For the first time since Senate candidate Cal Cunningham began facing cheating allegations, the North Carolina Democrat was questioned by a reporter.
Michael Hyland of CBS 17 said he confronted the politician on Wednesday in a parking lot, asking the candidate to address the controversy that broke into the public eye last week.
“Look, I made it clear that I have hurt my family and that I have disappointed my supporters, … and I’m taking responsibility for that,” Cunningham told Hyland. “I’m very clear that this campaign isn’t about my personal life. It’s about the people of North Carolina.”
When asked for further details about how the relationship started, Cunningham avoided answering the question.
“I’m grateful for your questions, and I’m happy to continue to work with our communications team to address them as they come,” he said
? CAL IS CAUGHT ON CAMERA by @MichaelWNCN
Repeatedly refers questions to his communications team and refuses to answer specifics on his affair with the wife of a combat veteran or the ongoing US Army Reserve investigation announced this morning. #NCsen pic.twitter.com/ks18hTWA9D
— Joanna Rodriguez (@joannamrod) October 7, 2020
In a live report after airing a clip of the interaction, Hyland added, “Just to be clear, we have reached out to Mr. Cunningham’s communications team over the last several days with specific questions as we learn more about this story, but they have not answered any of those specific questions as we’ve reached out to them.”
Late Friday night, Cunningham admitted to sending sexual text messages to a woman who was not his wife. The woman, Arlene Todd Guzman, a public relations executive in California, said their relationship became physical on at least one occasion. Reporting on Tuesday indicates that Cunningham may have had a relationship with another woman as well.
Cunningham is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and is now being investigated. Adultery is considered an offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham,” Simon B. Flake, chief of media relations and public information for the Army Reserve Strategic Communications, told WRAL. “As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”
Rather than addressing the scandal, Cunningham advocated for Congress to pass coronavirus relief legislation in his first tweet since his admission.
Cunningham has been steadily polling ahead of his opponent, Sen. Thom Tillis, for months. A poll conducted from Oct. 2-4, however, showed Tillis leading by 1 point.
