It’s personal.

I cannot begin this story under the pretense of simply reporting recent intimidating comments by Nevada’s sitting Congressman, Steven Horsford. It’s personal for his estranged wife, Dr. Sonya Douglass who has publicly called out his attempts to silence her, as the injured party of Horsford’s admitted a decade-long affair.

It’s personal for the Republican Candidate for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, Sam Peters, to who Horsford levied thinly veiled threatening messages on the radio, just days after Peters held a press conference calling for the incumbent’s resignation, amid allegations from his wife of “bullying, intimidation, and potentially violence.” Peters sent a letter to Congressional Ethics Committee demanding an investigation immediately.

It’s personal for both Peters and myself as we come to grips with the shocking and very sad death of a politically active friend, who died just days ago. It’s personal for me, reflecting on my own experiences.

We can look at Horsford’s words on the radio show, but more important are the words of the victims. 

Dr. Sonya Douglass

Douglass has been desperate to get her divorce finalized. Horsford’s family did not want him to seek re-election amid personal strife, embarrassment, and clear character flaws. Horsford filed for re-election without his family’s knowledge, something Douglass tweeted about after the filing period.

As I have watched what I consider a very strong, smart, capable, and poised woman go through this public experience what I note is that at times she seems to want to speak up and at times she would like to enjoy her life in peace. And, that’s all valid. But, I do feel when she is speaking, she is asking for us to hear her— just a wild guess. 

Horsford would prefer if she could never speak on her experiences and that she could never be heard, understood, or supported. He has taken action with the goal of silencing her in mind.

To be clear, one of the statements from Douglass, Horsford’s estranged wife, said that she had been demanded to sign an NDA that would prevent her from even speaking about aspects of her own life to a therapist.

I was just minding my business until Steven and his attorney demanded I sign an NDA that would ban me from speaking about my 22-year marriage, his 10-year affair, and our divorce FOREVER. It includes $10,000 fines for each remark or social post. Even to a therapist! Y’all!

I had no intention of posting anything and kept quiet the entire campaign. To think I would even want to mention his name is ridiculous. Who looks through the trash after you’ve taken it out? But I don’t respond well to bullying or intimidation so here we are.

And he’s already blaming me should he lose his race. Refuses to take responsibility for his own actions. He had hundreds of chances to do the right thing but he chose violence.

After these revelations from Douglass, Peters held the press conference calling to escalate this to Congressional Ethics review and asked for Horsford’s resignation. Peters had never previously spoken on the affair, or impending divorce until Douglass made the recent concerning posts.
Read More: Republican for Congress Sam Peters Calls on Nevada’s Democrat Rep. Horsford to Resign Amid Allegations From His Wife

“Cash Me Outside”

On Wednesday, Horsford appeared on local AM radio with host Bryan Shapiro. The Congressman said:

“If Sam Peters wants to meet me in the back to talk about my family, we will have that conversation as well.”

This is congressman @StevenHorsford on opponent @SamPetersNevada going after his personal family situation " If Sam Peters wants to meet me in the back to talk about my family we will have that conversation as well "

Full Interview : https://t.co/aCzfrwGoos pic.twitter.com/e5bYuxxvlZ

— Pushing The Limits (@PushinglimitsLV) November 2, 2022

This language is similar to the nomenclature used to solicit a physical alteration, more commonly “meet me outside,” or as made infamous by Bhad Bhabie on Dr. Phil, “Cash me outside, how bou’ that?”

And, yes, I know Horsford will do political tapdancing, posturing, and anything except taking responsibility and accountability. That’s because I believe Douglass when she said:

Refuses to take responsibility for his own actions. He had hundreds of chances to do the right thing but he chose violence.

Welp. Nailed it.

Peters is still seeking Horsford to take responsibility for his actions. Peters tells RedState:

“Steven Horsford continues to show his true character. His response after the world learns he’s threatening his wife, is to threaten me. I assure you, I’m not intimidated. I will renew my call for his resignation. Nevada deserves better.”

There is certainly a level of hypocrisy to be noted, that Ms. Douglass shouldn’t even be able to talk to a therapist, or anyone, ever, but Horsford can characterize her and her own preferences on the radio. He not only spoke about her, but he also spoke for her. It’s a clear double standard, but I can imagine that isn’t the first one that Ms. Douglass has experienced.

To no surprise of even-keeled locals, the radio host is satisfied with the “meet me out back” innuendo as he super-agreeably nods through Horsford’s hypocrisy, pivoting, and covert political aggression. Political violence, of course, is a “threat to our democracy” as we all have been reminded of by the White House and President Joe Biden, along with the pundits and legacy media.

Birds of a Feather

I was on that radio show once. I would show you the episode but it has been scrubbed from the internet, after Shapiro screamed at me about how he got COVID, totally red-faced, in an attempt at emotional blackmail. I swiftly shut him down, “uh-uh, you will lower your voice when you speak to me.” This ended up being an embarrassing behavior, Shapiro later told me.

But, it ain’t my first rodeo. I figured out what I needed to know about his mentality when he, quoting myself, “basically argued against the Geneva Convention,” as he imagined – out loud – cruel and unusual punishments for the inmate being discussed. Randomly arguing and fantasizing about the globally-acknowledged inhumane treatment of humans? Oh, I’ve got your psych profile pinned down way before I got screamed at, in literally my first meeting with this man.

RedState’s Managing Editor, Jennifer Van Laar admonished Shapiro’s behavior and on-air yelling. RedState contributors and Van Laar herself often do media spots about the stories breaking at RedState and professionalism is a minimum expectation for all media members.

Yelling at guests is unacceptable

— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) September 14, 2022

I was on the show because when the then-sitting Democrat public official, Robert Telles, murdered investigative journalist, Jeff German, I had written a piece about it… since I am a local Las Vegas political writer… and all. Shapiro took issue with the fact I called Telles a Democrat, because he was one, and “made it political” since he was a sitting public official that Democrat Governor Sisolak had also appointed to a state board, and who had a political motive when he slayed German in the wake of his articles leading to a loss in his primary election race this year.

Listen to @BrutalBrittany2 from https://t.co/paygUUVQQW make the @RobTellesLV murder case into a " Democrat " and " political motive " issue. Obviously I disagree, and pull back on her statements.

Full interview https://t.co/c2qeXBrjZf pic.twitter.com/GYNGMwruae

— Pushing The Limits (@PushinglimitsLV) September 14, 2022

I did end up blocking Shapiro after the show and explained my reasoning in a thread including obsessive post-show contact. He wanted to argue online, on-air, in text, and I had seen enough of the red-faced antics. But, that didn’t mean I was granted any semblance of peace. Instead, I was publicly lambasted for “comparing myself to a domestic violence victim” for saying I had just come from doing victim advocacy in a courtroom. Except, I was a domestic violence victim, and that’s not a secret (anymore). But here I am, upsetting the internet by having the audacity to have been physically assaulted. How dare I do that to you. 

It’s really upsetting to me that she compared herself to a domestic violence victim.

— Sara Spector (@Miriam2626) September 14, 2022

It’s also why I showed up bright and early to get an abuser’s plea deal revoked that day. And hey, if more people did that then Telles could have gone to jail on previous DV charges, instead of murder charges.

In the end, I was verbally and emotionally abused on the show and harassed with unwanted communication until I blocked Shapiro – all because I called a Democrat, a Democrat – on a political website.

Horsford was in good company with those satisfactory yes-man nods. They are birds of a feather.

pic.twitter.com/wBlvgB9O8B

— Sara Spector (@Miriam2626) September 14, 2022

Johnny Jackson

In Horsford’s radio appearance he deflects from his family matters saying we should talk about Nevada’s families. I will take him up on that offer, now. Let’s start with Johnny, then.

Johnny died. I have no eloquence in the shock of it, and the timing as this Horsford nightmare plays out. On Monday, Peters was announcing the actions he was taking to have the allegations investigated and called for the Congressman’s resignation. I was writing up my article, and Johnny was posting on social media about his own experience with Horsford. Then, the next day I saw a memorial post for him. His final social media posts were about Horsford, and how Horsford had let him down.

Actually, on the final day of his life, Johnny posted that he had received a call from a friend with a message to him from Horsford and that he would tell his social media audience about it soon. ‘Soon’ never came. I would be interested to know what this benevolent (not) message from Horsford was, to a Nevadan actively campaigning against him. With Horsford’s recent messages to his soon-to-be (rooting for you, Sonya) ex-wife, and his choice words for Peters to ‘meet him in the back,’ I can guess the message for Johnny was on-brand, too.

I cannot offer Johnny the proper memorialization he deserves here, but I can tell you what I know he has expressed. Johnny was vocally critical of Horsford because he contacted his office (and others) in attempts to have his daughter, a US citizen, come to the United States from the Philippines, seeking intervention from the US Consulate.

Johnny said at one time Horsford’s office had promised this was to happen, and he had given his daughter not only hope but a timeframe where they could celebrate their birthdays together. This never happened though, and after four months, according to Johnny, Horsford’s office called to tell him to, “get a lawyer.” Johnny described this as heartbreaking, for both him and his daughter. He was also upset that Horsford had made a liar out of him.

Johnny never got to see his daughter again, and now she is in the Philippines learning of her father’s death. Johnny died trying to get his daughter home, and Horsford broke his promises and their hearts, forever.

Johnny was an avid supporter of the Peters campaign, and Peters has vowed to do everything he can do for situations like Johnny’s, his daughter’s, and other Nevadans when he gets to Congress. I’m one of those Nevadans.

Johnny’s story tears me up. Not only because I knew him, I’ve spoken to him on the phone, at events, and kept contact on social media but, because I relate to him.

It’s public record that I have a case in front of the Nevada Supreme Court, and what I am seeking is jurisdiction to get a family law case heard. Should anyone have to petition a high court for something so mundane? Um, no. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I did.

The two states that could even be considered to have jurisdiction both declined, my argument is that one did so wrongfully. So, I am in an asinine situation where there is no state or court in the country I can file a family law motion in. Jurisdiction is… nowhere unless you ask me or my counsel. Undoubtedly, that assertion is both erroneous and wildly bizarre. It shouldn’t happen. Except it did. And, it hurts Nevadans.

I will go to the State’s high court and I’m willing to go to the 9th Circuit. I will aim for the state legislatures to implement reform, and we can add clarifying language in Congress to existing law if needed. If there are loopholes, they must be closed. If clarifying language is needed, well then, I’ll write it.

In the same way, I will advocate on behalf of domestic violence victims because I was one, I will advocate for those caught in systems that refuse to function for the benefit of families and ordinary civilians because I know about that, too. I sincerely do not want others to experience some of the things that I have, because they might not survive it.

Johnny didn’t survive it.

We’re supposed to lift people up. We are supposed to hear the voice of Ms. Douglass and recognize that she is hostage to negotiations to strip her of free speech, of support systems, and of her own story.

We’re supposed to know that Johnny was petitioning the highest levels of our government for his daughter and that he left this life with a blighted hope. We’re supposed to figure out what is wrong with our systems and step in to fix it so that what we have experienced others might be spared.

We aren’t supposed to be yes-men. Power isn’t supposed to be our drug, justice is. Liberty is. Hope is.

So, you can take what you want from the totality of circumstances. You should look at those whose voices are silenced and scrubbed. You should look at the glad-handing for the status quo and the use of abusive tactics.

You should look at who is putting their families first.

And, you should look at the person who said he would help all of them, in whatever ways he could, no matter their burden.

As I thought over this piece, I keep having a feeling of injustice: that the people who vote for Horsford are siding with the abusers, the oppressors, and the silencers. I strongly recommend voting for Sam Peters, because he will champion Nevadans: he hears us, he knows us, and he’s ready to fight for us in Congress.