Kevin McCarthy Helped Sink Madison Cawthorn’s Re-Election Bid in Effort to Remove Ultra MAGA from GOP Caucus: Report

(Photo Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) reportedly took steps to undermine Madison Cawthorn (NC) as the former Republican congressman sought reelection earlier this year.

A new report from the Washington Post reveals that McCarthy and his top allies launched an effort “to purge the influence of Republican factions that seek disruption and grandstanding,” all while boosting candidates likely to fall in line with McCarthy’s leadership. To that end, McCarthy’s faction launched a secret reported effort to deny Cawthorn a second term while the former representative was bogged down in scandal.

“GOP lobbyist Jeff Miller, one of McCarthy’s closest friends and biggest fundraisers, and Brian O. Walsh, a Republican strategist who works for multiple McCarthy-backed groups, were both involved in an independent effort to oppose Cawthorn as part of a broader project to create a more functioning GOP caucus next year,” the Post reported. “The allies close to McCarthy have sometimes taken steps to conceal their efforts, as they did in the Cawthorn case, with money passing from top GOP donors through organizations that do not disclose their donors or have limited public records, federal disclosures show.”

The reported goal of McCarthy’s secret political operation is to weed out GOP candidates “who could either cause McCarthy trouble if he becomes House speaker or jeopardize GOP victories in districts where a more moderate candidate might have a better chance at winning.” Cawthorn established himself as a hard-right firebrand while in office. Even though he was given a vote of confidence from former President Donald Trump, his relationship with McCarthy had been fractured by the point of his race for re-election.

Before losing his House seat, Cawthorn was drawing bad headlines and disapproval from Republicans as he claimed to have witnessed cocaine-fueled “orgies” while in Congress, got caught multiple times trying to bring a gun onto a plane, was shown on video nakedly dry-humping another man, and other scandals. While Cawthorn conceded his race after his defeat, he has vowed to unleash “Dark MAGA” forces in a continuing battle against his political foes.