Bernie Moreno, the Trump-endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, is facing questions after his work email was linked to a profile on an adult website seeking “young guys to have fun with.”
Moreno’s work email was used to create a profile on Adult Friend Finder, a casual sexual encounter website, in 2008 seeking “Men for 1-on-1 sex,” according to the Associated Press which obtained the information from an Adult Friend Finder data breach.
“Hi, looking for young guys to have fun with while traveling,” the profile reads.
The account’s username “nardo19672” appears to refer to Moreno’s full first name, Bernardo, as well as the year and month of his birth in February 1967, the AP noted.
Furthermore, geolocation data shows that the account was created for use in a part of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Moreno’s parents owned a home at the time, according to property records viewed by the AP.
In a statement to AP, Moreno’s attorney said the account was created by a former intern as “part of a juvenile prank,” and provided the outlet with a statement allegedly written by this former intern.
“I am thoroughly embarrassed by an aborted prank I pulled on my friend, and former boss, Bernie Moreno, nearly two decades ago,” the intern wrote.
However, AP reported that they could not “independently confirm” the statement and efforts to contact the intern were unsuccessful.
Moreno, 57, was once an ally to the LGBTQ community before he ran for public office. In 2020, his companies were listed among the Ohio businesses that supported a law banning discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.
Four years later, during his campaign for Senate, Moreno is accusing advocates for LGBTQ rights of advancing a “radical” agenda of “indoctrination.”
Moreno’s shifting views are not just limiting to the LGBTQ community since he entered politics.
He also appears to have done a 180 on Donald Trump since he received the former president’s endorsement. In the past, Moreno blamed Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, said there’s “no scenario” in which he would support Trump and that the former president exploits people’s “worst emotions.”
