North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis slammed his Democratic opponent Cal Cunningham Tuesday for not telling the entire story about his sexual messages to a woman who is married to a combat veteran and the possibility Cunningham’s actions could warrant military disciplinary procedures against Cunningham.
Cunningham, a former North Carolina state senator and Army reservist officer, exchanged explicit text messages with Arlene Guzman Todd, a Los Angeles public relations executive.
The North Carolina Democrat, who is married with two children, apologized on Saturday and stated he had no plans to drop out of the race. However, Tillis, who is lagging behind Cunningham by 6 points, according to the RealClearPolitics average, said his opponent should be held accountable.
“Cal is trying to finesse it as an errant text. But we now have a second report. And I think Cal owes the people of North Carolina a full explanation. On the debate stage last week, Cal said it’s about integrity, and I agree,” Tillis said on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning.
He continued, “His family should be kept private. He’s got teenage children, but Cal owes North Carolinians, all the voters, a full and thorough explanation for what we now know are two separate events. And he is an officer in the military. He’s also subject to disciplinary action, just on the basis of what he’s admitted to.”
Republicans hammered Cunningham late last week over the possibility he could face a court martial for violating Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice under the section of adultery, referencing his rank as a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserves and his mistress’s status as the wife of an Army veteran.
Although the texts are not dated, the North Carolina Democrat admitted he had been texting Todd since at least July and implied he had known her for years, through some of his texts to her.
However, Republicans question whether a sexual or physical relationship ever happened between the two of them or if any campaign resources, from his current senate campaign or his previous political campaigns, were used to enable the affair.
“Cunningham recently invited cameras into his home for a sit-down interview with himself and his wife and has made ‘duty’ and ‘honor’ central to his candidacy,” Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Senate Republican campaign arm, said in a statement. “Were all those intentional, calculated efforts to distract from his personal misconduct?”
Cunningham’s Facebook advertising campaign, since he released his apology on Saturday, has gone dark online. Cunningham also pulled out of a virtual town hall he was scheduled to appear at on Monday.
