Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), who is already reeling from a public rebuke from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) over his tales of cocaine-fueled orgies among Beltway conservatives, is now reportedly being mocked behind his back by some of his GOP colleagues.
According to a report from Politico, the freshman lawmaker has already alienated Republicans in his home state by jumping from district to district in an effort to get re-elected and now, after he made his orgy claims, has few defenders in Congress.
As Politico's Olivia Beavers wrote, Cawthorn showed up at a fundraiser on Wednesday night for Harriet Hageman, who is opposing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) for the GOP nomination for Wyoming's one House seat after being endorsed by Donald Trump.
As the Republican congressman mixed with the crowd, Beavers reports, "Cawthorn's own GOP colleagues spent some of the fundraiser, feet away, quietly joking at his expense, according to people in the room."
"The uncomfortable moment illustrates the awkward position Cawthorn now finds himself in. After riding out multiple waves of mini-controversies over past comments and behavior, he now seems doused by a political tsunami after alleging on a podcast that some of his colleagues attend orgies and use cocaine," the Politico report continued.
The report notes that a few GOP lawmakers are sympathetic to Cawthorn, with Beavers writing, "Some Republican colleagues privately express sympathy for a younger man they believe is beginning to crack, citing his recent divorce and personal struggles, including the car accident that left him using a wheelchair," before adding that none of them seem inclined to come to his defense with the Politico report adding, "The GOP consensus is that Cawthorn's behavior, no matter his age or position, remains unacceptable."
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