The North Carolina Republican claimed in a podcast that colleagues were using cocaine and inviting him to orgies.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2021.Octavio Jones / Reuters file
By Zoë Richards
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., broke his silence Friday after days of GOP uproar over his remarks on a podcast claiming congressional colleagues were using drugs and inviting him to sex parties.
But in a lengthy statement, Cawthorn attempted to distance himself from his own comments by suggesting it was Democrats and the media that made the allegations about cocaine use and orgies.
“My comments on a recent podcast appearance calling out corruption have been used by the left and the media to disparage my Republican colleagues and falsely insinuate their involvement in illicit activities,” he said in statement posted to Twitter.
On the podcast, Cawthorn discussed “the sexual perversion that goes on in Washington” and said some of his older colleagues had invited him to orgies.
“I mean, being kind of a young guy in Washington, where the average age is probably 60 to 70, and 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 — then all of a sudden you get invited,” Cawthorn said, quoting one such alleged exchange.
“‘Oh, 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?’ Then you realize they’re asking you to come to an orgy,” Cawthorn, 26, said.
The first-term lawmaker also described drug use in his presence. “The fact there are some of the people leading on the movement to try and remove addiction in our country, and then you watch them do a key bump of cocaine right in front of you. And you’re like, ‘This is wild.’”
The GOP outrage over Cawthorn’s remarks was widespread in Washington.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Wednesday he told Cawthorn that “I lost my trust in him” and that there “could be” consequences as a result, without specifying what those consequences might be.
In Friday’s statement, Cawthorn invoked McCarthy’s name.
“The left and the media want to use my words to divide the GOP. They are terrified of Republicans taking back the House and seeing Leader McCarthy become Speaker McCarthy,” Cawthorn said.
His statement was ridiculed by some Democratic lawmakers. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., tweeted that voters face a choice between “cocaine or competence” in November.
On Thursday, Cawthorn released a 30-second ad targeting Democrats, with an accompanying Twitter post saying “the entire left-wing establishment” was trying to “take him down.” There was no mention of his podcast remarks in the ad.
Cawthorn’s latest controversy came on the heels of other comments that riled his GOP colleagues. After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a bloody invasion of Ukraine last month, Cawthorn called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug.”
But Cawthorn has a strong political ally in former President Donald Trump, the party’s de facto leader. Cawthorn spoke at the Jan. 6 rally before the riot at the U.S. Capitol, and he is expected to speak at a rally with Trump next week in North Carolina.
Hello Nan. Or drug use, who would have thought. Oh My! Oh wait, Matt Gaetz’s friend says they held drug fueled sex parties. Maybe Cawthorn was angry he was not invited.
Scottie, it kind of reminds me of when Donald Trump had a press conference to apologize for lying about Barack Obama’s birther issue for several years. During his so-called apology, he blamed Hillary Clinton for the story. It is her fault I have been lying to people for three years. Keith
Hello Keith. Yet these are the alpha males who are in the party of personal responsibility, right. 😀😁😄 I agree it seems now that facts don’t seem to matter to the Republican party. I am said to see it because that means facts don’t matter to their base. I hope the swing voters, the independent voters see this hypocrisy and out right denying reality and not vote for the Republicans that do this. That is the only remedy to a bad politician, don’t vote for them.
Scottie's Playtime 
Hahahahahaha! This guy’s a complete twit!
LikeLike
the sexual perversion that goes on in Washington — HA! Takes one to know one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Nan. Or drug use, who would have thought. Oh My! Oh wait, Matt Gaetz’s friend says they held drug fueled sex parties. Maybe Cawthorn was angry he was not invited.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Scottie, it kind of reminds me of when Donald Trump had a press conference to apologize for lying about Barack Obama’s birther issue for several years. During his so-called apology, he blamed Hillary Clinton for the story. It is her fault I have been lying to people for three years. Keith
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hello Keith. Yet these are the alpha males who are in the party of personal responsibility, right. 😀😁😄 I agree it seems now that facts don’t seem to matter to the Republican party. I am said to see it because that means facts don’t matter to their base. I hope the swing voters, the independent voters see this hypocrisy and out right denying reality and not vote for the Republicans that do this. That is the only remedy to a bad politician, don’t vote for them.
LikeLike