Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. One moral coming from it is to not judge a book by its cover because the details within say so much more. Together, we released that balance was not attainable, and that we had irreconcilable differences between us. Cawthorn, 25, was joined by Brad Ledford, whom he'd known since childhood and whom he introduced to other attendees in effusive terms. "We love you," Zachary wrote, adding, "It could have been so much worse if you hadn't helped him like you did.". Thank you! The suit enabled the insurance companys lawyers to delve deeply into Cawthorns background and his state of mind at the time of the accident and the months afterward. He said in a statement that "overnight their lives changed" following his election win. Cawthorn has vehemently denied the allegations, saying he has never done anything sexually inappropriate in my life.. Electing him was a huge mistake, but hes Floridas problem now. And he gets health insurance for life for being a congressman? Your email address will not be published. "We ask for privacy as we work through this privately.". Ledford also says he volunteered for Cawthorn's primary campaign for about a month while visiting North Carolina last summer, traveling with the candidate to speaking events and vouching for his character with the locals who later elected Cawthorn. This quality only comes from AVL Watchdog! The 26-year-old freshman lawmaker, who was elected to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District in the U The friend in question was the driver of the car when the accident happened, and he now says that Cawthorn has been lying for years about . i too fell for his youth and enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing your insights. He has become one of the most vocal peddlers of the claim that the presidential election was fraudulently stolen from Donald Trump, another lie. The fact that he closed up shop immediately and fled to Florida before his term was done proves he had no intention of helping anyone but himself. From the outset, we committed to make things work, to fight for our marriage, and seek counsel for balancing the enormity of such a transition in life, he explained. It seems the twisted and broken ones often require their measure of revenge on the world before they self-destruct. Cawthorn, 26, rose to power in part because of his personal story. HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. In August of 2015, 16 months after the accident that nearly killed him and left him unable to walk, Madison Cawthorn exchanged text messages with the friend who had. A post shared by Madison Cawthorn (@madisoncawthorn) on Nov 29, 2019 at 2:23pm PST, In addition to his frequent misrepresentations and over exaggerations, while Cawthorn definitely had to overcome adversity to get to where he is today, he also stepped on the backs of others. . What a complete misguided waste, he did absolutely nothing for the WNC citizens he took an oath to represent. ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- We don't usually think of the gym as a place with nostalgic value.As Madison Cawthorn of Hendersonville goes through the motions at Reuter. Though political analysts regarded him not incorrectly as wholly unqualified for the congressional seat he was seeking, I admired the fact that he was singularly focused on his goal and exuded confidence in victory. No. Cawthorns loss is evidence that in an age when outrageous attention-seeking is often employed as a tactic, there are limits to what some politicians can get away with. ", As Cawthorn told PEOPLE last year, not long after his election win: "I think it's just a lot more fun to be a conservative my generation is really probably the most pro-freedom generation since the founding fathers.". His refreshing openness to the media, his vision of a kinder and more inclusive brand of conservatism, his purported compassion and his ability to connect with different types of peopleits still hard for me to see those as entirely cynical political calculations. And you were taken in by Cawthorns lessons . HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn had a stunning rise to Congress. Critically injured in the crash, Madison's Navy plan . Was it because the two were on opposing sides in the lawsuit Cawthorn was pursuing against Ledfords insurance company? This article reminds me that he is a human being with many wounds, who with proper counsel and shepherding could be a force for good. They deposed Cawthorn and Ledford and obtained a trove of emails and text messages between the two boyhood friends, all now a part of the court record. Even before he arrived in Washington in January 2021, Cawthorn had established himself as someone willing to play fast and loose with the truth. Madison Cawthorn, the youngest member of Congress whose two years in Washington were marred by a steady stream of embarrassments that exasperated GOP leaders, lost his seat in a Republican primary contest on Tuesday night. Multiple women attested to this in the Post article and in a BuzzFeed article last week. Freshman Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn has been in the headlines recently, but a former close friend of his now says there's something else we need to start questioning: Cawthorn's claims about the accident that left him partially paralyzed. Cawthorn lost renomination to state Sen. Chuck Edwards, like himself a Republican from Hendersonville. But that was another biographical misrepresentation. Your email address will not be published. Cawthorn is not like other competitors. After a scandal-ridden first term, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., lost his primary race against challenger Chuck Edwards. Voters booted Rep. Madison Cawthorn out of office in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 11th District. Cawthorn suffered "incapacitating" and "life-threatening" injuries, as the vehicle erupted into flames almost immediately after impact. Cawthorn, in contrast, was eager to chat by phone (this was at the height of the pandemic) and to emphasize how different he would be from Bennett and the stodgy GOP, which he called the party of no and that he said cared little for the downtrodden and sick, or for racial justice. Madison Cawthorn arrived at Patrick Henry College's small Christian campus in northern Virginia in fall 2016 blazing with charm, bravado, and a flashing white smile. The U.S. House Committee on Ethics announced an investigation Monday into allegations that Cawthorn, 26, "improperly promoted a cryptocurrency in which he may have had an undisclosed financial . For the first time ever, Ledford also spoke about the 2014 wreck with the Post. He also said he was carrying weapons. After the 2020 election in which he won his seat in Congress, Cawthorn loudly echoed Trumps lies about the results of the presidential election, even speaking at the rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the assault by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol. Hes a sad, angry, resentful man who still wants power. Excellent article, just excellent! They say the parents raised their sons with a sense of entitlement and that the boys were not held to account for their antics, the antics many of us pulled growing up but were disciplined for if our parents found out. Where did the money to buy a million dollar house in Florida come from? Here is what actually happened and the reason. Jesus and John Wayne is the title of a scholarly book by Calvin University professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez, subtitled How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.. I noted in one story how Cawthorn surrounded himself with symbols embraced by white supremacists and conspiracy theorists; how so many of his social-media postings featured guns, carrying them and firing them; how he boasted of being a real-estate investor (he named his company SPQR, a Roman-era term now used by white nationalists). can you remove this comment from this obviously disturbed person? An accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol states that Cawthorn, who had planned to go off to college that fall, suffered "incapacitating" and "life threatening" injuries. Cawthorn had been rejected by the Academy weeks before the crash, he admitted under oath in a deposition related to a lawsuit emerging from the crash. The injuries from the accident left Cawthorn partially paralyzed from the waist down, and he now uses a wheelchair. Sheriff Who Supported GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn Now Says Lawmaker Helped 'Incite' Riots, Madison Cawthorn, 25, Wins Election and Becomes Youngest Representative in Congress, Mitt Romney Injured and Knocked Unconscious During Fall: I 'Had a Lot of Stitches', Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, Donald and Melania Trump Quietly Received COVID Vaccine Before Leaving the White House in January, More Republicans Weigh In on Madison Cawthorn Controversies: 'Painful to Watch His Spiral', Controversial Rep. Madison Cawthorn Concedes North Carolina Republican Primary, Madison Cawthorn Continues to Face Criticism Amid String of Controversies, Outgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn Investigated for Improper Relationship with Staffer, Insider Trading, After Latest Intimate Video Leak, Madison Cawthorn Slams 'Blackmail,' Says 'I Was Being Crass' in Old Footage, Rep. Madison Cawthorn Cited for Illegal Gun Possession at N.C. Airport, Police Say, Rep. Madison Cawthorn Addresses Pictures of Him in Lingerie: 'Goofy Vacation Photos', GOP LeaderSays Madison Cawthorn's Claims About Orgies and Cocaine Were 'Exaggerated:' 'There's No Evidence', Madison Cawthorn Claims He Was Invited to Orgies and Saw Politicians Do Cocaine: 'Name Names,' Colleagues Say, Madison Cawthorn Blames 'Left and the Media' for Using Orgy and Cocaine Comments to 'Divide the GOP', Rep. Madison Cawthorn and Wife Cristina Will Divorce After 8 Months of Marriage: 'Our Lives Changed', Rep. Madison Cawthorn Faces Backlash from Both Sides for Calling Ukraine President Zelenskyy a 'Thug', GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy Says Madison Cawthorn Was 'Wrong' for Calling Ukraine's President a 'Thug', Madison Cawthorn Vows to 'Fight' Claim He's Ineligible for Reelection Due to Jan. 6 Ties, 'Hillbilly Elegy' 's J.D. So telling. But as the Post detailed in its report this week, some of Cawthorn's life story had been exaggerated or misrepresented by himself and his campaign a pattern epitomized by his story about his wreck. In telling this story Cawthorn likens himself to Esther, bravely enduring the slights he receives from political opponents. CNN North Carolina Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn claimed that he has been invited to an orgy in Washington and had personally seen leaders in the efforts to curb drug addiction doing. It is not clear when the dismissal happened. Despite these revelations, Cawthorn won the election easily, was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2021, and three days later at the invitation of President Trump was a featured speaker at a rally in front of the White House that preceded by minutes the violent attack on the Capitol. Please, check your inbox! We are fortunate you brought your journalistic excellence to Asheville. While its impressive the 25-year-old motivational speaker is now the youngest member of Congress, his affinity towards stretching the truth doesnt end with the accident that put him in a wheelchair. Madison Cawthorn speaks to supporters on May 17, 2022. Written by Cory Vaillancourt. Newly elected Republican representative for North Carolinas 11th Congressional District, Madison Cawthorn will reportedly be the youngest member of Congress in modern history at only 25 years old. The one who called Volodymyr Zelensky a thug? Who called Nancy Pelosi a drunk, even though she doesnt drink? It's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for.". ", Ledford told the Post that Cawthorn was wrong about being left behind in the wreck, as he said in 2017: "It hurt very badly that he would say something as false as that. This is what led to Cawthorn's paralysis: He and Ledford had been returning to North Carolina from a spring break trip in Florida in April 2014 when, as Ledford later told police, Ledford started "dozing off" and then veered from the interstate, crashing his father's SUV into a concrete barricade going about 65 miles per hour. Every vote is needed. Cawthorn had worked as a staffer in former White House chief of staff Mark Meadow's district office from 2015 to 2016. Many people who knew Cawthorn prior to his car crash a time when he was an outstanding athlete with college recruiters knocking on his door speculate that his recent behavior is a form of attention-seeking to make up for his lost athletic honors. Icarus so fitting. There was also legal trouble. He had his character flaws for sure, but his personality, style and judgment were a remarkable contrast to Madison Cawthorns. Ledford, referring to Cawthorn by a nickname, says now that he quickly "recognized that Maddy was unconscious and [I] was realizing that the situation was getting worse and worse.". In December Cawthorn announced he was divorcing his wife of less than a year and blamed his role in Congress for the split. "Both are safe districts, but the 13th is safer," said Chris Cooper, a political analyst and director of WCU's Public . The verbal attacks on authority figures who criticize him may be fueled by that need. In fact, according to his own deposition in the insurance fight, Cawthorn had already been rejected by the school after being nominated by his local congressman, the North Carolina news site Asheville Watchdog reported last August. WASHINGTON Madison Cawthorn left his Capitol Hill office on a recent afternoon like a man with a purpose, though what that purpose is, exactly, has been something of an unknown . Comprehensively and thoroughly vetted article which lends insight to the public and personal conundrum of Madison Cawthorne for me. Integrity matters and Cawthorn had none. Rep. Madison Cawthorn has been accused of sexual harassment, misconduct, and other inappropriate behavior by more than 30 of his former friends, classmates, and acquaintances. A few months later, Cawthorn began closing his district offices, packing his office in the Cannon building on the Capitol grounds, and voting by proxy instead of showing up on the House floor. The rising political star cited "irreconcilable differences" in a statement. Instead, 3 days after swearing in, he was on stage, encouraging the coup attempt. Voters took to his personal story of his battle to rebound from a car crash that nearly took his life and left him in a wheelchair. Asheville Watchdog has chronicled his term with stories of how he turned his congressional office into a taxpayer-funded haven for his buddies; how he called his marriage to a fitness model, Cristina Bayardelle, the greatest honor, privilege, and adventure of my life, then divorced her eight months later saying she couldnt handle the stresses inherent in marriage to a public figure; how he announced that he was abandoning the district that elected him to run for re-election in a newly created safe district closer to Charlotte, only to return home when the courts rejected the new map; and how he rarely visited Asheville or Buncombe County, the largest city and most populous county in his home district, choosing instead to travel the nation speaking to right-wing audiences and raising near record amounts of money all of which he spent and more, leaving his campaign broke and in debt when it ended in defeat in the GOP primary in May. In more recent years, before running for office, Cawthorn gave a speech claiming Ledford left him "to die" in the crash a story contradicted by Ledford and accounts from Cawthorn's own family. He also claims he left Patrick Henry College because the injury made it difficult to focus on his studies, but in the deposition, he admitted that he really dropped out of college because of heartbreak. He decided not to go back to school. Hecited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split and added: "While it was an enormously difficult decision, Cristina and I have mutually decided to divorce. Ledford replied with equal passion: "I get that it's hard to see me but don't you dare say I gave up on you or left you anywhere," he wrote, adding, "I did everything possible.". ", Cawthorn closed his speech by urging Americans not to "cower to a mob" and to "kneel before God but stand for our flag. No doubt thats made it even more difficult for him to adjust to injuries he suffered in the crash. He also attended and spoke at the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6 that was held shortly before the deadly Capitol riot. On Cawthorns website, it even says, [He] was also nominated to the U.S. Sign in with a password below, or sign in using your email. Outgoing U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who currently represents the 11th Congressional district in western North . Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. In November, he announced he would switch congressional districts and run in a newly drawn district where it would be easier for him to win reelection. i did not think he was vested to receive benefits. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Multiple women came forward during Cawthorns candidacy with reports of alleged sexual assault. In one interview he surprised me by saying he supported the pandemic mask mandates ordered by Gov. It was a clever deception, one I was able to expose because of my experience at seeking admission to a federal service academy when I was Cawthorns age. Shame! Cawthorn was elected to represent a western North Carolina U.S. House district in November last year. Its just frustrating, McCarthy said publicly. Jeff Jackson, recently elected to Congress from the new 14th district in the Charlotte/Gastonia area fits that bill nicely. Who is Vincent Jackson's wife Lindsey VanDeweghe? In June, a day after Cawthorn won his primary, Ledford wrote: "You earned every last bit brother! Required fields are marked *. He took responsibility. Marjorie Taylor Greene backs Madison Cawthorn and calls Zelensky a 'thug' despite outrage within own party. In their depositions, Cawthorn stated that he had "no memory from the accident," while Ledford said that he had helped rescue an unconscious Cawthorn. US Rep. Madison Cawthorn and his wife, Cristina, are divorcing after only eight months of marriage, as the conservative lawmaker admitted their lives had changed "overnight" after he was. Cawthorn taped a seven-minute-plus video March 4 to respond to his various lapses in judgment, run-ins with the law and allegations that he says are untrue or misleading. Too much hubris, too little savvy. Ledford says Cawthorn told him: It was wrong for Cawthorn to believe his friend left him for dead and wrong for him to repeat that claim publicly. But after the North Carolina Supreme Court rejected new congressional maps drawn by the Legislature, Cawthorn said he would switch back to his old district. But his personality, style and judgment were a remarkable contrast to Madison Cawthorns of Madison for! Rising political star cited `` irreconcilable differences '' in a statement that `` overnight their lives ''... Because of his personal story, Ledford wrote: `` you earned every bit... 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