State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, has not responded to questions about whether lawmakers should be prohibited from dating employees they supervise. This comes after his campaign provided conflicting accounts of when he began dating his former chief of staff, Brianna Menard.

Conflicting Accounts

The campaign initially stated that Talarico and Menard developed feelings for each other while she worked as his chief of staff but did not begin dating until after she left his office. However, a campaign spokesman later said that the relationship began while Menard was still working for Talarico.

Talarico’s campaign was also asked about his relationship with Irma Reyes, who worked in legislative roles in the Texas House but not for Talarico. Reyes confirmed that the relationship had ended five years earlier but declined further comment.

Potential Ban

The questions come as a women-led bipartisan House working group considers whether to recommend expanding the chamber’s existing prohibition on member-staffer sexual relationships to all House employees. Current U.S. House rules prohibit members from engaging in a sexual relationship with an employee they supervise or an employee of a committee on which they serve.

Talarico’s campaign was asked if he would support a comparable rule in the Texas Legislature but did not respond. The campaign also did not answer questions about the timeline of Talarico’s residency inside the district he represents.

Original reporting: WBAP News/Talk (Dallas-Fort Worth) — read the source article.