GOP chair accused of pressuring reporter into silence after false affair rumor

A seasoned Capitol Hill reporter alleged Thursday that a leader in the GOP pressured her to avoid doing anything to risk exposing another former Republican congressman's extramarital affair.

Former Axios reporter Juliegrace Brufke wrote in a Thursday post on her blog Sources Say that House Administration Chair Bryan Steil, (R-WI) tried to talk her out of taking legal action after she was drawn into the fallout of an affair between former GOP Rep. Mark Green and a 32-year-old political fundraiser in 2023.

"Much of Congress is filled with people who, frankly, weren’t the most popular kids in high school or college, who suddenly find themselves surrounded by young staffers, interns and lobbyists impressed by their power," Brufke wrote. "They’re away from their families a significant chunk of the year, constantly attending events fueled by open bars."

Green's affair took place when he was the House Homeland Security Chairman and before he divorced his wife in September 2024. Brufke said the affair came to her doorstep when Green's ex-wife revealed that he had filed for a divorce because of an affair with an Axios reporter, and people assumed it must be Bufke because of her age and coverage of Green.

Brufke wrote that's when Steil "got involved, which was its own special brand of audacity," and described the congressman as a "former fling from my mid-20s."

Steil "pulled me aside in the Speaker's Lobby after learning I was exploring legal options. He tried to talk me out of pursuing anything , warning it could tank my career," Brufke wrote. "I asked how he even knew about the legal exchanges, and he eventually admitted he'd heard from Green's orbit. I sat there quietly furious, smiling anyway, then went straight to my lawyer."

Brufke called it "members protecting members while their own situations stay conveniently out of the headlines" and raised the question of "whether parties are willing to impose consequences on lawmakers engaging in genuine wrongdoing, particularly those who have built their entire brand on moral integrity and are quick to point fingers at the other side while claiming the high ground."