Charlotte Observer rips NC Rep. Cawthorn: An ’embarrassment’

The Charlotte Observer Editorial Board this week chastised Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), calling him an “embarrassment” and urging him to “stay away from the cameras.”

Cawthorn is serving his first term in office. The paper called him an “embarrassment to the institution, to his party, and to his state” for his actions and comments made during interviews, including his backing of election fraud claims made by former President Trump.

The paper specifically cites Cawthorn backing off those election fraud claims after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

Following the insurrection at the Capitol, Cawthorn condemned Trump for his rhetoric despite having previously pushed similar claims. 

“Cawthorn wasn’t alone in that kind of whiplash-inducing pivot,” the paper wrote. “But he was the only lawmaker calling for unity after Jan. 6 who also sold ‘Cry more, lib’ T-shirts on his web site. (He later removed the listing.).”

The paper also went after Cawthorn for falsely suggesting that he could be a candidate for the 2020 Paralympic Games and for saying he was going to join the U.S. Naval Academy before an accident left him paralyzed. Cawthorn was rejected before his accident occurred, the paper says.

Cawthorn was also hit over messaging he sent to Republican colleagues that said, “I have built my staff around comms rather than legislation.”

“That commitment to messaging, rather than understanding and participating in legislating, might have been something that interested his constituents before they voted to send him to Congress,” the paper said. 

The paper also criticized the lawmaker for an interview on CNN that discussed North Carolina election laws.

When Cawthorn didn’t know that North Carolina changed their election rules, the paper said “Cawthorn inexplicably doesn’t know what’s going on his home state, or he lied.”

“Cawthorn’s strategy for these kinds of mishaps? It’s apparently to keep doing interviews, which results in more head-shaking headlines and national ridicule. It’s why the North Carolina freshman is on the medal stand for worst new member of Congress,” the paper wrote. 

The paper accused state Republicans of creating heavily gerrymandered districts in 2010 and said the GOP should be careful in redrawing the map this year because “It might be nice to get easy election wins, but it’s not good for your party or the people you’re supposed to serve.”

The Hill has reached out to Cawthorn’s office for comment.