'Smears': Republican candidate hits back at GOP gov aide with cease-and-desist notice

The Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor who defied calls Friday from Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) to drop out of the race hit back at Youngkin's aide in a forcefully worded cease-and-desist notice on Monday.

GOP infighting broke out last week after Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC said in a statement that the governor was "made aware late Thursday of the disturbing online content" connected to John Reid.

Nude photos of men were shared on a social media account that Youngkin's team believes is linked to him, The Washington Post reported.

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“Friday morning, in a call with Mr. Reid, the Governor asked him to step down as the Lt. Governor nominee," the PAC said in a statement.

On Monday, Charles R. Spies, a lawyer for Reid, sent a cease-and-desist notice to Matthew Moran, Youngkin’s top political adviser, accusing Moran of providing “false and defamatory information to news outlets.”

The letter also said Moran “threatened to share additional content if Mr. Reid does not drop out of the race by this Saturday, May 3, 2025,” the Post reported.

The lawyer said Moran made "clear" in a meeting Sunday that "you only intend to stop sharing smears [against] Mr. Reid if he drops out of the race, and if he stays in the race, you intend to continue attacking and smearing him. You literally said ‘him getting out of the race is the only way it stops.’”

Reid last week refused to drop out of the race and slammed 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.

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.