In 2014, Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina was in a car crash that resulted in his partial paralysis.
He said in his account of the crash, delivered in a college chapel in 2017, that a close friend had crashed the car and left him to die "in a fiery tomb."
In a recent exposé by The Washington Post, however, several witnesses came forward to attest to the lies in Cawthorn's story.
One of those is Cawthorn's "close friend" who he claimed left him in the burning car.
A young career built on lies and bullying. https://t.co/3MhtPZS1UR— Dan Zak (@Dan Zak) 1614474849.0
@MrDanZak When 150 fellow students sign a letter accusing you of being a sexual predator, you might in fact be a sexual predator— i miss brak (@i miss brak) 1614476293.0
Bradley Ledford, Cawthorn's friend, commented for the first time on the accident, saying of the Congressman's account:
"It hurt very badly that he would say something as false as that. That is not at all what happened. I pulled him out of the car the second that I was able to get out of the car."
Madison Cawthorn made these statements about his car crash: 1. His friend left him to die in the car. 2. He was de… https://t.co/kAqXArriOb— Joel Rosen (@Joel Rosen) 1614631127.0
@MrDanZak I didn't think I would ever call a disabled person a scumbag, but here we are.— Jeff Hettinger (@Jeff Hettinger) 1614502577.0
Cawthorn also claimed he was "declared dead" after the crash and he was preparing to begin studies at the U.S. naval academy prior to the accident.
The Post revealed neither of these claims, which Cawthorn used to further his Congressional bid, were true.
@MrDanZak @jaketapper Really wish people would start believing women. If they did, Cawthorn’s Congressional career would be nonexistent— R Koz (@R Koz) 1614476179.0
The future GOP Congressman was described in a police report of the accident as "incapacitated" which is a far cry from dead.
And Cawthorn was rejected by the Naval Academy before his injury.
@MrDanZak @jaketapper Not mentioned is his lying about training for Paralympics https://t.co/3Pxi8plVvx— Drogon (@Drogon) 1614475902.0
@BarbaraVanlaan @MrDanZak @jaketapper The media did the same thing to Cawthorn they did to Trump. He was a novelty… https://t.co/WaVWmWGhCH— Moe Davis (@Moe Davis) 1614481599.0
Cawthorn also previously lied about preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
@MrDanZak @GlennKesslerWP Sociopathic behaviour is all-too-often rewarded. And these days a liar in the GOP faces n… https://t.co/SG8f0Qf8J7— Sean Ledwich (@Sean Ledwich) 1614480076.0
@MrDanZak @jaketapper https://t.co/vupKpywMcs— Mike G (@Mike G) 1614476574.0
Controversies surrounding Cawthorn seem to be multiplying.
The day prior to ThePost's exposé, Buzzfeed News published an article detailing innumerable accounts of Cawthorn's sexual misconduct in college.
150 of Cawthorn's former classmates signed a claim citing his objectionable college behavior.
Republican Madison Cawthorn has built his career on biographical falsehoods — and is now using his seat in Congress… https://t.co/ebhbNIlWfK— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1614520800.0
In the pre-Trump era a piece this damning would cause immediate expulsion from Congress. Now, the GOP makes him the… https://t.co/u7V8FIjRCn— NoelCaslerComedy (@NoelCaslerComedy) 1614467736.0
@jerrysaltz He has also been accused of being a predator and of lying about participating in the Paralympics. He is… https://t.co/T0NX3XjMr6— Silvia G. Macor (@Silvia G. Macor) 1614530261.0
The North Carolina Republican's willingness to lie shouldn't be a surprise considering his refusal to accept Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 elections despite admitting "the election was not fraudulent."
GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn lied about the car wreck that partially paralyzed him, says a former close pal. He also… https://t.co/PcvqMZw3Za— Jennifer Bendery (@Jennifer Bendery) 1614613710.0
Madison Cawthorn's entire life is a lie. https://t.co/pJqQfBIVOQ— David (Mando) Resists (@David (Mando) Resists) 1614627424.0
At 25, Cawthorn is Congress' youngest member, but he has already made a name for himself as someone who is willing to sacrifice the truth for political gain.