See the texts: Inside the Cal Cunningham messages that led to affair scandal
Cunningham has dodged questions about his relationship with Arlene Guzman Todd
By Mike Emanuel, Evie Fordham | Fox News
NC Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham faces Army Reserve investigation
North Carolina Senate race rocked by an October surprise; Rich Edson reports.
Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham's apparent lead in North Carolina's Senate race could be in danger after the publication of some steamy texts between Cunningham and a married woman led to revelations of an alleged affair.
Cunningham’s paramour Arlene Guzman Todd has been recently listed as media director of a marijuana public relations company and has been a California State University lecturer. Arlene Guzman Todd’s husband Jeremy Todd has been an active duty servicemember. Jeremy Todd was an Army Sergeant First Class who served in the U.S. Army with five combat deployments including in Iraq and Afghanistan, then studied at the University of Southern California in a determined bid to support his young family.
“My wife carried me through. She is really the superhero in all this. The wives are the unsung heroes of the military, the spouses that deal with everything. Without good wives and family, I don’t think soldiers would be successful in their missions and everything they do,” Jeremy Todd said of his military wife Arlene Guzman Todd in 2016. Guzman Todd has not returned requests for comment.
ARMY RESERVE INVESTIGATING NC'S CUNNINGHAM AFTER STEAMY TEXT MESSAGES SURFACE: REPORT
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Jeremy Todd, an Army veteran whose wife, Arlene Guzman Todd (right), admitted to having an affair with Cal Cunningham (left, with his wife) has called on the North Carolina Democrat to drop out of the Senate race
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'I firmly believe Mr Cunningham should drop out of the Senate race and ask that his behavior and actions be reviewed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).' Todd's wife, Guzman Todd (pictured) admitted last week to being intimate with Cunningham
Cunningham has dodged questions about his relationship with Arlene Guzman Todd, the wife of an Army veteran. This week, Guzman Todd told the Associated Press their affair included physical encounters as recently as July.
In texts, which were obtained by Fox News, Guzman Todd and Cunningham planned a private meetup.
SEE TEXTS BETWEEN CAL CUNNINGHAM AND ARLENE GUZMAN TODD:
"Hey!! And you are historically sexy," Cunningham wrote. "Every day and night."
"When can I see you? I want to kiss you," Guzman Todd wrote.
"And I kiss back," Cunningham responded. "A lot."
Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham speaks during a televised debate with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, Pool, file)
"Get away for a night soon," she said, as seen in the texts. "The longer we wait the crazier fall schedules will get. In the spirit of the 'I like what I like' quote on your adorable video, I operate under the 'I want what I want'... approach and I want a night with you."
"Sounds wonderful - I want that," Cunningham said.
In a later text, Guzman Todd wrote, "Pick a day, city, make up an excuse for the fam, ditch a staffer, starch your white shirt, and be ready to kiss a lot."
Fox News also obtained texts between Guzman Todd and a friend about the affair. Guzman Todd denigrates Cunningham's wife, Elizabeth Cunningham, and talks about her husband Jeremy Todd, who has called on Cunningham to drop out of the race.
SEE TEXTS BETWEEN ARLENE GUZMAN TODD AND FRIEND (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE):
"He’s not even cute enough for me. It’s the power I’m attracted to," Guzman Todd writes. "But it’s ... dumb."
"I’m like a convalescent hospital for broken men," she continues. "Make them feel better to be with a hot woman. And then they disappear."
According to the texts, Guzman Todd frets about not hearing from Cunningham and tells her friend she used to "hear from him almost every day."
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"Lol ... I’m just going to send his opponent his naked photos," Guzman Todd wrote. "That will teach him."
Jeremy Todd is an Army veteran who served 19-plus years and severely injured his spine during a paratrooper proficiency jump several years ago. His wife, Arlene Guzman Todd, has confirmed she had an intimate relationship with Cunningham after the candidate’s campaign confirmed the authenticity of suggestive text messages between the two.
"Mr. Cunningham chose to repeatedly engage in activities that would hurt his family and a fellow junior officer and veteran," Jeremy Todd said in a statement Wednesday to The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina.
"If elected, I can only imagine how misplaced his judgment would be for the people he’s charged to represent," Todd said. "I firmly believe Mr. Cunningham should drop out of the Senate race and ask that his behavior and actions be reviewed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice."
Cunningham is running against Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican. Cunningham has not indicated he plans to drop out of the race or suspend his campaign.
The U.S. Army Reserve Command confirmed Wednesday that it is investigating Cunningham, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
"The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham. As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time," said Army Reserve Command, which is based at Fort Bragg, in a statement.
Extramarital affairs are a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ. Whether Cunningham could face charges under the UCMJ may depend upon whether he was on active duty at the time the extramarital activity took place.
James Calvin Cunningham, 47, better known as Cal, is assigned to the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg for the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command, according to service records the Army provided to McClatchy.
Cunningham is a married father of two and sent text messages to Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist from California. Arlene Todd confirmed a physical relationship with Cunningham, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Jeremy Todd said in a phone interview with The News & Observer that he and Cunningham "served with some of the same people. We know each other." Todd said he lived in Raleigh from 2013 to 2015 and that he knew Cunningham socially at that point.
Jeremy Todd said he and Arlene Guzman Todd are still married. In his statement, Todd said the affair took place "during our marital separation."
"I was disappointed to learn about the inappropriate affair between my wife and Mr. Cunningham," Todd said in the statement.
He said his wife "made mistakes in the communication frequency and content with Mr. Cunningham and others knowledgeable on the topic." He said he believes the release of text messages "results from foul play with ulterior motives."
He said some of the text messages released – between Guzman Todd and a third party – are "completely fabricated, as I’ve seen the real ones."\
Cunningham previously served in the North Carolina state Senate and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
He grew up in Lexington and lives in Raleigh.
According to FEC records, Todd has donated $450 to the Cunningham campaign since April. She donated $100 on April 2, $250 on April 28 and $100 on Sept. 29.
Cunningham met his wife, Elizabeth, in 1997 and the couple has two teenage children.
TODD OWNED HOME IN RALEIGH
Arlene Todd is listed as the media director for Potnt, which on its web page advertises itself as “one of the most valued public relations and integrated marketing agencies in the cannabis, hemp and ancillary spaces.”
The company has offices in offices in five cities nationwide, including one in Charlotte.
Arlene and her husband, Jeremy Todd, owned a home on Leslieshire Drive in Raleigh from January 2014 to August 2015, public records show.
Todd’s husband, Jeremy, served for years in the U.S. Army, and as of 2016 had been deployed to combat five times, according to a story in the University of Southern California News. Jeremy Todd was seriously injured during a proficiency parachute jump at Fort Bragg, according to the story.
A change.org petition submitted by Todd states that her husband had served in the Army for 19 years, and that he “recently submitted his Continuation of Active Duty Request (COAD), enabling him to complete his twenty years of Army Service and receive his full retirement, but unfortunately, he was denied.”
The petition states that he was deemed “unfit” to continue service after completing medical evaluations.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cunningham has dodged questions about his relationship with Arlene Guzman Todd
By Mike Emanuel, Evie Fordham | Fox News
NC Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham faces Army Reserve investigation
North Carolina Senate race rocked by an October surprise; Rich Edson reports.
Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham's apparent lead in North Carolina's Senate race could be in danger after the publication of some steamy texts between Cunningham and a married woman led to revelations of an alleged affair.
Cunningham’s paramour Arlene Guzman Todd has been recently listed as media director of a marijuana public relations company and has been a California State University lecturer. Arlene Guzman Todd’s husband Jeremy Todd has been an active duty servicemember. Jeremy Todd was an Army Sergeant First Class who served in the U.S. Army with five combat deployments including in Iraq and Afghanistan, then studied at the University of Southern California in a determined bid to support his young family.
“My wife carried me through. She is really the superhero in all this. The wives are the unsung heroes of the military, the spouses that deal with everything. Without good wives and family, I don’t think soldiers would be successful in their missions and everything they do,” Jeremy Todd said of his military wife Arlene Guzman Todd in 2016. Guzman Todd has not returned requests for comment.
ARMY RESERVE INVESTIGATING NC'S CUNNINGHAM AFTER STEAMY TEXT MESSAGES SURFACE: REPORT
+7
Jeremy Todd, an Army veteran whose wife, Arlene Guzman Todd (right), admitted to having an affair with Cal Cunningham (left, with his wife) has called on the North Carolina Democrat to drop out of the Senate race
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'I firmly believe Mr Cunningham should drop out of the Senate race and ask that his behavior and actions be reviewed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).' Todd's wife, Guzman Todd (pictured) admitted last week to being intimate with Cunningham
Cunningham has dodged questions about his relationship with Arlene Guzman Todd, the wife of an Army veteran. This week, Guzman Todd told the Associated Press their affair included physical encounters as recently as July.
In texts, which were obtained by Fox News, Guzman Todd and Cunningham planned a private meetup.
SEE TEXTS BETWEEN CAL CUNNINGHAM AND ARLENE GUZMAN TODD:
"Hey!! And you are historically sexy," Cunningham wrote. "Every day and night."
"When can I see you? I want to kiss you," Guzman Todd wrote.
"And I kiss back," Cunningham responded. "A lot."
Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham speaks during a televised debate with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, Pool, file)
"Get away for a night soon," she said, as seen in the texts. "The longer we wait the crazier fall schedules will get. In the spirit of the 'I like what I like' quote on your adorable video, I operate under the 'I want what I want'... approach and I want a night with you."
"Sounds wonderful - I want that," Cunningham said.
In a later text, Guzman Todd wrote, "Pick a day, city, make up an excuse for the fam, ditch a staffer, starch your white shirt, and be ready to kiss a lot."
Fox News also obtained texts between Guzman Todd and a friend about the affair. Guzman Todd denigrates Cunningham's wife, Elizabeth Cunningham, and talks about her husband Jeremy Todd, who has called on Cunningham to drop out of the race.
SEE TEXTS BETWEEN ARLENE GUZMAN TODD AND FRIEND (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE):
"He’s not even cute enough for me. It’s the power I’m attracted to," Guzman Todd writes. "But it’s ... dumb."
"I’m like a convalescent hospital for broken men," she continues. "Make them feel better to be with a hot woman. And then they disappear."
According to the texts, Guzman Todd frets about not hearing from Cunningham and tells her friend she used to "hear from him almost every day."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"Lol ... I’m just going to send his opponent his naked photos," Guzman Todd wrote. "That will teach him."
Jeremy Todd is an Army veteran who served 19-plus years and severely injured his spine during a paratrooper proficiency jump several years ago. His wife, Arlene Guzman Todd, has confirmed she had an intimate relationship with Cunningham after the candidate’s campaign confirmed the authenticity of suggestive text messages between the two.
"Mr. Cunningham chose to repeatedly engage in activities that would hurt his family and a fellow junior officer and veteran," Jeremy Todd said in a statement Wednesday to The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina.
"If elected, I can only imagine how misplaced his judgment would be for the people he’s charged to represent," Todd said. "I firmly believe Mr. Cunningham should drop out of the Senate race and ask that his behavior and actions be reviewed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice."
Cunningham is running against Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican. Cunningham has not indicated he plans to drop out of the race or suspend his campaign.
The U.S. Army Reserve Command confirmed Wednesday that it is investigating Cunningham, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
"The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham. As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time," said Army Reserve Command, which is based at Fort Bragg, in a statement.
Extramarital affairs are a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ. Whether Cunningham could face charges under the UCMJ may depend upon whether he was on active duty at the time the extramarital activity took place.
James Calvin Cunningham, 47, better known as Cal, is assigned to the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg for the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command, according to service records the Army provided to McClatchy.
Cunningham is a married father of two and sent text messages to Guzman Todd, a public relations strategist from California. Arlene Todd confirmed a physical relationship with Cunningham, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Jeremy Todd said in a phone interview with The News & Observer that he and Cunningham "served with some of the same people. We know each other." Todd said he lived in Raleigh from 2013 to 2015 and that he knew Cunningham socially at that point.
Jeremy Todd said he and Arlene Guzman Todd are still married. In his statement, Todd said the affair took place "during our marital separation."
"I was disappointed to learn about the inappropriate affair between my wife and Mr. Cunningham," Todd said in the statement.
He said his wife "made mistakes in the communication frequency and content with Mr. Cunningham and others knowledgeable on the topic." He said he believes the release of text messages "results from foul play with ulterior motives."
He said some of the text messages released – between Guzman Todd and a third party – are "completely fabricated, as I’ve seen the real ones."\
Cunningham previously served in the North Carolina state Senate and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
He grew up in Lexington and lives in Raleigh.
According to FEC records, Todd has donated $450 to the Cunningham campaign since April. She donated $100 on April 2, $250 on April 28 and $100 on Sept. 29.
Cunningham met his wife, Elizabeth, in 1997 and the couple has two teenage children.
TODD OWNED HOME IN RALEIGH
Arlene Todd is listed as the media director for Potnt, which on its web page advertises itself as “one of the most valued public relations and integrated marketing agencies in the cannabis, hemp and ancillary spaces.”
The company has offices in offices in five cities nationwide, including one in Charlotte.
Arlene and her husband, Jeremy Todd, owned a home on Leslieshire Drive in Raleigh from January 2014 to August 2015, public records show.
Todd’s husband, Jeremy, served for years in the U.S. Army, and as of 2016 had been deployed to combat five times, according to a story in the University of Southern California News. Jeremy Todd was seriously injured during a proficiency parachute jump at Fort Bragg, according to the story.
A change.org petition submitted by Todd states that her husband had served in the Army for 19 years, and that he “recently submitted his Continuation of Active Duty Request (COAD), enabling him to complete his twenty years of Army Service and receive his full retirement, but unfortunately, he was denied.”
The petition states that he was deemed “unfit” to continue service after completing medical evaluations.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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