Susanna Gibson called the leak “the worst gutter politics”
A candidate in a high-stakes Virginia legislative race had sex with her husband in live videos posted on a pornographic website, while asking users to pay them money in exchange for performing specific acts.
Susanna Gibson defends herself
Gibson is a Democrat running for a Virginia House of Delegates seat in a district outside Richmond, and her campaign issued a statement Monday that stated that sharing the videos was a violation of the law and her privacy.
Gibson called the leak of the videos “the worst gutter politics.
“I will not be intimidated or silenced,” she said.
“My political opponents and their Republican allies have shown they are willing to commit a sex crime to attack me and my family because there is no line they won’t cross to silence women when they speak out.”
The revelation could have a huge say in the balance of power in the Virginia General Assembly, as the battle has attracted large amounts of spending and interest.
Democrats control the Senate by a four-vote margin. Republicans control the House of Delegates by the same margin, with four seats currently vacant.
Gibson said exposing the videos is “an illegal invasion of my privacy designed to humiliate me and my family.”
“A criminal act has occurred here, and it’s the dissemination of revenge porn by a Republican operative,” Gibson’s attorney, Daniel P. Watkins, told the AP.
he cited a 2021 Virginia Court of Appeals ruling that found it was illegal for a man to secretly videotape his girlfriend during a consensual sexual encounter even if he did not show the video to others.
The court determined that consent to be seen is not the same as consent to be recorded.
Gibson is competing against Republican businessman David Owen
Gibson, 40, a nurse and married mother of two young children, won a Democratic primary in June and is running against Republican businessman David Owen in one of the state’s most competitive districts.
“I’m sure this is a difficult time for Susanna and her family, and I remain focused on my campaign,” Owen said in a statement.
A top Virginia Democratcame to Gibson‘s defense after the Post reported on the videos.
“Now let’s make this the biggest fundraising day of his campaign,” said Sen. L. Louise Lucas on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
VIDEO – Virginia race for state legislature impacted by leaked sex tape
