WaPo’s Philip Bump Says a ‘Culture Clash’ Explains Some of Madison Cawthorn’s Troubles: ‘He’s a Young Guy’

Philip Bump of the Washington Post threw embattled Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) a lifeline Thursday, when he explained some of the young Republican’s struggles might simply be due to his youth.

Cawthorn alleged in March he had been invited to “orgies” and that he has seen cocaine use since he has been in the House. The North Carolina Republican has also had issues with driving infractions and has twice been in hot water after bringing a gun to an airport.

These and other controversies were compounded Wednesday when a video of Cawthorn nude and “dry-humping” another man in bed surfaced. Cawthorn confirmed the video is authentic.

Republicans in both North Carolina and in Washington have seemingly lost patience with the legislative branch’s youngest member.

On The Lead with host Jake Tapper, Bump concluded that Cawthorn, 26, might be experiencing a “culture clash” with older members of Congress.

“Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn is in a tough re-election campaign,” Tapper noted. “Another day, another video of him doing something. This one was dug up by an opposition group, showing him naked in bed with a colleague or cousin or friend or something.”

Tapper asked Bump if he thinks Cawthorn has drawn the ire of Republicans over policy disagreements, or if they are simply tired of him attracting negative headlines.

Bump agreed Cawthorn’s behavior has earned him the trouble he is in. But the Washington Post columnist also offered him a bit of grace.

“I want to go sort of a little different here,” Bump said before he noted Cawthorn was three-years-old when “Google was founded.”

Bump continued:

iPhones have been out more than half of his life. So, he grew up in this culture where you’re taking pictures, and sharing them and doing videos. That doesn’t excuse getting arrested with a gun at the airport, it doesn’t excuse the driving, it doesn’t excuse all the allegations of Congress.

But part of this too is just cultural. He’s a young guy in an institution where the average age is 58-years-old, and there’s going to be a culture clash.

“We’re sort of in this weird moment where young people who experience life online have not yet really entered the halls of power, and part of that tension is this,” Bump concluded.

Watch above, via CNN.