Texas Republican Rep. Van Taylor dropped out of his reelection bid on Wednesday and apologized to his family, admitting an affair with a woman the media has dubbed “the first lady of ISIS.”
“About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world,” Taylor said.
NEW: Texas congressman apologizes for affair with ‘first lady of ISIS’ and ends campaign https://t.co/zVJ6uhHPMh
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 3, 2022
“I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life. I want to apologize for the pain I have caused with my indiscretion, most of all to my wife Anne and our three daughters,” he wrote in an email to supporters.
Taylor faced a run-off election after failing to win at least 50% of his district’s vote on Tuesday. Expected to win, he gained about 49% of the vote, but not enough to take the majority needed to avoid another round of voting.
You couldn’t make this up…Exclusive: ‘ISIS Bride’ Says Texas Congressman Van Taylor Paid Her to Keep Quiet About Affair https://t.co/WVV9vfOUJH
— [email protected] (@bluechipukhotm1) March 1, 2022
A Monday Breitbart News article revealed Taylor allegedly paid Tania Joya $5,000 to keep quiet about the affair.
Second-place Keith Shelf is likely to win in the run-off, with Taylor leaving in the aftermath of the scandal.
