dailyloe.com – Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida accused Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of misconduct on Thursday. Luna made the accusation during an interview with CBS News’ ‘The Takeout with Major Garrett.’ Gallego strongly denied the allegations through a spokesperson. The spokesperson called them ‘right wing conspiracy theories.’
Luna identified Gallego as the unnamed senator referenced in a cryptic social media post earlier in the week. She had described facing ‘very disturbing’ allegations in that post. Luna provided limited detail about the nature of the accusations. She said some allegations are ‘sexual in nature’ and some involve campaign finance violations.
Luna said Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office confirmed the matter is under investigation. Thune told reporters he did not know if the allegations were credible. He said the matter had been referred to the Senate’s Select Committee on Ethics. CBS News has reached out to the ethics panel for comment.
A Gallego spokesperson said the senator has not been contacted by the ethics committee. The spokesperson said Gallego received no notification from the committee. CBS News has not verified the allegations made by Luna. The network reported the statements from both parties.
Luna connected Gallego to former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who recently resigned. She referred to Gallego as a senator ‘very closely tied to Eric Swalwell.’ Swalwell, a House Democrat, resigned following sexual misconduct allegations. Gallego acknowledged being friends with Swalwell but later called for his expulsion.
Gallego said he was aware of rumors about Swalwell acting ‘flirty.’ He stated he had ‘never heard actual accusations of harassment of staff.’ Gallego also said he ‘fell for the lies’ regarding Swalwell. He strongly denied any personal wrongdoing in recent days.
Gallego told reporters he never engaged in sexual misconduct. He said he never behaved inappropriately with staff or women outside his marriage. Luna alleged a woman is coming forward with attorneys about an incident. She said the alleged event was ‘sexual in nature.’
Luna stated the woman wants to go on-record about the incident. Pressed for details, Luna added a comment about purchasing someone for sex. She said, ‘I think any time that you are knowingly engaging in purchasing someone for sex, that that is something that should be taken seriously.’ The saga follows the resignations of Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzales.[]
Source: CBS News
