News/Commentary

‘Who looks through the trash after you’ve taken it out?’: Dem Rep torched by ex over alleged NDA

October 30, 2022 | | Print Article

A word to the wise: If you’re a member of Congress and you spent half of your marriage to your now estranged wife in the arms of another woman, it’s probably not a good idea to try and bully her into signing a non-disclosure agreement when you’re trying to get re-elected.

It’s a lesson Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) is learning the hard way, after he allegedly demanded that his ex, Professor Sonya Douglass, director of the Black Education Research Center at Columbia University Teachers College, sign an NDA and agree to $10,000 fines should she step out of line.

“I was just minding my business until Steven and his attorney demanded I sign an NDA that would ban me from speaking about my 22-year marriage, his 10-year affair, and our divorce FOREVER,” Douglass tweeted on Sunday morning. “It includes $10,000 fines for each remark or social post.”

“Even to a therapist!” she exclaimed. “Y’all!”

https://twitter.com/drsonyadouglass/status/1586710113603272704?s=20&t=IBBLYE5CwfkO7wOq4_KI1Q

If Horsford thought his soon-to-be former wife was simply going to roll over and shut up, he has surely awakened from that delusion.

Douglass didn’t mince words.

“I had no intention of posting anything and kept quiet the entire campaign,” she wrote. “To think I would even want to mention his name is ridiculous. Who looks through the trash after you’ve taken it out?”

“But I don’t respond well to bullying or intimidation,” she stated, “so here we are.”


In a May 2020 statement to The Associated Press, Horsford admitted to having an “on and off” relationship with Gabriela Linder, who was 21 years old and interning with then-Sen. Harry Reid when they met in 2009.

At the time, Horsford and Douglass were married and shared three children together.

“It is true that I had a previous consensual relationship with another adult outside of my marriage, over the course of several years,” Horsford said. “I’m deeply sorry to all of those who have been impacted by this very poor decision, most importantly my wife and family. Out of concern for my family during this challenging time, I ask that our privacy is respected.”

Even after the affair supposedly ended in 2019, “Horsford filmed a segment about the COVID-19 pandemic for [Linder’s] young son’s YouTube show using Horsford’s congressional staff,” AP reported.

According to Douglass, Horsford has an issue with “responsibility.”

“And he’s already blaming me should he lose his race,” she stated on Twitter. “Refuses to take responsibility for his own actions. He had hundreds of chances to do the right thing but he chose violence.”

“But through it all,” she continued, “I am stronger, wiser, and happier than I’ve ever been in my entire adult life. I pray my journey encourages others to trust God and accept nothing less than the peace, respect, and love we all deserve.”

https://twitter.com/drsonyadouglass/status/1586716013755867137?s=20&t=IBBLYE5CwfkO7wOq4_KI1Q

Apparently, the NDA was brought up as part of the couple’s divorce proceedings — something Douglass seems eager to see finalized.

“I will be [okay] as soon as @stevenhorsford signs these divorce papers and releases me from this never-ending nightmare,” Douglass tweeted on Saturday. “How long will he continue to punish me for something he did?”

“I just want my name and life back,” she stated.

https://twitter.com/drsonyadouglass/status/1586369939811622912?s=20&t=_UMT6fpjslj9fekGVm3j2w

https://twitter.com/drsonyadouglass/status/1586370410870104064?s=20&t=_UMT6fpjslj9fekGVm3j2w

Melissa Fine
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