The People's Party insists on linking Sánchez to the prostitution business: "The truth is sometimes harsh."

MadridAlberto Núñez Feijóo's decision to resorting to the prostitution card to attack Pedro Sánchez It wasn't a sudden outburst. The day after the leader of the People's Party (PP) accused the Spanish Prime Minister, during his appearance in Congress, of having "lived off" the alleged "brothel" business of his father-in-law, Begoña Gómez's father, who died a year ago, the Popular Party (PP) has strengthened its position. "The truth is sometimes harsh," said Ester Muñoz, the new PP spokesperson in the lower house. In an interview on Antena 3 this Thursday morning, far from backing down, Muñoz went even further in her accusations against the PSOE general secretary.

"Begoña Gómez's family saunas, which she ran and kept the accounts for, were places where sex, free blows, and other paid services were exchanged," said the PP spokesperson in Congress, who even said, without providing evidence: "Sometimes, with immigrants. The PP's story to implicate Sánchez in this alleged prostitution ring is that he would have "benefited" because "the apartments where he has lived [...] have been paid for with profits from these companies."

The PP has not stopped there and has extended suspicions to other levels of the Spanish government. The PP parliamentary groups in Congress and the Senate registered a series of parliamentary questions in which they suggest, based on "information from various media outlets," that Sánchez's father-in-law may have used "public properties as brothels." The PP is demanding information from the Spanish government about all the rental contracts for the properties owned by the Mutualidad General de Civilistas (General Mutual Fund for Civil Servants). Civilians of the State (Muface) of the last ten years and demand the appearance of the Minister of Public Administration, Óscar López.

In statements to the media, López defended the "cleanliness" of the executive and accused Feijóo of having "lost his temper." According to Spanish government sources, the PP is crossing a red line with personal attacks and confesses that they did not expect Feijóo to choose this "undignified" path, even though the PP president opted for a hard line with the appointments and ideology approved at the party congress last weekend. With the decision to resort to accusations related to prostitution, those at Moncloa Palace see an "unleashed" Feijóo, in the words of government spokesperson Pilar Alegría on TVE. "They have opened a new dungeon," say the same sources, who believe that from now on he will attack from that perspective.

The PP defends having activated this channel as a reaction to the tone used by Sánchez during Wednesday's debate. According to sources within his team, Feijóo, who had been keeping the trump card of his father-in-law's alleged brothels in the chamber, decided to use it when the Spanish Prime Minister referred to the friendship between the PP leader and the Galician drug trafficker Marcial Dorado. "It's you who has had a close relationship with a convicted criminal," said Sánchez, who had previously made reference to this issue in other face-to-face encounters in Congress.

Muñoz argued that Feijóo should make it clear that Sánchez cannot pretend to compare himself to the PP leader. The PP maintains that Feijóo has "an impeccable track record," while the Spanish Prime Minister has indicted his last two organizational secretaries in the PSOE, his brother and his wife. "Sánchez's family matters have become public," said the PP spokesperson in Congress. The new deputy leader of the People's Party (PP), Miguel Tellado, has insisted on La Sexta that the "red lines" have been "crossed by the PSOE" with personal attacks on Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

Ayuso joins in

The Madrid president, one of the harshest voices within the PP, was quick to join this line of attack. The spokesperson for the Madrid executive, Miguel Ángel García Martín, accused Sánchez of "cynicism" on Thursday because the prostitution business "has been with him throughout his life," either because "his own political family has been involved in this type of activity" or because "ministers and people of his highest standing" have been involved in it. "The only thing I ask of Sánchez is a little more consistency," said García Martín. Ayuso's controversial chief of staff, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, already endorsed Feijóo's statement on Wednesday on X.

Other more moderate voices within the PP have not joined this strategy and, at least for now, are staying away from such statements. Criticism from Andalusian President Juanma Moreno, who represents the other side of the Popular Party, has focused on the fact that, in his opinion, the Spanish Prime Minister's parliamentary allies have given in to Sánchez's "blackmail" despite the corruption surrounding him.