Maybe there needs to be another government shutdown. Not over Congress’ inflationary spending practices but because staffers keep filming sex tapes in the Capitol Building. What the hell is going on up there? Trysts among staff aren’t new, but now we have people filming and posting the material. As the comedian Lewis Black once joked, it’s like staying in a hotel; you know people are screwing around, but you don’t know where. Now, congressional staffers seem to be shameless regarding this behavior. The gay sex fiasco that engulfed Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-MD) office was horrendous. Now, we might have another sex tape incident, this time involving a Republican staffer (via Semafor):
The high-profile Senate sex scandal that rocked Washington, D.C. this month, was, in fact, the second time in less than two years that sexually explicit videos filmed in the U.S. Capitol prompted an investigation.
A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. confirmed that reports of “purported, unbecoming behavior” by a senior staffer in their office triggered an investigation last year. They added that “no conclusive evidence” was found.
The staffer, who Semafor is not naming, denied he participated in explicit videos, and disputed elements of the office’s characterization of the episode in a telephone interview and a series of text messages. He said he was informed of the investigation in June 2022, but told by the Congressman in July that it had ended with “no evidence to the allegation.” He said he left in the fall of 2022 on good terms for unrelated reasons to take a job outside of Washington, D.C. The Congressman praised his work in material announcing his hire.
One thing that is clear, however: There is, in fact, a second set of Capitol sex videos, which circulated on Snapchat last year. They featured in the Snapchat story of a user going by “Adam J” with the handle “Anjackson2019,” according to the recordings viewed by Semafor, which were provided by a source.
One of the videos, watched by Semafor, featured a man masturbating inside a House office building, which was identifiable by standard Capitol House furniture and carpeting. The desk at which the videographer performed also held a branded congressional mouse pad. A screenshot of a second video obtained by Semafor shows two men engaged in a sex act in an office setting. The participants’ faces are not visible in any of the material viewed by Semafor.
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Cardin’s staffer who engaged in sex acts in a Senate hearing room with another man was identified quickly as Aidan Maese-Czeropski, who later posted a response on his LinkedIn trying to play the victim. He was fired hours later.
Earlier this week, we learned that Cardin’s office knew his behavior on social media was out of control, telling him to tone down the content. He was still promoted despite this public relations nightmare brewing on the sidelines. I’m sure now that a Republican member of Congress has a staffer allegedly engaging in sexual activity, the focus and the narrative are going to change rapidly.
These people would be able to get away with it if they just kept these videos to themselves, but it seems everyone likes to get off getting caught.
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