By Patrick Svitek
Texas Tribune
The district director for Texas’ newest congresswoman, Mayra Flores, R-Los Indios, recently resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.
The website Current Revolt first reported a series of long-running allegations against Aron Peña in a story published last week. The website, which is associated with the far right in Texas politics, said it was told Peña is “accused of multiple instances of harassment of teenage staffers,” including “unwanted touching, inappropriate sexual comments, and forcing himself on staffers.”
The Texas Tribune found that Peña’s previous employer, the state Republican Party, had investigated allegations of harassment against him. And when he was then Flores' district director, he was accused of touching and kissing an intern without her consent in July. He denies any wrongdoing.
The accusations are serious and not a reflection of our values,” Flores spokesperson Daniel Bucheli said in a statement. “We addressed the allegations as soon as we were made aware, and Mr. Peña resigned.”
Bucheli’s statement referred to the allegations in the Current Revolt piece. Flores’ office declined any additional comment and would not discuss the specific allegations related to the intern. The office also would not answer questions about when Peña resigned and whether it was before or after the Current Revolt article was published.
“I emphatically deny the allegations,” Peña said in a statement to the Tribune, calling them politically motivated.
“After losing several campaigns in the primary a handful of Republicans in the losing camp motivated by revenge have engaged in a long-standing effort to discredit the good work of the Hidalgo County Republican Party,” he said. “Attacks have been made against anyone who disagrees with their efforts.”
He said he left the Flores campaign due to “serious health issues (blood clots in the legs and lungs)” and so he would not be a “distraction in the closing days of an election.”
The allegation against Peña was that he assaulted an intern while driving her and a second intern home at the end of a workday, according to two people familiar with the situation. Peña was said to have dropped off the second intern first, even though it was out of the way, the people said. Once he was alone with the first intern in the car, he was reported to take longer routes to her house and began touching her and kissing her, despite her telling him to stop, according to the people.
Peña did not deny the incident took place but told the Tribune that the intern started it and that it was consensual.
Peña is a member of a prominent family in Republican politics in South Texas. His sister, Adrienne Peña-Garza, is the chairperson of the Hidalgo County GOP. His father is Aaron Peña, a former state representative who is running for a state appeals court seat.
Flores is close to the family. Peña-Garza helped give Flores her start in politics by hiring her as Hispanic outreach chair for the party.
Flores is in a hotly contested race for reelection after flipping the 34th Congressional District in a June special election, a boon to the GOP’s post-2020 offensive in South Texas. But she faces a tougher race in November, when the district has been redrawn to be more favorable to Democrats and her opponent is U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen.
The campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, sent out a news release Friday extensively highlighting the Current Revolt story, including 11 bullet points with excerpts.
Gonzalez said he was “deeply disturbed” that Flores hired Peña.
“Rep. Flores turned a blind eye to his behavior because he came from a connected family – and as a result, a young female staffer was assaulted in her workplace,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “It’s inexcusable and tells you everything you need to know about Mayra Flores’ judgment and character.”
Peña previously worked for the Texas GOP, serving as strategic initiatives director from August 2021 until June 23, 2022, according to a party spokesperson. The party’s chair, Matt Rinaldi, acknowledged in a statement that the party looked into sexual harassment allegations against Peña but declined to provide additional detail, citing a confidential process.
The district director for Texas’ newest congresswoman, Mayra Flores, R-Los Indios, recently resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.
The website Current Revolt first reported a series of long-running allegations against Aron Peña in a story published last week. The website, which is associated with the far right in Texas politics, said it was told Peña is “accused of multiple instances of harassment of teenage staffers,” including “unwanted touching, inappropriate sexual comments, and forcing himself on staffers.”
The Texas Tribune found that Peña’s previous employer, the state Republican Party, had investigated allegations of harassment against him. And when he was then Flores' district director, he was accused of touching and kissing an intern without her consent in July. He denies any wrongdoing.
The accusations are serious and not a reflection of our values,” Flores spokesperson Daniel Bucheli said in a statement. “We addressed the allegations as soon as we were made aware, and Mr. Peña resigned.”
Bucheli’s statement referred to the allegations in the Current Revolt piece. Flores’ office declined any additional comment and would not discuss the specific allegations related to the intern. The office also would not answer questions about when Peña resigned and whether it was before or after the Current Revolt article was published.
“I emphatically deny the allegations,” Peña said in a statement to the Tribune, calling them politically motivated.
“After losing several campaigns in the primary a handful of Republicans in the losing camp motivated by revenge have engaged in a long-standing effort to discredit the good work of the Hidalgo County Republican Party,” he said. “Attacks have been made against anyone who disagrees with their efforts.”
He said he left the Flores campaign due to “serious health issues (blood clots in the legs and lungs)” and so he would not be a “distraction in the closing days of an election.”
The allegation against Peña was that he assaulted an intern while driving her and a second intern home at the end of a workday, according to two people familiar with the situation. Peña was said to have dropped off the second intern first, even though it was out of the way, the people said. Once he was alone with the first intern in the car, he was reported to take longer routes to her house and began touching her and kissing her, despite her telling him to stop, according to the people.
Peña did not deny the incident took place but told the Tribune that the intern started it and that it was consensual.
Peña is a member of a prominent family in Republican politics in South Texas. His sister, Adrienne Peña-Garza, is the chairperson of the Hidalgo County GOP. His father is Aaron Peña, a former state representative who is running for a state appeals court seat.
Flores is close to the family. Peña-Garza helped give Flores her start in politics by hiring her as Hispanic outreach chair for the party.
Flores is in a hotly contested race for reelection after flipping the 34th Congressional District in a June special election, a boon to the GOP’s post-2020 offensive in South Texas. But she faces a tougher race in November, when the district has been redrawn to be more favorable to Democrats and her opponent is U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen.
The campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, sent out a news release Friday extensively highlighting the Current Revolt story, including 11 bullet points with excerpts.
Gonzalez said he was “deeply disturbed” that Flores hired Peña.
“Rep. Flores turned a blind eye to his behavior because he came from a connected family – and as a result, a young female staffer was assaulted in her workplace,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “It’s inexcusable and tells you everything you need to know about Mayra Flores’ judgment and character.”
Peña previously worked for the Texas GOP, serving as strategic initiatives director from August 2021 until June 23, 2022, according to a party spokesperson. The party’s chair, Matt Rinaldi, acknowledged in a statement that the party looked into sexual harassment allegations against Peña but declined to provide additional detail, citing a confidential process.
To read rest of post, click on link: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/16/mayra-flores-aron-pena/
28 comments:
The Devil is guiding Mayra Flores and her campaign. She is on the wrong side of all sorts of history, cultural for one.
There's something sickening about a Mexican sidling up to a Texas Republican governor. Remember Eddie Lucio and Rick Perry?
Vote Democrat!!!
racist republicans at work....
Lambiscona he don't like meskin specially cotton pickers, neither does el cheeto...
DeSantis signs Human Trafficking law.(floridianpress.com) Immigration advocates are criticizing DeSantis' stunt of transporting immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard from Florida as ‘political and inhumane’, while the federal government discuss ‘litigation options.’
arrest all the governors ALL of them!
What a bunch of scum bag.
"We've seen these fundamentally racist and xenophobic tactics before."
VOTE BETO AND STOP THESE RACIST REPUBLICANS TACTICS
BETO BETO BETO...
It's a non-story compared to Vicente's Bank of China account story that you have ignored. How about a story on Hunter Biden or his sister's diary? How about Vicente's anti immigrant comments?
Was his father the old Aron who switched parties from Demo to Republican back when he was a state representative, or was it senator?
sex scandals trailing Mayra Flores now?
Pos, si. Son puro escrape!
Vicente gonzalez, the chinese investment scoundrel now wants to take jabs a Congresswoman M. Flores? Its bad enough this coward pays someone to discredit her nationality but now is using the political step ladder (because he' short) to rally ignorant democrat voters and claim that she was aware of this perverts actions, without any proof! Typical democRAT tactics because ignorant democrat followers believe his spew of shit and give him his vote thinking that he is clean?
I guess he thinks that democRAT politicians aren't perverts BUT there is sure a long list of them on Epstein' flight plans!
Vote for Mayra Flores!
Que cochino ese hombre. Regardless if it was consensual, the intern was his subordinate! This guy needs some human resource training. If Mayra knew about his history and turned a blind eye, she has very poor judgment. So much for God family country.
P.O.S. PERVERT!
YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU ARE ON TOP OF THE WORLD.
KNOW IT'S TIME TO FIND A REAL JOB.
THE ONLY KISSING YOU WILL BE DOING NOW, IS KISSING ASS AT A REAL JOB.
GIRLS ARE GETTING IT TOGETHER.
YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU BETTER PAY. AND PAY BIG BUCKS. NOTHING LESS THAN $750.00. AN HOUR.
Mayra has our vote ! Sick of the political bullshit
Queen Elizabeth II's life through the years
what's there to see she never worked a second in her life just spent spent and spent taxpayers monies.... MAMONES
Pack your bags Mayra Flores and Greg Abbott. A bus leaving for Trump city will be ready.
Shame on what you are doing to those poor immigrants seeking a better life.
Human lives that you play politics with.
GOD COUNTRY AND FAMILY?
The hypocrisy Mayra Flores. Nice photo of you and the Governor by the way
Registered Voter
Pack your bags Mayra Flores and Greg Abbott. A bus leaving for Trump city will be ready.
Shame on what you are doing to those poor immigrants seeking a better life.
Human lives that you play politics with.
GOD COUNTRY AND FAMILY?
The hypocrisy Mayra Flores. Nice photo of you and the Governor by the way
Registered Voter
1940 Nazis bus Jewish people out of cities to concentrations camps and their death. 2022 Herr abbott, Herr doocy, and Herr desantis busing immigrants out of their states. Todays NEO NAZISM. Heil republicans, destroyers pf DEMOCRACY.
MAGA MAYRA COME AND TAKE IT!!!!!
MAYRA
AR !5
GUN
ADVOCATE
Our children in schools are in danger of crazies with AR 15 weapons and MAGA MAYRA is against gun control. Remember El Paso and Remember UVALDE. MAGA(come and take it)MAYRA and republicans against gun control. PLEASE REMEMBER UVALDE. It can happen here in Valley. Let's protect our love ones. VOTE DEMOCRAT. LET's get gun control
VOTE BETO, VICENTE, and all DEMOCRATS.
EL VALLE ES DE LOS DEMOCRATAS
DON'T LET REPUBLICAN LAMBISCONES DESTROY US
Just like Joe Biden. Sniffer in Chief...
We can say the same about our current president.
Trump Lies Incessantly. In x,xxx days, President Trump has made xx,xxx false or misleading claims.
List of Lawsuits Involving Donald Trump.
Trump Death Clock estimates how many people Trump has killed due to his incompetence to properly fight COVID-19.
26 Women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
Trump’s 2017 tax break was an alleged sham: “more than 60% of the tax savings went to people in the top 20% of the income ladder, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The measure also slashed the corporate tax rate by 40%”.
Trump has alleged ties with Russia
Trump is at least $1 Billion in debt.
Trump: Made it okay to shoot hibernating bears
Trump: Put children in cages which may be a humane rights abuse.
Trump: Imitated disabled reporter
Trump: Called third world countries ****holes
Trump: Said Jewish people who vote Democrat are disloyal.
Trump: Showed top secret documents at Mar-A-Lago restaurant
Trump: Leaked classified information to Russian ambassador
Trump: Asked the president of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens
Trump: Called for China to investigate the Bidens
Trump: Walked into the dressing room at Miss Teen USA pageant
Trump: Pressed the Australian prime minister to help Barr investigate Mueller
Trump: Talked about grabbing *****
Trump: Lied about the size of his inauguration
Trump: Refused to release his tax returns
Trump: Gutted the E.P.A.
Trump: Confiscated and destroyed interpreter’s notes after meeting with Putin
Trump: Tweeted classified photo of Iran missile site
Trump: Called Baltimore a ‘disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess’
Trump: Leaked information to the press about the 2017 Manchester arena bombing
Trump: Said Megyn Kelly had ‘blood coming out of her whatever’
Trump: Called Carly Fiorina ‘horseface’
Trump: Corrupted Republican Party.
Trump: Appointed and didn’t fire Betsy DeVos
Trump: Destroying democracy
Trump: Lost Hong Kong
Trump: Threatened Marie Yovanovitch
Trump: Pulled the U.S. out of climate agreement
Trump: Allowed bounties on soldiers
Trump: Invaded Portland
Trump: Withdrew from W.H.O.
Trump: Damaged the US post office
Trump: Paid $750 in taxes
Trump: has played over 280 days of golf that has cost taxpayers an estimated $141 million.
There have been millions of dollars his businesses have charged the Secret Service.
A criminal case against Donald Trump has been in the works for some time.
Obstruction of justice.
Lied to investigators.
Conspired with Russian intelligence to commit an offense against the United States.
Bank fraud, tax fraud, and insurance fraud.
Falsifying business records.
and there's more!!!!!!
that's who we need for presidente ahahahahahahahaha
Presidential Score For All Past Presidents Of The United States
Donald Trump is 4th from the bottom in ranking
Vote for Mayra Flores!
Is the last thing a meskin wanna do. They hate your ass you are a rapist a murderer and a thieve. What more negative shit do you want to be throw at your heritage from these racist republicans. She is doing it to enhance herself and her family NOTHING ELSE. Line her pockets is the main objective here.
BUT IF YOU ARE A COCO RETIRED COP AND A LAMBISCON Y MAMON GO AHEAD AND MAKE THEIR DAY AT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY'S EXPENSE...
LOOK AROUND LOOK WHAT RACIST REPUBICAN GOVERNORS ARE DOING TO THE HISPANIC JUST TO STAY IN OFFICE AND SACRIFICING THE LIFES OF ALL HISPANICS AND THEY ARE ASKING FOR YOUR VOTE?
NO TIENEN VERGUENZA THEY THINK YOU ARE STUPID OR WHAT?????
JUST A FEW OF THE INVESTIGATIONB INTO TRUMPUTO PENDEJADAS
BEST PRESIDENT EVER!!!!!!!!HAHAHAHAHA
Federal criminal investigation into White House records removal
Georgia criminal investigation of Trump for interference in state’s 2020 presidential election
Federal criminal investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot
Select House Committee investigating Jan. 6 riot
Federal criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election
New York Attorney General Office civil investigation of Trump Organization business practices
Manhattan District Attorney criminal case against Trump Organization
Rape defamation lawsuit by the writer E. Jean Carroll
Not to worry the local foundation will hire him and they will never run out of funding they have the backing of COB..will fit in perfectly!
Myra can you finally look into who paid for the wall maybe ask all the Trumpudos or ask your family in Mexico they might know.American tax payers were given promises.As for you going after PUB finally somebody had balls we want to see investigations not lip service.
September 19, 2022 at 5:45 PM
Das how they paid for her campign so I hear. Puras RATAS lambiscones y mamones. cotoon picker hahahahahaha my ass she don't look it. Y MENTIROSA TAMBIEN.
No one is doing anything to migrants. They are doing it to themselves. People have choices. They chose to come knowing all the risks. They came here because Democrats promised to support them and their families for life. The new era of Socialism.
Hillbillys and red-necks have permanent free food cards called the appalachian mountain relief consortium, trumputo started the program, its free to all hillbillys and they call it the red card relief.
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