Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

9/11 First Responder Calls Madison Cawthorn A 'Child' For Cleaning His Gun During Veterans' Affairs Hearing

9/11 First Responder Calls Madison Cawthorn A 'Child' For Cleaning His Gun During Veterans' Affairs Hearing
Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee/Getty Images

Representative Madison Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican, was criticized by a 9/11 first responder after he began cleaning his gun during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing.

Lawmakers convened the hearing, held over Zoom, to listen to learn about how uniformed military personnel when standing by burn pits, a common waste disposal practice at military sites outside the United States, such as in Iraq and. Afghanistan.


At least two sources noticed Cawthorn cleaning his gun during testimony from Jen Burch, an Air Force veteran who spent six years serving in Japan and Afghanistan, and images of the moment soon circulated on social media.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, John Feal, a 9/11 first responder who was at the virtual meeting, called Cawthorn's actions "immature":

“It was immature. He’s a child. He lacks common sense. I think the congressman was overcompensating for something that he lacks and feeling inadequate among the heroes on that call."

Rosie Lopez Torres, the cofounder of Burn Pits 360, was angered when she learned what Cawthorn was doing, saying that his actions were disrespectful to veterans who were providing their testimony:

"Oh wow. That is insane. Total disregard and disrespect to America’s war fighters. He was so bored with the topic."
"Those that are sick and dying and the widows in his district should see how much he cares about the issue.”

These criticisms are especially noteworthy because Cawthorn has made a name for himself praising military members for his service.

Cawthorn has also pushed a false narrative about his own military aspirations and has repeatedly claimed that a car accident was responsible for his decision not to attend the Naval Academy, though Washington Post reporters were able to confirm that he was rejected before the accident took place.

Cawthorn's actions have been harshly criticized.



Cawthorn has a history of unlawfully carrying weapons, as when he sparked controversy when he was accused of bringing a large knife to a school board meeting in his district.

Cawthorn, who appeared at the school board meeting to protest COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates, denied the allegations, saying he didn't "know anything about it."

In February 2021, Cawthorn was stopped at the Asheville Regional Airport after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents discovered an unloaded Glock 9mm handgun and loaded magazine in Cawthorn's carry-on luggage.

Cawthorn's gun was confiscated. He was allowed to retrieve it when he returned to Asheville.

More from Trending

Brandon Johnson; Donald Trump
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for National Urban League; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Mayor Offers Fiery Warning Over Trump's Plan To Deploy National Guard To Chicago

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a fiery warning over President Donald Trump's "uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound" plan to deploy the National Guard to Chicago as part of the federal government's crime crackdown.

The Pentagon has been planning a military intervention in Chicago for weeks, including mobilizing several thousand National Guard members and weighing the deployment of active-duty troops, the Washington Post reported over the weekend.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Dave Collum and Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson Slammed After Agreeing With Guest Who Said We 'Should Have Sided With Hitler' In WWII

Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson sparked backlash online after agreeing with Cornell University organic chemistry professor Dave Collum that Americans are learning World War II history "all wrong" and that the United States "should have sided with" genocidal German Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler.

Collum likened himself to Darryl Cooper, another Carlson guest who has branded Winston Churchill the “chief villain” of World War II. He went on to invoke General George S. Patton, claiming Patton had voiced the same view. In reality, Patton warned after the war that the U.S. had “fought the wrong enemy,” a reference to his concern about the Soviet Union rather than advocacy for Hitler.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD Vance
NBC News

Vance Hit With Brutal History Lesson After Claiming WWII Ended With 'Negotiation'

MAGA Vice President JD Vance displayed his ignorance of history by claiming WWII ended with a negotiation instead of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan.

In an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday, Vance told host Kristen Welker that concessions and diplomacy are vital to end major conflicts.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Fires Director Of Digital Content After New TikTok Account Is Met With Thousands Of Trolling Comments

President Donald Trump fired Billy McLaughlin, his director of digital content, shortly after the White House's official TikTok account was inundated with social media users demanding the administration release the Epstein files, which are said to contain detailed lists of some of the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile clients and enablers.

Trump himself is widely believed to be in the Epstein files and has rejected calls by his followers to release them, admonishing critics of Attorney General Pam Bondi, who recently concluded no such list exists, despite claiming the exact opposite just months ago.

Keep ReadingShow less

Jobs That Make Way More Money Than People Even Realize

Everybody needs a job.

And with this economy, things are getting tight.

Keep ReadingShow less