Texas Rep. Joe Barton Apologizes After Nude Photo Surfaces Online

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) has apologized after an anonymous user posted a nude photo of him on social media earlier this week.

“While separated from my second wife, prior to the divorce, I had sexual relationships with other mature adult women,” Barton said in a statement on Wednesday, the Texas Tribune reports. “Each was consensual. Those relationships have ended. I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down.”

Barton, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1985, announced earlier this month that he would seek reelection. In an interview with the Tribune on Tuesday, he said he was contemplating his political future.

“You’re as aware of what was posted as I am,” he said. “I am talking to a number of people, all of whom I have faith in and am deciding how to respond, quite frankly.”

It’s unclear if the person who posted the photo of Barton violated laws prohibiting the distribution of nude images without the subject’s consent, a practice sometimes called “revenge porn.”