Republican House members have decried far-right Congressman Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina for his recent comments.
No, it's not for the time Cawthorn apparently endorsed "Second Amendment solutions" for a Democrat-controlled Congress, and it's not regarding Cawthorn's comments warning of more "bloodshed" in opposition to a presidential election he falsely claims was "stolen." And, no, it's not for the time the Congressman urged his fellow theocrats to "take our country back" either.
The outrage is actually over an anecdote Cawthorn relayed to Warrior Poet Society host John Lovell in a podcast episode comparing Washington, D.C. to the political drama House of Cards.
Cawthorn told Lovell:
"The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington, I mean, being kind of a young guy in Washington, average age is probably 60 or 70. I look at a lot of 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 to, ‘Oh, hey, we’re going to have a sexual get-together at one of our homes, you should come.’ I’m like, 'What did you just ask me to come to?' And then you realize they are asking you to come to an orgy."
The story, in which Cawthorn also said one of his colleagues had done a "key bump" of cocaine in front of him, led to harsh condemnation in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans this week, at which Cawthorn reportedly wasn't present, according to Politico.
There, Republicans like Representative Steve Womack of Arkansas blasted their young colleague for characterizing House Republicans as bacchanal hypocrites, with some urging him to name names. The meeting resulted in promises from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to reprimand Cawthorn in a discussion.
But it was Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York who pointed out the elephant in the room.
Not sure why Republicans are acting so shocked by Cawthorn’s alleged revelations about their party.
One of their members is being investigated for sex trafficking a minor and they’ve been pretty OK w/ that.
They issued more consequences to members who voted to impeach Trump. https://t.co/Tlfms2C4qK
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 30, 2022
The Congresswoman, known colloquially as "AOC," alluded to her far-right colleague, Matt Gaetz of Florida, who is currently a central figure of an ongoing investigation for the sex trafficking of a minor. Though Gaetz has insisted he hasn't had any sexual contact with minors as an adult and his staff denied reports of ecstacy-fueled romps with sex workers, he emphasized that he's "not a monk."
In the immediate aftermath of the reports, McCarthy called the allegations "serious" and said Gaetz would be removed from his committee assignments if they turned out to be true. Gaetz continues to sit on House committees and recently announced a reelection bid. He currently sits on the House Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over the Department of Justice—the very department that would prosecute him.
It's also worth noting that Republicans like McCarthy continue to support former President Donald Trump, and have for years after he was recorded bragging about committing sexual assault.
In light of all this, social media users agreed with AOC.
She’s not wrong??? https://t.co/U15X8EeXop
— Anthonyh (@Anthony57918569) March 30, 2022
AOC is again, hitting the nail on the head. https://t.co/51lQYujT2l
— Robert Driemeyer (@robertdriemeyer) March 30, 2022
I see no lie… https://t.co/zJJyibQjxN
— Murbs' Sox - #TheSquad #BidenHarris2020 (@MurbsSox) March 30, 2022
This⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/z9JdtNZnah
— Denise (@DeniseO6229) March 30, 2022
Thank you for pointing this out. Republicans are rife with hypocrisy on this entire issue. https://t.co/uCOr9WsKiz
— Dan Fischelli (@DanFischelli) March 30, 2022
Some encouraged other Democrats to learn from the Congresswoman's messaging.
Is AOC the only dem that understands modern political communication … ? https://t.co/C0hki7fptJ
— one of you (@Captain7bag) March 30, 2022
Every Democrat should be talking about how corrupt and disgraceful the GOP is! AOC is the only one who seems to understand how to play offense! https://t.co/adicHU0IHe
— Jo 🌻 (@lilbirdNY) March 30, 2022
This is how to throw a punch. Democrats should learn from this. https://t.co/fPShrtBHbZ
— Chris Sprigman (@CJSprigman) March 30, 2022
She needs to be in charge of anti Republican messaging. https://t.co/8t1aFjN4HF
— Lieutenant Corporal McGurk (@Nick_McGurk) March 30, 2022
It remains to be seen what will come of McCarthy's sit-down with Cawthorn.
UPDATE, 03/30/2022:
NEWS: McCarthy says he told Madison Cawthorn during a meeting today that the freshman has lost his trust and he needs to take steps to turn his life around, or else there could be consequences.
Also says Cawthorn admitted his orgy & cocaine allegations were exaggerated/untrue.
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) March 30, 2022
According to CNN's Melanie Zanona, Minority Leader McCarthy told Cawthorn to "turn his life around," and Cawthorn claimed the statements he made on Warrior Poet Society were "exaggerated/untrue."