Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., has found himself at the center of yet another scandal. A sexual video was released Thursday of Cawthorn naked in bed with a man who is believed to be his male cousin.

Cawthorn confirmed the video was real and was taken "years ago." He claims that he is the victim of a blackmail attempt by political foes trying to prevent his re-election.

“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. That’s it," the embattled first-term congressman posted on his Twitter account after the video was leaked.

This story is the latest controversial episode to follow Cawthorn as he continues to fight for re-election. He faces a crowded field in the Republican primary with polls showing his lead is slipping.

Cawthorn has found himself at the center of multiple controversies even before taking office. In August 2020, photos on Cawthorn's Instagram page from 2017 showed him visiting Adolf Hitler's vacation home.

He drew increased attention for his attendance at the Stop The Steal rally that preceded the Capitol Riot.

Cawthorn has also been the subject of sexual-harassment allegations. He has been twice caught trying to bring a handgun onboard a flight. In April, Politico obtained pictures of Cawthorn wearing women's lingerie. Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Cawthorn called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug."

He received his sharpest reprimands in March after suggesting he was invited to sex parties by colleagues on Capitol Hill and witnessed drug use by members of Congress. His Republican colleagues responded with outrage to these accusations, prompting House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California to warn him “to turn himself around” lest he further erode his standing within the caucus.

In response, Cawthorn has lashed out at opponents from “the establishment,” who he claimed were attempting to bring about his political demise. In his latest response to the nude photo, Cawthorn called it proof that he was the victim of “blackmail” from a “drip drip campaign” waged by those who want him to lose his House seat.

American Muckrakers PAC, the group that shared the image, is indeed led by figures specifically opposed to Cawthorn.

The nonprofit openly describes itself as a political action committee dedicated to "solely to ensuring that North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn's first term in office is his last." Its advisory board also counts retired U.S. Air Force Col. Moe Davis, who was Cawthorn's Democratic opponent in the 2020 election.

Davis, who was a chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, suggested Cawthorn committed sedition ahead of the Capitol Riot and accused him of being an “American terrorist.”

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