U.S. House quietly investigated separate sex tape scandal

The high-profile Senate sex scandal that rocked Washington, D.C. this month, was, in fact, the second time in less than two years that sexually explicit videos filmed in the U.S. Capitol prompted an investigation.

A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. confirmed that reports of “purported, unbecoming behavior” by a senior staffer in their office triggered an investigation last year. They added that “no conclusive evidence” was found.

The staffer, who Semafor is not naming, denied he participated in explicit videos, and disputed elements of the office’s characterization of the episode in a telephone interview and a series of text messages. He said he was informed of the investigation in June 2022, but told by the Congressman in July that it had ended with “no evidence to the allegation.” He said he left in the fall of 2022 on good terms for unrelated reasons to take a job outside of Washington, D.C. The Congressman praised his work in material announcing his hire.

One thing that is clear, however: There is, in fact, a second set of Capitol sex videos, which circulated on Snapchat last year. They featured in the Snapchat story of a user going by “Adam J” with the handle “Anjackson2019,” according to the recordings viewed by Semafor, which were provided by a source.

One of the videos, watched by Semafor, featured a man masturbating inside a House office building, which was identifiable by standard Capitol House furniture and carpeting. The desk at which the videographer performed also held a branded congressional mouse pad. A screenshot of a second video obtained by Semafor shows two men engaged in a sex act in an office setting. The participants’ faces are not visible in any of the material viewed by Semafor.

After the videos surfaced, Newhouse’s office was told that a suspected participant was a member of their staff.

“As soon as the office was alerted, we immediately contacted the appropriate House entities to conduct an independent investigation,” the spokesperson for Newhouse said, adding that “the office will not be providing further comment on personnel matters.”