Rep. Madison Cawthorn

On Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say Transportation Security Administration agents located the firearm in a bag at a security screening checkpoint.

In February 2021, he tried to take a gun through security at the Asheville Regional Airport. “Just went through TSA. No major alarms, nothing bad happened,” Cawthorn said in a video posted to his Instagram page. On Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say Transportation Security Administration agents located the firearm in a bag at a security screening checkpoint.

Cawthorn predicted the "Let's Go Brandon" cryptocurrency would "go to the moon" the next day, and sure enough it did.

However, on Instagram he blasted an unnamed senator and called him a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only). He also complained that “the establishment” was targeting him. The swing led to accusations of a “pump and dump” scheme, in which promoters hype an investment to drive up the price, then dump their holdings. It was the second time Cawthorn had been caught trying to slip firearms past airport security. Cawthorn has come under fire in recent months over repeated encounters with law enforcement involving firearms and traffic offenses. The Examiner published an Instagram photo posted in December showing Cawthorn posing with hedge fund manager James Koutoulas, the man behind the “ Let’s Go Brandon” meme coin. According to the newspaper, the total value of the coin reached $570 million before bottoming out just a month later.

The Fire Madison Cawthorn group, operated by the American Muckrakers PAC, accused the North Carolina congressman of ethical violations, including paying ...

A political group has submitted evidence to the Office of Congressional Ethics suggesting that rep. The short clips show the pair in a car with Cawthorn recorded saying: "I feel the passion and desire, and would like to see a naked body beneath my hands." The congressman also suggested the series of controversies that have dogged him ahead of his primary election bid on May 17 are part of a GOP-led campaign to have him kicked out of office. However, the Fire Madison Cawthorn group has used them in evidence to suggest the congressman may have an relationship with one of his staff members that goes beyond professional and is potentially prohibited by House laws. In several Venmo payments Cawthorn is alleged to have sent to Smith, which have not been verified by Newsweek, the congressman added notes reading: "Getting naked for me in Sweden," "the stuff we did in Amsterdam," "the quickie at the airport" and "breaking and entering." The filings also suggest that Cawthorn is engaging in an improper relationship with Smith which is "separate and apart from the professional relationship" of employer and employee.

Footage showing Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., joking about sex with his male aide in a car surfaced Thursday.

The representative has argued that the release of this video is an attempt to discredit it him over comments made about fellow lawmakers. The video then shows Smith reaching over into Cawthorn's crotch before abruptly ending. The video is only the latest in a series of issues Cawthorn has faced in recent months. It was filmed by his aide, Stephen Smith, 23, according to the Daily Mail. The duo both start laughing as Smith agrees. The group Fire Madison Cawthorn included the video as part of an ethics complaint accusing the congressman of improper loans and gifts to Smith.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn ( R-N.C.) has been a lightning rod for controversy. The 26-year-old freshman lawmaker, who was elected to represent North Carolina's ...

They urged the TSA “to act decisively to ensure repeat offenders like Cawthorn face the full extent of TSA’s enforcement actions.” There needs to be a thorough and bipartisan inquiry into the matter by the House Ethics Committee,” Tillis tweeted. “Remember that Zelensky is a thug,” Cawthorn said in the undated recording. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. He added that he has seen people who advocate against addiction doing “key bumps of cocaine.” “That’s not becoming of a congressman. You should come.’ … You realize they are asking you to come to an orgy,” Cawthorn said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) later said Cawthorn gave him no evidence to back up his statements. “I love this country and have never engaged in, or would ever engage in, an insurrection against the United States.” And Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Wednesday called for a House Ethics Committee investigation into Cawthorn over allegations of insider trading. I do not want Americans dying because emotions pushed us into a conflict.” They are not expendable pawns to be dispatched at the whims of an idiot, tossed carelessly around the world to Godforsaken caves and bloody sandboxes.

What do you do if you're trying to oust a grassroots phenom in a Republican primary?

All of the candidates in this race talk about those things,” Edwards added. Do you want a grown-up who has been successful in business and delivered on the legislation for the district? "Of course, resources is a very important element in introducing a candidate to the voters." I’ve actually achieved or passed legislation to improve election integrity.” But after several run-ins with the law and fresh allegations of insider trading, the congressman now appears legitimately vulnerable. Cawthorn is still favored to win his May 17 primary, Republican insiders in North Carolina said.

A political action group is asking for an ethics investigation of North Carolina Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn, citing his pattern of bringing weapons ...

Cawthorn's office did not have a statement in response to the allegations, but instead pointed CBS News to the congressman's recent tweets. OCE did not respond to a request for comment, but Muckrakers PAC published a screenshot of an email from the office confirming that it had received the request for an investigation. "We have a responsibility to have an ethical standard here," she told reporters. The provide documents that appear to show Smith lives in a house owned by Cawthorn without any repayment. "They have to take care of their own house. They also suggest the two may have an inappropriate personal relationship – which is prohibited between a lawmaker and a member of their staff — citing, among other things, the fact that Smith accompanied Cawthorn on his honeymoon to Dubai in April 2021 and a video that appears to show Smith placing his hand on Cawthorn's crotch.

In less than 24 hours, complaints have been filed with the House ethics committee, the Transportation Security Administration and the House sergeant-at-arms ...

Cawthorn posted a series of tweets Friday afternoon that read in part: “I can understand the establishment attacking those beliefs, but just digging stuff up from my early 20s to smear me is pathetic. The letter encourage TSA to pursue all appropriate action for repeat offenders, regardless of who they are. Smith is often seen to Cawthorn’s right when the congressman chooses to stand up at events and rallies. On Tuesday, Cawthorn was carrying a loaded 9-mm gun in his carry-on bag. This was the second time Cawthorn has carried a weapon into an airport. Smith and Cawthorn are also related to one another. He accuses both Cawthorn and his scheduler Smith of violating several House rules. Smith made nearly $34,108 working for the campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Smith doesn’t just work for Cawthorn in Congress but also works on his campaign. Epoch Times is a right-wing news outlet connected to the Chinese religious movement Falun Gong. This week, he has blamed his Republican colleagues for what he calls a “drip campaign” against him. He is one of the people behind the Fire Madison organization, who opposes Cawthorn and is working to prevent him from being reelected.

Republican Madison Cawthorn has recently been subject to numerous controversies, and at least one member of his party is calling for an ethics investigation ...

In one, Cawthorn seemingly addresses the controversy stemming from recent leaked footage and photos with: "Many of my colleagues would be nowhere near politics if they had grown up with a cell phone in their hands." The group says Cawthorn did — by promoting former President Trump's baseless election conspiracies. "Insider trading by a member of Congress is a serious betrayal of their oath, and Congressman Cawthorn owes North Carolinians an explanation," Tillis wrote on Twitter earlier this week. But in recent weeks, the controversy has seemingly reached a crescendo, spurred at least in part by Cawthorn's March appearance on a podcast, in which he suggested other, older lawmakers in Washington, D.C., were doing drugs and engaging in orgies. The lawmaker has previously stirred up controversy for a racist campaign statement about Sen. Cory Booker, for his vote to overturn the 2020 election despite no evidence of widespread fraud and for more recent comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which he subsequently clarified. "There needs to be a thorough and bipartisan inquiry into the matter by the House Ethics Committee."