challenging time, I ask that our privacy is respected."
The Nevada congressman is the second Democrat of the 116th Congress to be accused of sexual impropriety while in office. Former congresswoman Katie Hill of California's 25th district resigned from Congress in October after revelations about her "throuple" relationship with her husband and a campaign staffer. She denied a separate report she had a sexual relationship with her legislative director.
"Mistress for Congress," the self-described "audio memoir" podcast that detailed Horsford's affair with its host, aired in April. It referred to Horsford as "Bob" for its first two episodes.
Gabriela Linder, the former intern who hosted the podcast, confirmed her identity on Friday in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. While the podcast was airing, Linder adopted the pseudonym "Love Jones" and ran an accompanying Twitter account. The Review-Journal had contacted Linder after investigating Love Jones.
The Love Jones Twitter account revealed the congressman's identity in a tweet on April 29, Horsford's birthday.
https://twitter.com/M4C_2020/status/1255534831880097795
The next day, Love Jones tweeted that women are often silenced from telling their stories of sexual assault and called for the destruction of the "patriarchy."
"Women's stories are often left out of history because they are silenced. It's time to #smashthepatriarchy BOLDLY!" she wrote.
https://twitter.com/M4C_2020/status/1255907232295915523
After being revealed as Love Jones, Linder has decided "Mistress for Congress" will consider its first season finished in four episodes. She added that "Love Jones and the podcast Mistress for Congress will be back."