Nevada Democrat Horsford admits affair with former Reid intern known as ‘Love Jones’

close

Video

Rep. Horsford: I am supporting Joe Biden for President; he’s vetted, trusted and delivered

Nevada congressman Steve Horsford endorses former vice president Joe Biden for President.

A Democratic congressman from Nevada admitted Friday that he was involved in “a previous relationship outside of my marriage.”

U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford – a married man with three children who represents the state’s 4th Congressional District -- acknowledged the affair after a former intern to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid revealed she is “Love Jones,” the focus of a podcast series called “Mistress for Congress.”

“It is true that I had a previous relationship outside of my marriage, over the course of several years,” Horsford said Friday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

NFL PLAYER EARL THOMAS OF RAVENS WAS HELD AT GUNPOINT BY WIFE AFTER ALLEGED AFFAIR, POLICE SAY

“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.”

"I’m deeply sorry to all of those who have been impacted by this very poor decision, most importantly my wife and family."

— U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.

The woman’s real name is Gabriela Linder and she told the Review-Journal that she and the congressman were engaged in an off-and-on sexual relationship between 2009 and 2019. (Horsford married his wife in 2000.)

When they first met, she was 21 and Horsford was the 36-year-old majority leader of the Nevada state Senate. (He is now 47.) She said she wants her story to be a warning for other young women about relationships with older men in positions of power.

“He knew how in love with him I was, and he knew what he could do and get away with," she told the newspaper. “He knows I would support him. He never told me to keep quiet. He didn’t have to. He knew I was loyal to a fault."

“He knew how in love with him I was, and he knew what he could do and get away with."

— Gabriela Linder, aka 'Love Jones'

Linder never worked for Horsford, but said on her podcast that he provided job referrals and “financial support” over the years, the newspaper reported.

She added that she had no knowledge of Horsford ever misusing campaign funds or money from his state Senate or congressional offices to pay for anything for her.

On April Fools’ Day, Horsford appeared on a YouTube program hosted by Linder’s young son but the woman told the newspaper that Horsford is not the boy’s father. Linder and Horsford stopped speaking after the YouTube show, though the reason was unclear, the report said.

She said she launched the podcast series as “an empowering journey” away from the relationship and is also writing a book about their time together. She also claims that no one offered her money to produce the podcast, and she was not prompted by any of Horsford’s opponents as he seeks reelection.

Linder told the newspaper she thinks Horsford should withdraw from the race for misrepresenting himself to voters as “a family man and man of God.”

“He should take a step back, atone, and if people are satisfied, then he can come back into politics,” she told the Review-Journal.

“He should take a step back, atone, and if people are satisfied, then he can come back into politics.”

— Gabriela Linder, aka 'Love Jones'

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In February, Horsford appeared on Fox News to announce his endorsement of Democrat Joe Biden for president after a poll showed Biden losing support from African-Americans.

"I am supporting Joe Biden for president because he is vetted, he is trusted and he has delivered,” Horsford said at the time.