North Carolina Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn seemed to think he was really making a point while lecturing his Democratic Congressional colleagues on the importance of facing facts this week.
But then he misattributed the central quote about facing facts in his speech to the wrong president. So now internet is dragging him to filth instead. Oops!
Cawthorn's gaffe, which you can see below, happened while he was addressing the House of Representatives while debating whether to repeal a banking law.
Cawthorn: It was Thomas Jefferson that said facts are stubborn things\u2026pic.twitter.com/LokKpvmxij— Acyn (@Acyn) 1624569561
Name-checking Founding Fathers and speaking in a manner suggesting he thought he was delivering an oratory for the ages, Cawthorn said:
"It was Thomas Jefferson that said, 'Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.'"
"Let's cast our eyes over the facts, shall we?"
Yes, let's do, Mr. Cawthorn--starting with the fact that John Adams said that, not Thomas Jefferson. Facts--they are stubborn things, aren't they!
That Cawthorn attributed a quote to the wrong guy is somewhat fitting given his checkered relationship to the truth. Since taking office this January, Cawthorn has racked up a laundry list of lies he's been caught selling to the American public.
Last month, Cawthorn claimed to be the first freshman Representative to have a bill pass the House, which was a bold-faced lie.
In March, Cawthorn was caught lying about multiple details of the car crash that left him paralyzed. Cawthorn used the triumphant story of his recovery from that accident throughout his 2020 Congressional campaign in commercials and speeches.
And speaking of 2020--during a January television appearance in which he repeated lies about the supposed fraudulence of the 2020 presidential election, Cawthorn was grilled so hard by CNN's Pamela Brown that he had to recant his own lies, admitting that the election was "not fraudulent" and that Democratic President Joe Biden "is our president."
Naturally, this latest gaffe was red meat for Twitter, who mercilessly dragged the Congressman to filth.
Thomas Jefferson didn't say that. But, as they say, facts are stubborn things. \u00af\_(\u30c4)_/\u00afhttps://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1408172921953013761\u00a0\u2026— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1624571292
Never underestimate the inappropriate confidence of a right wing nut. Facts are stubborn things: but he can't even get the attribution right, so why make this his hill to die on.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1408172921953013761\u00a0\u2026— (((Howard Forman))) (@(((Howard Forman)))) 1624570679
Skippy didn\u2019t do his homework.\n\nBut it was nice of him to come to work today for a change.— TheValuesVoter (@TheValuesVoter) 1624583225
It's a fact that John Adams said that.\nIt's a fact that Cawthorn doesn't factcheck.pic.twitter.com/BxMC8cl2jE— Stray Political Cat (@Stray Political Cat) 1624570381
That wasn\u2019t Thomas Jefferson, it was John Adams. What an ignorant posturing jackweasel.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1408172921953013761\u00a0\u2026— Charles Johnson (@Charles Johnson) 1624569939
just one of the stupidest people in congress acyn i mean gohmert level stupidity— darth\u2122 (@darth\u2122) 1624570050
Jefferson didn't say that but I believe he said: "We hold these truths to be self-evident that men who grope women, boast about seeing Hitler's vacation home, incite insurrectionists & beat up trees are tools."https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1408172921953013761\u00a0\u2026— Emily Brandwin (@Emily Brandwin) 1624576009
Had he actually attended a school, he'd know Jefferson didn't say that. But I guess his mom doesn't know her history as well when she wrote up his homeschool curriculum.— Phillip Davis (@Phillip Davis) 1624572319
Cawthorn on Texas Power Grid: It was President Benjamin Franklin that invented electricity with a kite and a key...Maybe Texas should get more keys...https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1408172921953013761\u00a0\u2026— RETIRED MASTER CHIEF\u2693\ufe0f (@RETIRED MASTER CHIEF\u2693\ufe0f) 1624637095
Here's wishing Cawthorn the best of luck in all his future dealings with the stubbornness of facts.
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