Last week, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) told a podcast host that he’d seen outright “sexual perversion” in Washington, D.C., with lawmakers he “looked up to” allegedly snorting cocaine and participating in drug-fueled orgies. But after a severe backlash from Republican Party elders, Cawthorn on Friday changed his tune, accusing “the left” and “the media” of having the unmitigated gall to “falsely insinuate” that his fellow GOP conferees are involved in “illicit activities.” Disregarding the fact that he was the one who brought up the behavior in question, Cawthorn complained that others are using his own words to “disparage my Republican colleagues.” At the same time, he appeared to vaguely double down on his original comments, insisting: “Corruption and unethical activities exist in Washington, D.C.”
