After Rep. Steven Horsford acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair, which overlapped with his time in the Legislature and Congress, members of the state’s congressional delegation deferred to his request for privacy when asked for their reaction.

Rep. Dina Titus said Horsford had called her over the weekend after the story was first reported Friday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"Steven called me and I appreciated that,” Titus said in an interview for the IndyMatters podcast which will be live Friday. 

“We had a personal conversation and he's asked that it be kept personal and that his family have time to heal and I am going to respect that,” Titus continued.

Horsford’s office declined to comment for this story. He acknowledged the affair in a statement provided Friday in which he asked for privacy.  

The affair began about a decade ago when Gabriela Linder was 21 and Horsford was 36, according to Linder, who detailed the affair in a podcast. At the time, she was an intern for then-Sen. Harry Reid and Horsford was the highest-ranking senator in the Legislature.

She said they first met in 2009 and began a sexual relationship that lasted for about a year and a half. The two resumed the affair from 2017 to 2019, a timeline that overlaps with Horsford’s second term in Congress that began in 2019.

Horsford is seeking re-election to the 4th Congressional District seat. He ran for the seat in 2018 after former Rep. Ruben Kihuen opted to not run for re-election amid multiple reports of sexual harassment.

Horsford describes himself on his campaign website as “a devoted family man” who “has built a strong family.” His Twitter accounts feature family photos and remarks supportive of his wife, a university professor.

Asked if Horsford violated the trust of his constituents, including by touting a family-man persona, Titus said, "I think that's for the voters to decide. He said it's personal and that's for him and his family to work out." 

She also declined to say if the House Ethics Committee should look into the matter. 

“I don't think that's for me to say at this point." Titus noted. "We don't vote on that. It's the Ethics Committee that makes that determination and if that's something they want to look into then they will. I haven't heard of anything at this point."

Horsford spokeswoman Shelbie Bostedt told the AP that Linder “never worked for Steven in any way, shape or form" and Horsford never used campaign or official funds to provide financial support to her.

“This former personal relationship has no bearing on the congressman’s ability to fight for the people of Nevada and he fully intends to serve them in this Congress, and beyond," Bostedt told the AP.

Other members of the delegation also cited Horsford's request for privacy, including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Sen. Jacky Rosen.

"Senator Cortez Masto has read the Review Journal report and believes this is a personal matter for Congressman Horsford and his family," her office said on the matter.

Rosen’s office said, “The Senator believes that this is a personal matter for Congressman Horsford and his family and she wants to respect their privacy at this time."

Rep. Susie Lee also tagged the issue as a personal matter.

"At this time, the Congresswoman won’t be commenting on this personal matter,” her office said.

Rep. Mark Amodei, the only Republican in the delegation, declined to comment, according to his office.

This article was updated at 5:06 p.m. on May 19, 2020 to include a comment from Rep. Susie Lee.