The Congressional Black Caucus, which describes itself as the “conscience of the Congress” elected its new chairman last week. Its choice? A man who had a long-running affair with a twenty-one-year-old intern.
Representative Steven Horsford of Nevada previously served as the CBC’s vice chair under Representative Joyce Beatty. Beatty said she was excited to “pass the baton” to a fresh batch of “capable leaders.” Of course, there was no mention of Horsford’s extracurricular activities in the announcement of the caucus’s new leadership.
The Spectator reached out to every member of the Congressional Black Caucus to ask if Horsford’s affair with an intern concerned them. The members were also asked if they viewed this relationship — which occurred when Horsford was the majority leader of the Nevada Senate — an abuse of power.
None of the members provided comment on the scandal by our deadline. All but two offices did not bother responding at all.
In 2009, Horsford was thirty-six years old when he began the affair with twenty-one-year-old Gabriela Linder, then an intern for Senator Harry Reid. The pair were together from 2009 to 2010 and then rekindled the romance from 2017 until September 2019, when Horsford was serving in Congress.
The affair came to light in 2020 when Linder told her story on a podcast called “Mistress for Congress.” Horsford confirmed the relationship took place.
“It is true that I had a previous relationship outside of my marriage, over the course of several years. 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,” Horsford said.
As the Washington Free Beacon points out, Horsford ran his latest re-election campaign to the House as a “devoted family man.” However, his ex-wife, Sonya Douglass, claims he threatened legal action against her if she spoke publicly about their marriage and his affair. She also urged Horsford not to run for re-election in 2022, allegedly telling him that their family needed time to heal from his actions.
Instead, Horsford won re-election and will now serve as the highest ranking member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
