Madison Cawthorn, the former rising-star Republican who flamed out last year amid a slew of scandals, pleaded guilty Friday to trying to bring a loaded gun through Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Cawthorn was set to go to trial on Friday but instead pleaded guilty to a third-degree misdemeanor charge and copped a paltry $250 fine. Prosecutors wanted to confiscate the gun but a judge told them they didn’t have jurisdiction to do so, WSOC-TV reported. The 9mm handgun was discovered by TSA as Cawthorn went through airport security in April, 2022. He told WSOC-TV that he “made a mistake” and simply forgot the weapon was in his backpack—but it’s at least the second time he’s been so forgetful. He was also busted trying to take a Glock 9mm pistol through a regional airport in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2021 but was never charged.
