Eyebrow-raising Madison Cawthorn video at center of new ethics complaint
Cawthorn says video leak is latest attempt to smear him by establishment
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Footage showing Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., joking about sex with his male aide in a car surfaced Thursday.
The video appears to be shot on a cellphone and shows Cawthorn, 26, speaking in the driver's seat of a vehicle. It was filmed by his aide, Stephen Smith, 23, according to the Daily Mail.
"I feel the passion and desire and would like to see a naked body beneath my hands," Cawthorn says blankly. The duo both start laughing as Smith agrees. The video then shows Smith reaching over into Cawthorn's crotch before abruptly ending.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}OHIO GOP SENATE SHOWDOWN: FIREBRAND REP. CAWTHORN ENDORSES JOSH MANDEL IN CROWDED REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
The group Fire Madison Cawthorn included the video as part of an ethics complaint accusing the congressman of improper loans and gifts to Smith.
The video is only the latest in a series of issues Cawthorn has faced in recent months. The representative has argued that the release of this video is an attempt to discredit it him over comments made about fellow lawmakers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cawthorn spoke on a podcast about sexual impropriety and drug use in Washington, D.C., last month.
The representative recounted what he called an invitation "to an orgy" in the interview, saying that he has been sexually solicited by Washington officials.
He also claims to have witnessed hard drug use and what he called "espionage."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Many of my colleagues would be nowhere near politics if they had grown up with a cellphone in their hands," Cawthorn said Thursday night on social media.
Cawthorn was cited for being in possession of a firearm at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Tuesday morning.
A TSA spokesperson confirmed that a loaded Staccato 9mm handgun was detected at checkpoint D around 9 a.m.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The firearm was seized and Cawthorn was released.
It's the second time that Cawthorn has been stopped with a gun at an airport after security personnel found a 9 millimeter handgun in his carry-on bag at Asheville Regional Airport in February 2021, according to WSOC.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News contacted Cawthorn's office for comment but has not yet received a reply. His office told the Daily Mail that Smith is Cawthorn's cousin.