Renato Costa

In the summer of 2004, an incident occurred at a call center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that has resurfaced in the form of a police report obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The report details a disturbing phone call received by a human resources employee at Research Data Design, a now-defunct consulting business. The caller, identified by the employee as former worker Gabe Vasquez, used a racial slur to ask for “Chris” before hanging up and calling back to ask for “Chris, the black man,” laughing before disconnecting.

Gabe Vasquez, now a Democratic congressman representing New Mexico’s second district, was a former employee of the company who had been terminated for falsifying data. The police report from 2004, which was obtained through a public records request, confirms the identification of Vasquez as the caller. A city records custodian verified that Vasquez was the suspect in the report, although his name is redacted in the document.

This revelation stands in stark contrast to Vasquez’s public persona. In 2020, Vasquez, a progressive Democrat and supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, called for the dismantling of oppressive systems harming Black people. During his 2022 congressional campaign, he urged supporters to celebrate Juneteenth, recognizing the contributions of Black Americans. Additionally, he has frequently criticized others for racist behavior, including comparing the Trump administration to the Ku Klux Klan.

Despite the serious nature of these allegations, Vasquez has not responded to requests for comment. The police report, part of a series of documents obtained from Las Cruces city records, includes other incidents involving Vasquez during his time at New Mexico State University from 2002 to 2008. These records detail arguments with a girlfriend and arrests for marijuana possession.

The 2004 police report describes how the human resources employee at Research Data Design called Vasquez to inform him of her intention to report the harassment to the police. Following this warning, no further calls were received. The report lists the offense under a statute that criminalizes the use of a telephone to intimidate or harass, but the case was suspended in 2008 without any charges against Vasquez.

“At approximately 1600 hours he called Research Data Design and she answered the phone,” the police report says. “She stated that the person asked, ‘Is Chris there?’ She said, ‘Who, which Chris?’ as apparently there are a number of Chrises there and he said, ‘Chris, the n—er.’ She hung up,” the police report read.

Vasquez’s past interactions with law enforcement include a domestic dispute in 2007 where police responded to a possible domestic situation at his home and a 2005 incident where he was caught attempting to flush marijuana during a noise complaint investigation. Additionally, in 2002, Vasquez failed to appear in court for charges of driving without a license and insurance in El Paso, Texas, resulting in an arrest warrant executed just two months ago.

Following the shocking revelations, National Republican Congressional Committee Spokeswoman Delanie Bomar wrote, “This is unacceptable behavior from a Member of Congress. Gabe Vasquez clearly has a problem with authority and this pattern of behavior shows he is unfit to serve. Do Hakeem Jeffries and Vasquez’s House colleagues agree?”

“This is absolutely disqualifying behavior for a Member of Congress,” said the Congressional Leadership Fund’s  Regional Press Secretary Maureen O’Toole. “How can Democrats stand by after Gabe Vasquez hurled inexcusable racial slurs while harassing a former colleague? Will Democrats hold Vasquez accountable?”

Republican Former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, the GOP nominee for the District, wrote, “Absolutely disgusting conduct. Let’s hold Gabe Vasquez accountable in November!”