CONSEQUENCES? How McCarthy and Scalise dealt with Cawthorn in scandal damage control
Wednesday morning, freshman Congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) was called into House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office to answer questions related to accusations Cawthorn made on the right-wing podcast Warrior Poet Society last week.
Though he didn’t mention any names, Cawthorn claims to have been invited to “sex parties” by senior legislators – and having witnessed them openly doing drugs.
Cocaine in particular.
Unsurprisingly, this caused an uproar inside and outside the Republican Party. The GOP wagons quickly began to circle. A House GOP meeting was called, and Cawthorn’s colleagues voiced their concerns.
With his ultra-right wing rhetoric and views, Cawthorn isn’t known to socialize with anyone not aligned with his Trumpian philosophies, leaving imaginations to run wild wondering what Republican members of Congress he could possibly be talking about.
And leaving the public to demand to know names.
For half an hour Wednesday, Cawthorn, McCarthy, and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise conferenced in McCarthy’s office.
Politico’s Olivia Beavers was waiting outside and tweeted this:
NEW: Rep. Madison Cawthorn just left McCarthy’s office. He met with the GOP leader and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) for roughly 30 minutes.
Cawthorn didn’t respond to my questions about the meeting as he was leaving. pic.twitter.com/zjPaGEMBte
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) March 30, 2022
I guess Cawthorn isn’t feeling as chatty today.
While Cawthorn remained mum on the contents of his rebuke from McCarthy, the House Minority leader was not so discrete.
Axios congressional reporter Alayna Treene posted a Twitter thread that allowed McCarthy to put his own spin on the meeting with the wayward Cawthorn.
NEW: McCarthy says he met with Cawthorn over his recent comments about members participating in orgies and doing cocaine.
McCarthy tells me & others he told Cawthorn: “he's lost my trust is gonna have to earn it back. And I laid out to everything that I find is unbecoming”
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) March 30, 2022
McCarthy: “This is unacceptable. There's no evidence to this. Um, He changes what he tells and that's not becoming of a Congressman he left. He did not tell the truth … that’s unacceptable”
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) March 30, 2022
More McCarthy: "In the interview, he claims he watched people do cocaine. Then when he comes in he tells me, he says he thinks he saw maybe a staffer in a parking garage from 100 yards away."
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) March 30, 2022
John Favreau, the former speechwriter for President Obama, pointed out the disparity in the actions that McCarthy has taken with Cawthorn in comparison to another one of the right-wing extremists in his caucus, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Note that Kevin McCarthy did not say Marjorie Taylor Greene lost his trust after she attended a white nationalist rally where they cheered Putin. https://t.co/EgZe2btUib
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 30, 2022
With more news of GOP involvement in the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, this scandal comes at a particularly inopportune time, especially with mid-terms just eight months away. It’s another fire to put out, amongst a party seemingly already engulfed in flames.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wasted no time and held back none of her feelings on the situation, calling out the GOP’s hypocrisy in their response to Cawthorn’s revelations and reminding them that their “righteous anger” is a bit misplaced in a Wednesday morning tweet.
Not sure why Republicans are acting so shocked by Cawthorn’s alleged revelations about their party.
One of their members is being investigated for sex trafficking a minor and they’ve been pretty OK w/ that.
They issued more consequences to members who voted to impeach Trump. https://t.co/Tlfms2C4qK
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 30, 2022
For a party that has become increasingly fused into one mind, one ideology, and is acting in lockstep – Cawthorn has committed the ultimate party sin.
Apparently, what happens in the GOP – doesn’t stay in the GOP.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
RELATED STORY: WHODUNNIT? GOP clamors for names in Cawthorn “Orgy-gate” accusations
