Rep. Madison Cawthorn.Photo: Zuma/SplashNews.com
Republican Rep.Madison Cawthornis facing scrutiny and a call for more information from some members of his own party after claiming on a right-wing podcast that he had witnessed drug-fueled debauchery in political circles.
The headline-grabbing North Carolina lawmaker — who became theyoungest member of Congresswhen he was elected in 2020 — said on an episode of theWarrior Poet Societypodcastthat some older lawmakers had allegedly invited him to participate in orgies while others had done “key bumps of cocaine” in front of him.
“I look at all these people, a lot of them that I’ve looked up to through my life, I’ve always paid attention to politics,” Cawthorn said. “Then all of the sudden you get invited to, ‘Well hey, we’re going to have kind of a sexual get together at one of our homes, you should come.’ I’m like, ‘What did you just ask me to come to do?’ And then you realize they are asking you to come to an orgy.”
He continued: “Some of the people that are leading on the movement to try to remove addiction in our country, then you watch them do a key bump of cocaine in front of you.”
Cawthorn did not say specifically to whom he was referring — and that’s a problem, fellow Republicans say.
The outlet also reported that Republican Rep. Scott Perry — chair of the House Freedom Caucus, of which Cawthorn is a member —planned to speakwith him, too.
“I think it is important, if you’re going to say something like that, to name some names,” Perry toldPolitico.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Another House Republican and member of the caucus, who spoke toPoliticoanonymously, echoed those concerns: “You should have to name names if you are going to go make those kinds of brush stroke accusations and impugn the character of people in this institution or … anybody else in this town.”
Cawthorn has denied ever doing anything sexually inappropriate.
While first elected to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, Cawthorn is now running for a second termin the state’s new 13th Congressional District, after the census added a seat to the state’s map.
source: people.com
