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This November, 25-year-old Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina was elected to the House of Representatives, making him one of the youngest people to ever serve in Congress.
He has quickly become the focal point of online controversy due to his ties to the so-called alt-right and history of both racist and anti-semitic incidents.
Cawthorne posted, deleted, and then re-posted a picture of himself visiting "the vacation house of the Führer," saying his trip to Hitler's home was on his "bucket list."
On his website, Cawthorn wrote that his opponent, Moe Davis, left his previous job "to work for non-white males, like Cory Booker, who aims to ruin white males running for office."
Now, Cawthorn is under fire yet again for comments made during an interview with Jewish Insider. While speaking with the Jewish magazine, Cawthorn proudly described his attempts to convert "a lot" of Jews to Christianity.
The Congressman-elect said:
"I have switched a lot of, uh, you know, I guess, culturally Jewish people. But being a practicing Jew, like, people who are religious about it, they are very difficult. I've had a hard time connecting with them in that way."
Jewish Insider took special note of that comment and pointed out its similarity to a sermon Cawthorn delivered in July 2019:
"If you have Jewish blood running through your veins today," he told the crowd, mulling on a chapter from the Gospel of Mark, "this might not mean as much to you, but for someone like me, who's a gentile, this means a lot."
“[Muslims] believe Jesus is a real person,” he said. “But being a practicing Jew, like, people who are religious ab… https://t.co/PldTQ8sKxe— Julia Ioffe (@Julia Ioffe) 1605563606.0
Twitter was shocked by Cawthorn's statements and their insensitivity to different faiths.
“If you have Jewish blood running through your veins today...” let me stop you right there https://t.co/QSTdgYJHOy— Spencer Ackerman (@Spencer Ackerman) 1605550891.0
“[Muslims] believe Jesus is a real person. But being a practicing Jew, like, people who are religious about it, the… https://t.co/lP1pwScGgc— Jeffrey Goldberg (@Jeffrey Goldberg) 1605551141.0
@JeffreyGoldberg In my role as “speaking for the goyim” at the moment: WHAT THE HELL? Later he talks about “if you… https://t.co/F3WgmPCdmF— James Fallows (@James Fallows) 1605556664.0
Many saw Cawthorn's election as an indication of the GOP's willingness to send literally anyone to Congress.
Shockingly, Hitler fanboy, and new Republican congressman, is a hardcore antisemite. https://t.co/3Cejqepf4a— David Rothschild (@David Rothschild) 1605552281.0
Republican Congressman Cawthorn: "If you have Jewish blood running through your veins ..." is an actual statement h… https://t.co/lLjwOjxvg9— David Rothschild (@David Rothschild) 1605558232.0
in a certain sense there's nothing here that *isn't* a tell but the phrase "Jewish blood running through your veins… https://t.co/AaXeXI9XwV— Michael Caley (@Michael Caley) 1605554022.0
Others were sadly unsurprised by Cawthorn's comments.
Wait, you are telling me that someone who had a great time visiting Hitler's vacation spot also talks about "Jewish… https://t.co/yJBGg7LMak— Zachary Lesser (@Zachary Lesser) 1605555686.0
@BostonStrongB @MissGFYCuffy @actionp24 @ACJJustice @bjcreigh @AVestige1 @CannabizLawyr @brat2381 @BlueBobHMueller… https://t.co/r3w6FAwkfT— Boston Grandpa Georgia On My Mind (@Boston Grandpa Georgia On My Mind) 1605557517.0
It's hard to imagine how Cawthorn thought his efforts to convert Jewish people would be something a Jewish magazine would want to hear about.
I've had a lot of people try to tell me that Rep. Ilhan Omar is anti-Semitic (she's not). You know one thing she's… https://t.co/2ytz1fpjy1— David Jacobs (@David Jacobs) 1605556696.0
The future of the Republican Party is increasingly explicit fascism. https://t.co/fQEHmpU2UC— Max Berger (@Max Berger) 1605554422.0
@JoeMyGod The “Jewish blood running through your veins” line he’s said is straight-up Nazism.— Josh | Heir to Revolutionary Michael Easter II (@Josh | Heir to Revolutionary Michael Easter II) 1605561610.0
Madison Cawthorn hasn't exactly made the best first impression on his way into Congress. Hopefully, for the sake of his constituents, he manages to turn things around.