Army Reserve investigating NC's Cunningham after steamy text messages surface: report

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The U.S. Army Reserve is investigating North Carolina Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham after text messages emerged suggesting he had an extramarital affair with a military wife as recently as over the summer.

"Cal will participate in this process, but it does not change the stakes of this election or the need for new leaders who will fight for the issues North Carolinians care about instead of caving to the corporate special interests – which is exactly what Senator [Thom] Tillis has done in his years in Washington," a Cunningham campaign spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham. As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time," Simon B. Flake, a spokesman for the Army Reserve Strategic Communications, told North Carolina outlet WRAL on Wednesday.

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Cunningham's full name is James Calvin Cunningham III. The Senate candidate is married with two children.

The Army Reserve did not specify why Cunningham is under investigation, according to WRAL.

Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, left, and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. talk during a televised debate Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, Pool)

"Cal Cunningham is now under investigation by the U.S. Army Reserve. He owes North Carolinians a full explanation. The truth still matters in North Carolina, Cal," Tillis, Cunningham's Republican opponent, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

North Carolina is home to several military bases and has a large veteran community, and voters could be especially sensitive to news of the investigation.

A week ago, conservative website NationalFile.com published text messages between Cunningham and Arlene Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist from California, that suggested a personal relationship. Guzman Todd is married to U.S. Army veteran Jeremy Todd, Task & Purpose reported.

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The newly obtained texts provide both a more specific timeline about Cunningham and Guzman Todd's relationship, which shows it was recent, as well as details that describe intimate encounters — not simply a digital exchange.

The text messages were not obtained from Guzman Todd, but the Associated Press contacted her to confirm their authenticity.

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In a series of interviews late Monday as well as in the text messages, Guzman Todd described two in-person encounters with Cunningham, one in March in Los Angeles that she said did not include intimate contact, and a second in July in North Carolina, where she said the two were intimate.

Fox News' inquiry to the U.S. Army Reserve was not immediately returned. The Cunningham campaign didn't immediately respond to Fox News' inquiry about the investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.