The former Texas Republican representative, Blake Farenthold, who left Congress in the midst of accusations of sexual harassment, died. He was 63 years old.
He died at a hospital in Corpus Christi and suffered heart and hepatic problems in recent years, said Steve Ray, his former political consultant for a long time. Farenthold’s wife, Debbie Farenthold, confirmed that she died on Friday.
Blake Farenthold was chosen in 2010, altering the democratic representative of the United States of Long Data Solomon Ortiz. Seven years later, Farenthold announced that he would not seek re -election.
In a video he published on the Facebook page of his campaign at that time, he denied the three -year accusations of a former assistant, who included that he had submitted her to sexually suggestive comments and behaviors and then fired her after she complained. He apologized for an office environment that he said included “destructive gossip, unbalanced comments, out of color and behavior that was generally less than professional.”
He said in the video that if he stayed in Congress, he would have spent months trying to claim.
“We all make mistakes,” Ray said on Saturday. “He made some mistakes.”
Ray described him as a “technician” who was interested on the Internet and technology before getting involved in politics.
“He did a tremendous job as a congressman for this area,” said Ray, noting that Farenthold worried about fighting crime and promoting transparency. “His heart was always in the right place.”
Before becoming a congressman, Farenthold was a partner for a conservative radio programs presenter, Ray said.
“When he decided to run, nobody in the world thought he was going to win,” Ray said.
When he left office, Farenthold began his own radio program, which continued until he died.
In addition to his wife, Farenthold is survived by two adult daughters, Morgan Baucum and Amanda Lawrence, Ray said.
