Rep. Madison Cawthorn declined to backtrack on his claims about lawmakers partaking in orgies and drug use, saying that the halls of Congress were “being shuffled by cowards,” while pledging to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci and impeach President Joe Biden if the GOP retook the House of Representatives.
Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican, offered a grim assessment of the state of the nation while speaking at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Selma, North Carolina, Saturday evening. The 26-year-old firebrand lawmaker, who sparked backlash from his own party over the shocking allegations, told the crowd that the “the levers of power in Washington, D.C., are controlled by dark forces.”
“We have the halls of Congress that are being shuffled by cowards. We have a geriatric despot who sits in the Oval Office,” Cawthorn said. “My friends, what is going on in our country? It is hard. We’re facing dark times. I know that many of you recognize that we’re facing dark times, but you also realize that America’s greatest comebacks happen when things seem the hardest.”
Cawthorn came under fire after alleging in an appearance on the Warrior Poet Society podcast late last month that politicians he had “looked up to” invited him to orgies and did cocaine in front of him. Despite declining to name names, Cawthorn’s comments sparked fury within the House GOP conference, which led to a meeting between himself and Republican leadership. The young lawmaker said in the days that followed that he took his time to weigh how best to handle the controversy after it erupted, calling it “an indisputable fact” that “corruption and unethical activities exist in Washington.”
He declined to go into the controversy surrounding his comments further on Saturday evening, instead turning his ire toward Democrats and overall government corruption. The Republican, who has used a wheelchair since being paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 18, argued that “we’re seeing our greatness ripped away from us. We’re seeing just how bad our country can be. We’re seeing gas at $5, up to $7 a gallon. My friends, this country can change very quickly, and it may seem impossible. People tell me that it’s impossible to change the direction of our country. That it’s impossible to root out the corruption of our government.”
Cawthorn was then helped to his feet by two aides, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. Speaking while holding onto a walker in front of the podium, the lawmaker said that “God spared my life. He has given me the strength to stand before you today, so do not lecture me on what is impossible.”
As he closed his speech, the young politician asked the crowd for their continued support of his wing of the Republican Party after arguing against any approach that included moderates.
“If you put America First patriots in power in Washington, D.C., if we put Donald Trump back in command in the White House, my friends, we will embrace the spirits of our Founding Fathers,” he said. “We will investigate Anthony Fauci and send him to jail for lying to Congress. We will restore the Second Amendment by repealing the National Firearms Act. We will secure our borders, and finally, my friends, we will impeach Joe Biden for his dereliction of duty.”
Reporting from The Washington Examiner.
