The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Friday announced that a former aide to President Donald Trump was arrested in Washington, D.C. and charged with receiving, possessing, and distributing child pornography.
Ruben Verastigui, 27, who worked on Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, was previously employed as a senior digital strategist for the Senate Republican Conference and Republican National Committee. He was also the digital media coordinator for the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America. He left the Republican Conference in July of 2020 to become the communications manager for the nonprofit group Citizens For Responsible Energy Solutions.
Verastigui was taken into custody following an 11-month investigation by MPD’s Youth and Family Services Division, the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, the Northern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. The arrest was first flagged by journalist Jared Holt, who also posted several horrific and disturbing excerpts from the criminal complaint filed.
The details are graphic.
According to that public document, Verastigui allegedly told another person in April of 2020 that he was “into” sexually assaulting babies.
“So you like babies, huh,” a person asked Verastigui in a chat conversation.
“My absolute favorite,” he replied.
Verastigui was then asked to elaborate as to what else he was into and “how dark” he was.
“Well like I said babies are some of my biggest turn-ons and beast,” he wrote.
He also mentioned “young rape.”
“I have been wanting to see videos of guys hardcore rapping a baby when a baby screams it’s my favorite.”
The complaint then details video files exchanged between Verastigui and the other person involving an infant being anally raped by an adult male. Verastigui later invited the other person to come to D.C. “for the purpose of sexually abusing a minor.”
https://twitter.com/jaredlholt/status/1357924392618102785?s=20
The Daily Beast additionally reported that Verastigui distributed nude photographs of himself in the same group chat.
Upon execution of the warrant Friday evening he told admitted to authorities that he was active on the child pornography website.
Verastigui spoke at the National March for Life in 2013.
[image via C-SPAN screengrab]
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow Law&Crime:
