“There is no evidence that Ciscomani has returned the donations from Edwards or Gonzales”
Arizona’s Family and KOLD are shininga spotlight on the nearly $40,000 that vulnerable Republican Juan Ciscomani accepted from two colleagues accused of sexual misconduct.
Ciscomani took $30,000 from his “good friend,” “bestie,” and “man” Tony Gonzales, who admitted to having an affair with a subordinate who later took her own life by lighting herself on fire. Gonzales has since been accused of sexually harassing a second staffer.
Ciscomani took more than $8,000 from Chuck Edwards, who is under an ethics investigation for sexually harassing two members of his staff.
As first reported by the Arizona Republic, Ciscomani was not one of the many Republicans who condemned Gonzales or called on him to drop his re-election bid this past March.
Arizonans deserve to know:
Is Ciscomani going to return the nearly $40,000 he accepted from Gonzales and Edwards?
Why did Ciscomani refuse to join other Republicans in calling for Gonzales’ resignation? Was it because Gonzales gave him $30,000?
As a “bestie,” “good friend,” and “brother,” how much did Ciscomani know about Tony Gonzales’ affair with a congressional aide who later set herself on fire?
Rep. Juan Ciscomani[‘s] … reelection bid is considered crucial for the GOP’s path to maintaining House control.
With that comes the high-stakes reality of modern campaigning: money matters and so does where it comes from.
Campaign finance records show Ciscomani has accepted nearly $40,000 in contributions from two sitting members of Congress who have faced public allegations of sexual misconduct.
One of those donors is Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., who contributed more than $8,000 to Ciscomani. Edwards is currently under an ethics investigation over allegations that he harassed two female staffers. He has denied wrongdoing.
The larger amount came from Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who contributed $30,000. Gonzales has admitted to cheating on his wife with a young staff member. The staffer later died by suicide after setting herself on fire.
Ciscomani has offered little public comment about the Gonzales scandal. In remarks first reported by Punchbowl News, Ciscomani said, “(Gonzales) made a mistake. He acknowledged that. It’s going to be up to the voters to decide if he stays in office or not.”
In the past, Gonzales described Ciscomani as a “good friend” and his “bestie.”
We asked Ciscomani’s campaign to describe his relationship with Gonzales and to respond to questions about the contributions.
Ciscomani’s campaign did not respond to questions.
There is no evidence that Ciscomani has returned the donations from Edwards or Gonzales.
The issue has drawn comparisons to how other politicians have handled questionable political money. After allegations of sexual assault and misconduct involving former Rep. Eric Swalwell, dozens of Democrats publicly said they refunded donations linked to him.
Ciscomani’s race remains one of the most closely watched contests in Arizona and nationally as both parties battle for every seat that could decide control of Congress.
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