Topline
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Wednesday that right-wing firebrand Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Calif.) has severely damaged his reputation with his congressional colleagues after claiming D.C. political figures invited him to orgies and did cocaine in front of him, and McCarthy did not rule out penalties, according to reporters at the Capitol.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) arrives for the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on … [+]
Key Facts
McCarthy met with Cawthorn for about 30 minutes Wednesday morning, and later told reporters the 26-year-old freshman congressman needs to make life choices to “turn himself around.”
McCarthy added that Cawthorn admitted his allegations were exaggerated, saying Cawthorn drew his conclusion about cocaine use, for example, because he “thinks he saw maybe a staffer in a parking garage maybe 100 yards away” possibly consuming an unknown substance.
The House’s Republican leader also said there could be further meetings with Cawthorn and did not rule out stripping Cawthorn of committee assignments when asked about the issue.
Cawthorn did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes and did not speak with reporters after the meeting Wednesday.
Crucial Quote
“He’s got a lot of members very upset,” McCarthy said, according to Politico reporter Olivia Beavers. “You can’t make statements like that as a member of Congress—it affects everybody else and the country as a whole.”
Key Background
During an appearance last week on the “Warrior Poet Society” podcast, when asked if life as a congressman was similar to the world portrayed in the fictional political drama House of Cards. Cawthorn claimed political figures he looked up to throughout his life approached him and said things like: “We’re going to have kind of a sexual get-together at one of our homes, you should come.” Cawthorn added he saw “people leading on the movement to try and remove addiction in our country” doing “key bumps” of cocaine in front of him. The comments quickly drew backlash from top Republicans. McCarthy earlier this month denounced Cawthorn after a video surfaced in which he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug” in charge of an “incredibly evil” government. Cawthorn has also faced numerous allegations of sexual harassment and was widely condemned for a 2017 post on his Instagram account celebrating his visit to Nazi dictator and mass murderer Adolf Hitler’s retreat in the German Alps.
Tangent
Cawthorn is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, and the ex-president has spoken admiringly of the congressman, whom he endorsed in 2020. Cawthorn was also a prominent speaker at Trump’s rally on January 6, 2021, before the president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Further Reading
McCarthy to speak to Cawthorn after orgy comment sparks GOP frustration (The Hill)
Rep. Madison Cawthorn Blasts Ukraine’s Zelensky As A ‘Thug’ (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/03/30/hes-lost-my-trust-mccarthy-rebukes-cawthorn-over-allegations-of-orgies-and-cocaine-use/