Democrats nominated Gil Cisneros in the competitive race for retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce’s open seat in Orange County, a district they have high hopes of flipping. But it’s the year of #MeToo, and a sexual misconduct allegation made against Cisneros this spring is resurfacing in Republican attack ads.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., launched an ad on Thursday rehashing the allegation that state assembly candidate Melissa Fazli made against Cisneros in May. Fazli accused Cisneros of suggesting she have sex with him in exchange for a campaign donation. Fazli claims an intoxicated Cisneros asked to go to her hotel room after an event in February, and then demanded, “What are you going to do for me?” in a phone call during which she was requesting a donation one week later. Cisneros denies the allegation.
