A former intern to Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for US Senate in Ohio and a hardline opponent of LGBTQ+ rights, said he wrote as an “aborted prank” a post on the AdultFriendFinder website in which Moreno appeared to look for “young guys to have fun with” and “men for 1-on-1 sex”.
“I am thoroughly embarrassed by an aborted prank I pulled on my friend, and former boss, Bernie Moreno, nearly two decades ago” in late 2008, the former intern, Dan Ricci, said in a statement provided to the Associated Press by Moreno’s lawyer.
Moreno, 57, was born in Colombia, came to the US and made his fortune dealing cars. He is now in a three-way fight for the right to take on the incumbent Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown, at the polls in November.
The seat is seen as a crucial battleground in the fight for the US Senate with Democrats desperate to defend Brown and Republicans believing they can beat him in a state that has turned red in recent elections – a result that would greatly aid them in winning control of the chamber.
The Republican primary takes place on Tuesday. Polling shows a tight race, Moreno in second behind Matt Dolan, a state senator, and ahead of Frank LaRose, the Ohio secretary of state. Brown leads all three but is seen as vulnerable as Republicans seek to take back the Senate, which Democrats hold 51-49.
The same lawyer told the AP, which broke the story on Thursday, Moreno “had nothing to do with the AFF account”, and provided evidence of Ricci’s work as an intern at Bernie Moreno Companies in November 2008.
The AP said it could not contact Ricci but cited records showing he donated $6,599 to Moreno last year. The person who provided evidence of Ricci’s internship was also a Moreno donor, the AP said.
Formerly a swing state, Ohio has trended right in recent elections and the Senate race there is being fought with hardball tactics. On Brown’s side, a group aligned with Senate Democrats has spent more than $2m on an ad emphasising Moreno’s Trumpist credentials, hoping to propel him into a general election where he can be portrayed as too extreme for independents and moderate Republicans.
Reporting the AdultFriendFinder profile, the AP also laid out extensive evidence of how Moreno’s views on LGBTQ+ issues have changed.
Past views have included support for the Gay Games in Akron and Cleveland in 2014; a discussion of how a TV sitcom, Modern Family, helped change his perception of same-sex marriage; mentioning that his eldest son is gay; and condemnation of homophobic and transphobic behaviour at Cleveland State University.
But in a Republican party steered to the far right by Trump, Moreno has changed his tune, attacking opponents for supporting a supposed “radical trans agenda” and earning the backing of Ohio Values Voters, which opposes LGBTQ+ rights.
Donald Trump Jr, a campaign surrogate for his father, recently called Moreno a “real conservative”, in contrast to “leftwing, pro-trans Frank LaRose”.
The AP report about the AdultFriendFinder post linked to Moreno therefore landed with a splash. The AP said it obtained data from a leak affecting the website and confirmed the profile was created using Moreno’s email account.
Moreno responded through his lawyer.
Donald Trump is set to appear with Moreno on Saturday, at a rally in Dayton.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told the AP the media was “obsessed with anyone who supports the America First movement”.
Maria Bruno, public policy director for Equality Ohio, told the AP Moreno’s shifting stance on LGBTQ+ rights was “a real shame”, adding: ”Anyone who is going to be compromising their value system just to win an election, they lose a lot of credibility.”
