Is the Political 'Establishment' Trying to Smear Madison Cawthorn?

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), 26, accused the “establishment” of “digging stuff up” to “smear” him on Friday after a series of controversies rocked his reelection campaign. 

On April 22, Politico (Lean Left bias) published photographs of Cawthorn drinking and wearing lingerie; Cawthorn later said the photos were taken during a “game” on a cruise ship. On Tuesday, Cawthorn was cited by the TSA for carrying a loaded gun into an airport. On Thursday, a video emerged appearing to show Cawthorn being groped by one of his staff members. And on Friday, an anti-Cawthorn PAC filed a formal ethics complaint against the congressman.

Cawthorn, the House of Representatives’ youngest member, is no stranger to controversy. According to a timeline by The Hill (Center bias), Cawthorn also spoke at former President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug,” and claimed someone in Congress had invited him to an orgy. In response, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Cawthorn needed to “turn himself around,” and the National Review (Right bias) published an op-ed praising his primary opponent. 

Throughout the week, coverage of Cawthorn’s controversies was widespread across the spectrum. Left-rated outlets were more likely to publish perspectives on Cawthorn on Friday; some of these voices agreed that the Republican “establishment” was trying to hurt his campaign.