Video appears to show Madison Cawthorn at scene of Florida crash involving trooper
A video going viral on social media appears to show former North Carolina U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn sitting along a highway after a crash involving a Florida state trooper.
The video, posted by Aletha Shapiro, has nearly 5 million views.
Attorney Hayden Wooster told WRAL News in a phone call Tuesday that he represents Cawthorn. He would not confirm if Cawthorn was involved in a crash. Wooster said Cawthorn's prayers are with the Florida Highway Patrol trooper.
He declined further comment citing an ongoing investigation.
WFLA News in Florida reached out to Florida Highway Patrol for more details. While they say the agency couldn't confirm Cawthorn was involved in the crash, they did confirm that a state trooper had been rear-ended on I-75 in a construction zone by a 2021 Mercedes driven by a 28-year-old man from Cape Coral.
Cawthorn, a Republican who lost a re-election bid in 2022, announced in early 2023 that he was moving to Florida. The Asheville Citizen Times reported in 2022 that Cawthorn purchased a home in Cape Coral.
In her post, Shapiro wrote that she was heading South on Interstate 75 towards Miami around 4:32 p.m. on April 15.
She claimed a black tinted sports car had been tailgating her and "driving aggressively" before rear-ending a state trooper.
"Suddenly, the car door opens and a man in a wheelchair rolls out," she wrote. "I look ahead to see the officer exiting from his rear ended vehicle, holding his neck."
Cawthorn, who uses a wheelchair, was first elected to Congress in 2020 from a far-western North Carolina district. He won the Republican nomination in a runoff by defeating a candidate endorsed by former Rep. Mark Meadows and President Donald Trump. Trump quickly embraced Cawthorn, even giving him a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
But Cawthorn proved too controversial for fellow Republicans. He lost his primary in 2022 to then-state Rep. Chuck Edwards.
Previous controversies involving Madison Cawthorn
The former NC representative has faced his share of controversies in the past.
A political group whose primary focus was unseating Cawthorn released a graphic video in 2022 that showed him naked and simulating a sex act. Cawthorn responded at the time, saying he was "being crass with a friend" years ago.
When photos of Cawthorn circulated online that apparently showed him wearing lingerie and drinking from a wine glass, he said the images simply showed him having fun on a cruise.
In May 2023, he plead guilty to bringing a loaded handgun into the Charlotte Airport.
During his 2022 campaign for re-election, he also faced scrutiny over his use of campaign funds – including giving over $140,000 in campaign and taxpayer funds to his cousin, as well as a delay in reporting his funds.
