Republicans Turn On 'Embarrassment' Madison Cawthorn After Comments About Sex Parties, Cocaine

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., has seen his support among members of his party evaporate after salacious claims he made about being invited to sex parties and witnessing drug use on Capitol Hill.

On Thursday, CNN reported that Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he would be throwing his support behind a Republican primary challenger to Cawthorn in the upcoming midterm elections in November. Tillis made his decision to oppose Cawthorn based on what he said was a lack of any real achievements since entering Congress in 2020.

“It comes down to focus on the district, producing results for the district, and in my opinion, Mr. Cawthorn hasn’t demonstrated much in the way of results over the last 18 months,” said Tillis.

Left unsaid was any mention of Cawthorn’s remarks on a conservative podcast last week where he claimed to have been invited to sex parties by members of Congress and to have witnessed cocaine use by others.

Cawthorn’s claims were met with serious consternation and frustration from other members of Congress, including many Republicans who serve with him in the House. Senior leadership has also made clear that they are running out of patience with the firebrand first-term congressman.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., declined to go as far as Tillis in backing a challenger to Cawthorn but he did not mince words in sharing his disapproval of the recent comments.

“On any given day, he’s an embarrassment,” said Burr, who is retiring after his term ends in November.

In the most prominent rebuke yet, House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California spoke with Cawthorn on Wednesday after his podcast remarks began to circulate widely. After a meeting with Cawthorn, McCarthy said that Cawthorn “lost my trust” after admitting the claims were "exaggerated."

“There's no evidence behind his statements," McCarthy said.

"I told him you can't make statements like that, as a member of Congress, that affects everybody else and the country as a whole."

This is the second time in recent weeks that Cawthorn, a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, has created headaches for his party.

After Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Cawthorn was roundly criticized when a North Carolina news station reported that he called Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky a “thug” and “incredibly evil.”