Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) on Friday morning thanked fellow House Republicans for their support after they received emails from a conservative activist alleging she had an affair with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Ellmers brought up the emails during the “open mics” session of the meeting, according to a lawmaker in the room. The meeting was held to discuss the House GOP’s path forward after McCarthy’s stunning decision to abruptly drop out of the Speaker race on Thursday.
{mosads}“She was very sorry that members had gotten these nasty emails and that their inboxes were being cluttered up,” a GOP lawmaker said. “She said being a woman in this business is hard, but that she was a tough cookie.”
After the meeting, Ellmers also released a statement.
“As someone who has been targeted by completely false accusations and innuendo, I have been moved by the outpouring of support and prayers from my colleagues, constituents and friends. Now I will be praying for those who find it acceptable to bear false witness,” she said.
Many GOP lawmakers have received emails in recent days from Steven Baer, a conservative activist from Chicago, alleging that McCarthy and Ellmers had an extramarital affair while they served in the House.
Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) this week sent a letter to lawmakers urging anyone running for a leadership post to drop out if they had “skeletons” in their closet.
McCarthy on Thursday indicated the Jones letter was not a factor in his decision to drop out of the race.
With his wife standing by his side, McCarthy brushed off the accusation: “No. No. Come on.”
Rumors of the affair had circulated enough that at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday with Texas’s GOP delegation, members pressed McCarthy for reassurances that it was not true. McCarthy assured them that it wasn’t true, according to lawmakers present.