‘Isis bride’ says GOP congressman ‘broke me first’ after affair ends his reelection campaign

A day after a Republican congressman dramatically ended his reelection campaign, citing an affair he’d had with the widow of an Isis commander, that widow has spoken out.

“FYI, Van Taylor broke me first, and he knows that,” Tania Joya wrote in a cryptic Facebook post. She also added the hashtag “#VanSlayer.”

Rep Van Taylor, who represents Texas’ 3rd District in Congress, dropped his reelection bid on Wednesday after narrowly failing to win a majority in the Republican primary. Mr Taylor won 49 per cent of the vote, requiring a run-off election with his opponents.

Just before the primary, the right-wing news site Breitbart reported that the congressman had paid Ms Joya $5,000 to keep quiet about their relationship. In an email to his supporters explaining his decision to step down, Mr Taylor admitted to the affair.

“About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world,” he wrote. “I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life. I want to apologize for the pain I have caused with my indiscretion, most of all to my wife Anne and our three daughters.”

According to Ms Joya, Mr Taylor caused her pain as well. The Independent has reached out to her to elaborate on her statement.

Later on Thursday, Ms Joya posted a second Facebook message, this time thanking those who supported her in the wake of the scandal.

“I want to thank those who have shown me compassion and support during this Van Taylor showdown,” Ms Joya wrote. “Especially the Christian community of Settle, who practice as Jesus did; showing empathy and non-judgmental mercy towards individuals who were shunned by the rest of society.”

Born in the UK, Ms Joya was previously married to John Georgelas, an American who became a commander in the Islamic State. This earned Ms Joya the tabloid nickname “Isis bride.”

Ms Joya has said Mr Georgelas took her and their children from Egypt to Syria in 2013, against her will. Shortly after they got there, she reported him to American authorities and escaped to the United States. Mr Georgelas is believed to have died in battle in 2017.

Now living in Texas, Ms Joya began working with non-profits focused on deradicalizing Islamic extremists. It was during that work, she says, that she met Mr Taylor, who she hoped could help get her into her school district’s Preventing Violent Extremism program. The two met in August 2019, she says, and the relationship turned sexual in October 2020.

“He considered me his girlfriend,” Ms Joya told Breitbart. “He labeled me his girlfriend, his mistress,” Tania told Breitbart News. “I told him that I found him attractive. After that for an entire month, every day during October 2020, he wouldn’t stop messaging me like crazy. It was just so distracting. He was going crazy for it.”

Ms Joya shared some of the sexually explicit text messages with Breitbart, and the right-wing site National File published them on Sunday.

With Mr Taylor out of the race, his district’s next congressman will likely be Collin County Judge Keith Self, the runner-up in the Republican primary.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Taylor for comment.