Cawthorn calls nude tape ‘blackmail’

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) has called a recently leaked videotape in which he can be seen nude “blackmail,” saying he won’t back down after the “hit against me.”

The North Carolina lawmaker in a tweet acknowledged that the video was authentic and said that he was joking around with a friend.

“A new hit against me just dropped. Years ago, in this video, I was being crass with a friend, trying to be funny. We were acting foolish, and joking,” Cawthron wrote in his tweet. “That’s it.”