A police report obtained by the Guardian details a 2007 allegation that a woman told Iberia Parish deputies she was raped by her then 'live-in ex‑boyfriend', identified in reporting as Louisiana state senator Blake Miguez. According to the report, the woman said she did not want to press charges and told investigators she 'did not want Blake to get into trouble.' The incident was reported to law enforcement the same night it allegedly occurred.
What The Records Say
Deputies recorded that they detained Miguez for questioning and brought him to the sheriff's office, though the report does not indicate whether he gave a statement. The accuser went to a hospital the same night with a friend and a deputy for a sexual assault examination; the report states she ultimately 'refused any and all medical treatment from the hospital' and reiterated she did not want to press charges.
How The Report Emerged
The police report became public after a late‑June public‑records request to the Iberia Parish sheriff’s office. That request arrived shortly after Miguez announced an initial run for the U.S. Senate and was later circulated in political and media circles. Reporting in The Atlantic has cited unnamed White House sources expressing concern that Miguez 'either wasn’t fully vetted or wasn’t forthcoming about discoverable documents from his past' before receiving an endorsement from former president Donald Trump.
Responses And Context
Miguez’s campaign denies the allegation. The campaign provided the Guardian with a 24 February email from the accuser’s father to Miguez’s office calling his daughter's claims 'lies' and saying she had a drug problem; the father did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Repeated attempts by journalists to contact the accuser were unsuccessful, and there is no public record that she formally retracted the allegation.
Conservative reporter Matthew Foldi first publicized the police report on 27 February and highlighted the accuser’s past arrests and other court records. A Baton Rouge private‑investigation firm had previously compiled public records documenting misdemeanor and felony matters involving the woman; most of those cases were later dismissed and two remained pending as of the Guardian's reporting.
The Club for Growth, which endorsed Miguez in mid‑February, told the Guardian it did not find the decades‑old allegation credible and cited the accuser’s record. The club did not say whether Miguez disclosed the 2007 police report before receiving its endorsement. Trump posted his endorsement on social media on 4 February, calling Miguez a 'MAGA warrior.' Trump spokespeople did not immediately comment to the Guardian about whether the president still backed Miguez.
Miguez’s Political Record And Candidacy
Miguez served more than eight years in the Louisiana House of Representatives before winning a state senate seat in 2023. He authored a bill that lowered the minimum age to carry a concealed weapon in Louisiana from 21 to 18, which was signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry. Miguez initially planned a run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Bill Cassidy but withdrew and instead filed to run for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district seat vacated by Julia Letlow.
Miguez lives in Erath, which lies outside the 5th district, though his campaign says he has maintained a home in the district for roughly 26 years and has operated a business in Baton Rouge for more than a decade. A fellow Republican state senator recently introduced a non‑legislative resolution urging Congress to require House candidates to live inside the districts they seek to represent.
Reporting Notes
The Guardian has not identified the accuser in keeping with its policy against naming alleged victims of violent crime without permission. The Atlantic reported on internal White House concerns related to vetting, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the endorsement process. Media coverage of the report has emphasized different aspects, from the accuser’s past legal history to questions about vetting and campaign disclosures.
Support Resources
If you or someone you know needs help after sexual violence: in the U.S., RAINN at 800‑656‑4673; in the U.K., Rape Crisis at 0808 500 2222; in Australia, 1800Respect at 1800 737 732. An international directory is available at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.
