The Republican nominee to be Virginia’s subsequent Lieutenant Governor is underneath hearth for supposedly posting sexually graphic photographs on a social media account years in the past. However he says it’s all a political hatchet job.
As The Washington Put up reported, conservative speak radio host and businessman John Reid is underneath extreme strain to give up the race after a graphic Tumblr account allegedly underneath Reid’s title surfaced. It reveals photographs starting from male genitalia to photographs just like a racy underwear commercial.
In line with the Post, the account additionally re-posted a photograph of a person going through a digital camera carrying solely a baseball cap as just lately as March 2024. Reid has stated he has seen such pornographic materials however denied posting the photographs.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is now calling for Reid, who secured the GOP nomination on April 21, to step down so the GOP can nominate a brand new candidate.
“The Governor was made conscious late Thursday of the disturbing on-line content material,” Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC stated in a written assertion Friday, which was obtained by the Put up. “Friday morning, in a name with Mr. Reid, the Governor requested him to step down because the Lt. Governor nominee.”
Reid, although, is refusing to give up. He responded to those allegations in a fiery video posted on his X account on April 27.
He known as for unifying the Republican Occasion whereas accusing Youngkin’s political staff of orchestrating a smear marketing campaign to get him to drop out of the race.
“Representatives of my staff have been advised by the chief of Governor Youngkin’s political group that the assaults on me WILL proceed until I drop out of the race for lieutenant governor,” he stated.
“What colossal conceitedness and abuse to a loyal fellow Republican, and prefer it or not, the declared authorized nominee of our celebration,” he continued. “Identical to we noticed towards President Trump during the last eight years.”
Reid went on to assert that he was being blackmailed.
“My representatives had been proven THE SAME specific images of different those that I’ve obtained nothing to do with…And so they had been advised that if I dropped out of the race, they’d buy the opposition analysis and the lies and threats towards me would abruptly cease. That is extortion, and it’s unlawful in Virginia!”
WATCH:
These guys are brazenly making an attempt to extort me to make me give up!
I gained’t stand for it! pic.twitter.com/vV2ZDh7cmP— John Reid (@JohnReid4VA) April 27, 2025
Reid went on to say he has engaged authorized counsel to discover all choices towards these answerable for allegedly blackmailing him.
“They made an enormous miscalculation in the event that they thought I might bow all the way down to anybody or run away scared,” he added. “I’m a conservative Trump supporter and I’m homosexual and all people is aware of it.”
“I’ve not damaged ANY regulation and I’m not a hypocrite,” he continued. “I don’t fake that I used to be a saint earlier than I entered into my present eight-year relationship.”
Reid then made clear he was within the race to the bitter finish.
“I’m SICKENED concerning the weeks of veiled accusations and assaults on my household…I’m not going to proceed to reply a parade of unending questions and false accusations from folks we all know now are solely motivated to stage a coup towards a homosexual man who they didn’t need to be their nominee however didn’t have the center to run towards,” he stated.
“I’m the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor and I’m more durable than any of my detractors and I’m not going ANYWHERE!”