Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina appeared to confirm the authenticity of a leaked nude video and slammed it as part of a "drip drip" campaign to destroy his career.
The video was released on Wednesday by American Muckrakers PAC, a political action group that is campaigning against the 26-year-old lawmaker as he runs for reelection in North Carolina's 13th congressional district.
The roughly 30-second-long clip appears to show a naked Cawthorn thrusting his pelvis against someone while the person laughs. It is unclear who the other person in the video is or who is filming.
At one point, a male voice can be heard laughing and saying: "Stick it in his face."
In response to the leak, Cawthorn tweeted on Wednesday: "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," he added. "I'm NOT backing down. I told you there would be a drip drip campaign. Blackmail won't win. We will."
Insider was unable to independently verify the video. Cawthorn did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
In a statement on the FireMadison website, Muckrakers PAC said the video was "passed to us by a former supporter" of Cawthorn who wanted to remain anonymous.
"It pains us to post it but in the public and voters' interest we chose to do so," the statement said.
Cawthorn, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, has been the target of multiple political attacks as he runs for reelection in the May 17 primary.
A recent Politico article published photos showing the congressman wearing lingerie, which Cawthorn dismissed as "goofy vacation photos."
Last week, the president of American Muckrakers PAC, David Wheeler, filed an ethics complaint against the congressman that mainly focused on his relationship with aide Stephen Smith. A video that appears to show Smith placing his hand on Cawthorn's crotch accompanied the complaint.
Several hours after the nude video leaked on social media, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger tweeted: "I just want to say to close out this evening: Cawthorn does not belong in Congress, and is an embarrassment not just to his district, but to the country."
"Vote this clown out, America we can do better than these disastrous leaders."
