GOP Rep. Who Voted Against McCarthy on Day One Fights Odd Witchcraft Claims

Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, took office on Tuesday and was among the members of her party to vote against electing California Representative Kevin McCarthy as House speaker.

During her first day, she was also questioned about numerous allegations made by a person characterized as a would-be political rival. Those allegations include that she practices witchcraft and that she once had an affair with Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida.

The Daily Beast on Wednesday wrote it had obtained a letter from a law firm representing Luna that shows she is demanding the person who made the allegations, Matt Tito, apologize for making the claims on a popular radio show.

On Tuesday, Luna posted a video on Twitter of Daily Beast reporter Zachary Petrizzo following her as she left her office. In the clip, Petrizzo is heard asking her if she's "a witch" and if she had "some sort of relationship with a representative." Luna said the questioning amounted to sexual harassment.

"When you're a woman who stands up to the swamp, you are sexually harassed leaving your office, accused of having sex with members, being a witch, and more lies. This is why we must drain the swamp. This is not journalism. Is this how female reps are treated?" Luna wrote.

The Daily Beast reported that Tito made the accusations about Luna during an August appearance on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show. The website referred to Tito as an ally of Roger Stone—an ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump—and said Tito had "mulled challenging Luna in a primary."

Tito responded to The Daily Beast, saying he made the comments during the interview because he heard Lunda "puts spells on people" from Hispanics for Trump associate Paloma Zuniga, who he said told him that "Luna practices witchcraft."

Petrizzo wrote that attorney David J. Lisko of the law firm Holland & Knight sent a letter to Tito that called for him to apologize on video for his accusations, which also included a claim that Luna was once fired from a job in addition to the accusations of witchcraft and the affair with Gaetz.

"While it is extraordinarily odd for any person to say these things, let alone a former Captain in the United States Marine Corps., that is not the purpose of this communication," Lisko reportedly wrote, referencing Tito's military service.

The Daily Beast story added that Lisko said Tito knew his "defamatory" remarks were false and were "said in gross negligence knowing the statements were highly implausible and unlikely to be true."

"You said that Ms. Luna (a devout Christian) practices witchcraft," Lisko reportedly wrote in the letter. He also asked for Tito to make the retraction on video so that Luna can share it on her social media accounts.

A spokesperson for Luna replied to Newsweek with a statement.

"It's no surprise that more political nobodies are coming out of the woodwork to attack Rep. Luna in the same week that her courageous votes in the Speaker's race have captured national attention. These ludicrous attacks don't phase her," the statement read. "As for the Daily Beast reporter, his behavior and sexual comments were nothing short of bizarre. It's too bad Petrizzo can't find actual scoops to go after like a real journalist."

Newsweek reached out to Tito and the Holland & Knight law firm for comment.

Update 01/04/22 7:50 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comment from Rep. Luna's office.