Earlier this year, Republican Congressman Ron Wright of Texas passed away due to the virus that's killed nearly 600 thousand Americans and upended daily life in the United States for more than a year.
His widow, conservative activist Susan Wright, is one of the many Republicans running in the crowded special election for her late husband's seat representing Texas' Sixth Congressional District. Former President Donald Trump gave Wright his coveted endorsement earlier this week.
But now, only a day before the election, Wright's campaign is taking legal action against a disturbing robocall making the rounds in the district.
According to Politico, the robocall accuses Wright of murdering her husband, claiming she'd taken out a million dollar life insurance policy months before his death—and that she's running for Congress to cover it up. The call even includes her address.
Listen below.
Citing only "confidential sources," the woman's voice on the call says:
"Susan Wright murdered her husband. She's now running for Congress to cover it up. ... Susan Wright tearfully confided in a nurse that she had purposely contracted the virus from a friend after taking a test that confirmed she had the antibodies necessary to overcome the virus. Susan Wright did this knowing full well that her husband, late Congressman Don [sic] Wright, was immunocompromised due to preexisting complications with lung cancer."
A spokesman for Wright's campaign said in a statement:
"When we heard reports of this criminal smear of a voicemail attacking Susan, we immediately referred the matter to law enforcement and started cooperating with authorities. Susan's opponents are desperate and resorting to disgusting gutter politics because they know she's the frontrunner.
Wright herself responded to the voicemail on Twitter.
She wasn't the only one disgusted by the call.
It was a deeply concerning turn of events just ahead of the highly-anticipated election.
As of now, it's unclear how the robocall originated, but details will likely emerge in the coming weeks.
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