Democrats knock ex-GOP lawmaker over fake food posts

Democrats have criticized former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) for sharing photos of food online and passing it off as her own cooking, when internet sleuths found that really she took the photos from other social media accounts and photographers.

“This isn’t the first time Rep. @MayraFlores4Tx has shared a photo that isn’t hers,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

DCCC spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen claimed in an emailed statement that Flores is a “habitual liar.”

“She can’t even post food pictures without proving her pattern of deception and disregard for the truth,” Fanguen said. “Texans deserve a representative they can wholeheartedly trust.”

The Texas Republican won a special election for Texas’s 34th Congressional District in March 2022. Current Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) beat Flores in the general election in 2022, but she is running again for the seat in the 2024 general election.

According to Current Revolt, Flores posted a photo on X with the caption “The Ranch life with family is the best,” along with a photo of food over an open fire. In the comments, she clarified to a user that she was eating “Gorditas de masa.”

A user on X pointed out that Flores, who has now changed her account handle, was “trying to convince people that she’s living the high life and making dinner over an open fire at the ranch. Only problem is: this picture was stolen from a Guyanese facebook page. Why would you lie, Mayra?”

The user posted a screenshot of both Flores’s post and the identical image from Visit Guyana, a tourism information center account on Facebook with the date March 22, 2022, and photo credits to Gwen Phillips.

In a text message to The Texas Tribune, Flores said it wasn’t her “intention to mislead.”

“The photo simply reminded me of my upbringing in Mexico and childhood,” she said. “I deleted the tweet to clear up any confusion. I actually spend my Christmas at ranch with my In-Laws. Happy New Year!”

Current Revolt found numerous other posts where Flores used other people’s photos and shared them as her own.

Last September, she posted a photo of food with the caption, “Prayer and a good breakfast reduces stress. Enjoying the simple things of life. This is richness.” Current Revolt found the photo shared to Info Tamaulipas on Facebook in March 2021.

On Instagram, Flores shared a photo in August 2022, where she said she loves “the Rancho life surrounded by my beautiful family.” Current Revolt found the photo originally posted by Facebook page Comida De Rancho in May 2019.

Current Revolt found several other examples where Flores shared misleading photos to her social media pages, claiming credit for the images.

The Hill has reached out to Flores’s campaign for comment on the reports.