Ex-GOP lawmaker sparks ‘grubgate’ controversy after she’s accused of posting stolen food photos

She later changed her social media handle and blocked accusers

A former GOP congresswoman who is running for her old seat in South Texas has been accused of stealing Mexican food pictures from social media accounts and passing them off as her own.

Mayra Flores posted a photo of “gorditas de masa” on her social media and wrote “the Ranch life with family is the best” in the caption. However, users on X pointed out that the image was previously posted on a “Visit Guyana” Facebook page in 2022.

This spiralled into a full-blown investigation by a conservative website called Current Revolt which delved into Ms Flores’s social media. They unearthed several other instances where she had allegedly stolen photos from other social media accounts and presented them as her own.

In one instance, the former GOP congresswoman posted a picture of eggs and tortillas on a stove. The caption read: “As a proud Latina who knows how to cook, homemade Mexican food tastes better from a gas stove.”

However, investigations into the scandal – now famously called “Grubgate” – revealed that the photo was originally posted on Facebook in 2021 by a Spanish-language magazine.

There were several such instances.

In a more recent post, she praised the “simple things in life” like a “good breakfast” alongside a photo. It turned out that the photo was not hers and was actually published two years ago by a Mexican food photographer.

When the scandal came to the fore, Ms Flores was quick to apologise, stating that it wasn’t her intention to mislead and that the photos reminded her of her upbringing.

“The photo simply reminded me of my upbringing in Mexico and childhood,” she said. “I deleted the tweet to clear up any confusion. I actually spend my Christmas at ranch with my in-laws. Happy New Year!”

But she refused to mention which photo she was referring to.

She changed her social media handle amid criticism and blocked accusers.

Ms Flores, who previously won a special election in June 2022 but lost in November, is challenging US Rep Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas.