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In light of the many desperate and false attacks that my opponent and his Washington, D.C. backers have leveled against myself, my family, and my supporters, I want to provide an open and transparent account of the facts. The following lays out the timeline of events over the course of this campaign and some of my grave concerns with Derrick Anderson's conduct.

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I’ve been a public servant for nearly two decades. I served for 10 years in the SEAL teams, and another eight years as a civil servant with both the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security. I fell in love with Virginia while I was stationed in Virginia Beach 15 years ago. My family moved to Culpeper in 2016 and then to Orange in 2020. We are deeply invested in our community here in Orange. My wife served as the treasurer for the local GOP committee while I served as President of a nonprofit with the town of Orange and as an Election Officer. We have attended and spoken at school board meetings, board of supervisor meetings, town council meetings, general assembly meetings, served in our church, volunteered on various campaigns and have coached youth sports.

 

It was never my intention or desire to run for public office. I've only ever cared about serving the American people. I was approached about this race by Delegate Nick Freitas and asked to serve in a new way that I had not previously considered. While I was weighing this possibility, I met with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and Congressional Leadership to discuss the landscape of politics, and to better understand the dynamics of the party. While meeting with the NRCC, I was asked to indicate members that I admired, to which I stated I have been a long-time supporter of Senator Rand Paul and liked much of what I saw from the Freedom Caucus. It was there that staff of some of our party’s most prominent leaders informed me that I was “too conservative”, and that they were recruiting Derrick Anderson to run for this seat instead.

 

Later in the fall at another event, I was pressured by several prominent members of Congress to pull out of this race and run in Virginia’s 10th district. I was promised backing from Republican Leadership and strong financial infrastructure. I respectfully told these individuals to pound sand, and that I was running to represent the people in the district in which I live. Since Derrick Anderson lives in Alexandria and entered the race after me, I suggested they recommend he run in Virginia’s 10th, as his Alexandria home is closer to that district than my home in Orange. 

 

In the winter, a member of Derrick Anderson’s team began pitching the idea that because my mother writes romance novels, I must be compromised as a candidate. At a Spotsylvania Committee meeting, I approached Derrick and informed him that while we were running competing campaigns, I would never attack him for his prior military service. War is hell, and the fact that he lost guys in a friendly fire accident is awful. I have also lost brothers overseas, and don’t wish that on anyone. Derrick shook my hand and said thank you. Earlier that same day, my mother had flagged an order from her online store that was made by a paid staffer of Derrick’s campaign. Also the same day, we received a request for comment from the Daily Mail on an article Derrick Anderson’s team had asked them to write. That article suggested that I was a source of inspiration for my mother’s romance writing; a disgusting, salacious, and laughably untrue statement. Derrick Anderson’s paid staff have continued to push this story to this day.

 

In early May, a negative push poll was circulated across the district, testing negative messages against me and attempting to determine how best to falsely attack my credibility. I received the poll personally. It contained laughable allegations that I do not support Israel, will vote with the “Squad," and was secretly a Biden/Mayorkas lackey supporting their initiatives. Articles were then planted by my opponent implying that I do not support Israel – a laughable accusation to those who know my love for Israel, and the fact that I have worn tzitzit and kept a kosher diet for almost 15 years. 

 

Now in the final days of this campaign, Derrick Anderson is running false attack ads against me on TV, radio, and online saying that I support Mayorkas. I was a career civil servant, who dedicated the 18 years of my adult life prior to running for Congress to protecting and serving the people of our great country. I did it in Afghanistan, I did it in countless other countries, and I did it along our southern border under President Trump – and then continued doing my best to serve my country even after President Biden crippled our ability to provide meaningful border security for the American people. I was never an appointee of the Biden administration, Mayorkas, or any other. In fact, I think I was one of Alejandro Mayorkas least favorite employees, because I put up the most fight against his policy directives. The only reason I’m running for Congress now is because I’ve become convinced that the only way to secure our border and save our country is through using Congress’ power of the purse to leverage the administration and force them to put the American people first.

 

I am the only candidate who called for the resignation and impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas. I did so loudly and publicly the moment I was out from under the Hatch Act. 

 

To contrast, at the same time that I was fighting for the American people, Derrick Anderson was making hundreds of thousands of dollars working for a Democrat law firm that represented the Clintons, the Obamas, and even the Democrat National Committee – while he was employed there.

 

Derrick is also spreading rumors that I am not a Trump supporter, though I am the only candidate in this race to formally endorse President Trump’s campaign, and I did so in January before the first primary vote had been cast. It’s another laughable accusation, but Derrick is betting on deception to win. Meanwhile Derrick has hired advisors who worked for Nikki Haley, has never made a clear endorsement of President Trump, and has only recently started putting his own face next to Trump’s on his campaign advertisements because he finds it politically expedient.

 

Derrick Anderson’s lack of integrity has been on display throughout this campaign. He has claimed victory in multiple candidate forums, which were blatantly false claims. In the only forum with a straw poll metric to gauge performance, I received the overwhelming support of attendees by a margin of 45%. The truth didn’t matter to Derrick any more then than it does now, and he put out a press release that same evening fraudulently announcing a “Big Win!”

 

I have also personally witnessed Derrick Anderson blatantly lie to GOP committees and deny being financially supported by Kevin McCarthy, when this is public information reported by the FEC. He’s lost the support of dozens of voters that I’ve talked with personally, who thought he sounded great when they met him and later realized he was lying to their faces. 

 

I have been endorsed by the strongest America First, Constitutionalist fighters in DC that are pushing back against the D.C. Swamp. Leaders like Senator Rand Paul, Congressmen Byron Donalds, Mark Green, Matt Gaetz, Chip Roy, Eli Crane, Cory Mills, and Thomas Massie, Congresswomen Anna Paulina-Luna and Mary Miller, and many others. Their only question to me was simple: “Will you commit to defending the Constitution and conservative principles even if it goes against our own party line?” My answer was simple: “Yes, without hesitation!”

 

In summary:

 

Derrick Anderson has attacked me salaciously from the start of this campaign, and has been supported by prominent mainstream Republicans because he has communicated his loyalty to party over principle. 

 

That concerns me.

 

Derrick Anderson is a lawyer, former special forces, and a member of the National Guard, but has remained completely silent on the unconstitutional vaccine mandate that kicked 8,500 service members out of our Armed Forces.

 

That concerns me.

 

Derrick Anderson has attacked me for working as a civil servant in DHS while Biden was President, meanwhile he was working for a Democrat law firm (Williams and Connolly) that defended Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, and was under a legal retainer to the Democrat National Committee in 2023 while Derrick was a candidate.

 

That concerns me.

 

Derrick Anderson has accused me of being an anti-Trump candidate, when his consultant is a former senior advisor to Nikki Haley’s campaign, and his affinity for President Trump has only manifested on his paid advertisements in the last few weeks. I formally endorsed President Trump before the Iowa Caucuses. Derrick Anderson has never done the same.

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That concerns me.

 

Derrick Anderson has accused me of lying, when he has never addressed the disciplinary complaint filed against him with the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel alleging that he committed fraud. I presented him with a copy when he accused me of lying to demonstrate that I am telling the truth, and he declined to clarify the issue. Even worse, the likely Democrat nominee Eugene Vindman was an ethics attorney, who specialized in issues exactly like this. I have no doubt that Vindman will use this disciplinary complaint against Derrick effectively, should he be our nominee in November.

 

That concerns me.

 

I believe that every one of you deserve the full truth, and the transparent narrative of the issues that have played out over the course of this campaign. I believe firmly that if we nominate Derrick Anderson, we will lose the general election to Eugene Vindman in November.

 

I’m running on a simple message. Our conservative principles will richly bless the lives of those who live in Virginia’s 7th, and are the best solution to the border crisis and rising cost of living – the two issues voters are consistently most concerned with. I believe in sharing that message empathetically with every resident of this district, and I’m asking for your vote on June 18th to be able to do so in the general election.

 

Please share this with those you know.

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