House GOP leader slammed for ignoring 'crackpot' Madison Cawthorn until he insulted other Republicans
On Thursday, writing for The Bulwark, conservative commentator Charlie Sykes tore into House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for ignoring the behavior of Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) until his antics started casting aspersions on fellow Republicans.
Specifically, wrote Sykes, he didn't intervene until Cawthorn started baselessly claiming that other Republicans are having cocaine-fueled orgies around Washington, D.C. — an allegation that McCarthy claims he forced him to retract, but that longtime Trump ally Roger Stone claims he still stands by.
"It wasn’t the tree-punching, his racist website, the lying about his accident and his admission to the Naval Academy; it wasn’t his incitement of the January 6 Insurrection, the allegations of sexual misconduct, his threats of violence, or his accusation that Volodymir Zelensky was a 'thug'," wrote Sykes. "Apparently none of that was enough to shake Kevin McCarthy’s trust in the flamboyantly reprehensible young congressman."
"But now, the GOP House Leader is shocked, shocked to discover that Madison Cawthorn is a liar, a crackpot, an an all-around deplorable human being," added Sykes. "And all it took was a few allegations about orgies and 'key bumps' of cocaine."
In addition to McCarthy, Cawthorn's fellow Republicans in North Carolina appear ready to throw him under the bus, with Sen. Thom Tillis and leaders in the state legislature both backing primary challengers.
You can read more here.