'Malicious lies': GOP candidate defies calls to drop out over 'salacious' photos

John Reid, the Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, defied calls Friday from Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) to drop out of the race after nude photos of men were shared on a social media account that Youngkin's team believes is linked to him.

“The Governor was made aware late Thursday of the disturbing online content,” Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC said in a statement Friday, according The Washington Post. “Friday morning, in a call with Mr. Reid, the Governor asked him to step down as the Lt. Governor nominee.”

But Reid refused, slamming the posts as a smear campaign against him for being gay. He denied any involvement with the now-deleted account, which reposted pictures that included explicit photos of male reproductive organs as well as models in underwear, the Post said.

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The photos appeared on a Tumblr account that used the same handle as Reid’s other social media profiles. None of the images depicted Reid.

"As recently as March 2024, the account reposted a photo of a man facing a camera wearing only a baseball cap," the report said.

Reid confirmed he received a phone call from Youngkin.

“The Governor did call me today and said there were salacious pictures on the internet reposted by an account that uses my Instagram handle,” Reid told the Post in a text message. “I have now seen the supposed ‘evidence’ and it’s not my account, even though they’ve used a similar username to what I have on Instagram. As long as I have been in the public space, I have been a target for malicious and salacious lies. This is the second overt attempt to try to force me from the race.”

Reid also posted a video on X in which he said he was the victim of "character assassination." He said he's been openly gay for more than three decades and hasn't broken any law.

“What more can I possibly tell you? And why am I the candidate who has to answer these questions on this topic?” he said. “Let’s be honest, it’s because I’m openly gay and I will not bow down to the establishment.”