Washington D.C. was sent into a frenzy this week as reports emerged that newly-divorced Rep. Rich McCormick, R-G.A., may have found comfort in the arms of a fellow congresswoman after marital woes — a bombshell development inside the House of Representatives that the Republican Party controls by a razor-thin majority.
The Georgia conservative lawmaker filed for divorce from his wife of 12 years, Dr. Debra Miller, on May 3rd in Georgia’s Gwinnett County.
Insiders claim there’s more salacious scandal brewing behind the divorce. They allege McCormick, 55, has been caught getting cozy for months with Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-T.X., a rising Republican star with strong ties to former President Donald Trump.
“Capitol Hill insiders say McCormick has often been seen acting overly friendly toward [Van Duyne],” one source revealed to The Daily Mail.
Numerous witnesses have reportedly caught the pair’s affair red-handed, claiming to have seen “McCormick and Van Duyne … holding hands under the table at the weekly Republican Study Committee lunch within the last three to four months.”
Another brazen source says they personally witnessed McCormick “grab the small of her back on the House floor during votes.”
Two other eyewitnesses corroborated seeing the colleagues holding hands, including one who spotted them leaving votes hand-in-hand.
The tender touches reportedly escalated during President Joe Biden’s televised State of the Union address on March 7th. As the president spoke, cameras caught McCormick gently squeezing Van Duyne’s arm in what looked like an intimate gesture between the rumored lovebirds.
While McCormick’s team played coy about the allegations, calling them an “old rumor mill,” his soon-to-be ex-wife seemed to validate the claims of infidelity.
When asked about the reasoning behind the divorce, Miller texted Daily Mail with a suggestive statement: “I’m sure that he will not be forthcoming. You should ask Rich and his colleague.”
So who is the woman at the center of this scandal? Beth Van Duyne is a fellow conservative firebrand who has climbed the ranks through local Texas politics. The 53-year-old Christian mom of two earned Trump’s endorsement in 2020, with the former president praising her conservative credentials on border security, the military, and the Second Amendment.
“Beth Van Duyne did great things as Mayor of Irving, Texas, with my Administration,” Trump proclaimed at the time. “She is a strong conservative who…has my full endorsement for Congress!”
Van Duyne herself has doubled down on Trump’s “America First” policies, calling for hardline stances on issues like deporting illegal immigrants charged with crimes. She’s also been a staunch supporter of aiding Israel despite voting against the 2022 Ukraine aid package.
But behind Van Duyne’s outspoken political persona seems to be a tumultuous personal life. In 2012, she divorced her husband of 17 years, with whom she shares two children. Then in 2021, her former campaign staffer Richard Dillard tragically died by suicide outside her home after allegedly being denied a job in her Congressional office.
Now, the latest scandal threatens to be her most salacious yet, as witnesses claim to have spotted late night trysts between Van Duyne and the newly-single McCormick.
Despite seven children and over a decade of marriage left behind, the rumored lovers are set to go public after McCormick’s divorce.
One thing is clear – this is shaping up to be one of the juiciest political scandals D.C. has faced in years. Voters can only watch with bated breath as more details emerge about McCormick’s divorce, Van Duyne’s past, and the truth behind their suspected affair that seems to be anything but an “old rumor mill.”
https://x.com/ChrisCillizza/status/1791546635035586709