Representative Madison Cawthorn is being investigated by the Committee on Ethics for his work promoting the Let’s Go Brandon meme cryptocurrency and an alleged improper relationship with a staffer.
The Ethics Committee announced a subcommittee to investigate the accusations. It will be chaired by Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of Texas and its ranking member will be Republican Congressman Michael Guest of Mississippi.
The press release does not mention which staffer Cawthorn is accused of having an improper relationship with, though a video surfaced last month that showed a staffer rubbing Cawthorn’s crotch while sitting in a car. That same staffer joined Cawthorn on his honeymoon in Dubai.
Cawthorn lost his primary election last Tuesday to Chuck Edwards and will leave office in early January when the new Congress is sworn in.
The Let’s Go Brandon meme coin was designed to capitalize on the popular saying meant to be shorthand for “F*** Joe Biden.” The phrase was coined after NASCAR driver Brandon Brown won a race, and while being interviewed, the crowd started chanting “F*** Joe Biden,” which the interviewer mistook as “Let’s Go Brandon,” causing the phrase to take on its obscene meaning.
The coin was promoted by conservative political commentators as a way to support “free speech.” The coin’s site lists Brown, Cawthorn, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and numerous other conservative figures as the coin’s supporters, though it is unclear how much involvement if any, each individual actually had with the project.
The day before Brown announced that the Let's Go Brandon coin would be his primary sponsor for the 2022 season, Cawthorn promoted the coin on his Instagram the day before writing, “LGB legends. ... Tomorrow we go to the moon,” according to the Washington Examiner.
When Brown made the sponsorship announcement the next day, the coin skyrocketed in value before crashing down to almost nothing. NASCAR would eventually deny the sponsorship on the basis that it does not allow profane euphemisms to be painted on cars participating in its races.
Even before NASCAR announced that the sponsorship would not be allowed, the coin started dropping in value and is currently almost worthless. If Cawthorn was aware of the pending announcement before he bought or received his coins, a fairly cut and dry case of insider trading could be argued, according to experts.
The coin’s creators are also the defendants in a class action lawsuit that includes NASCAR and conservative commentator Candace Owens as co-defendants. Cawthorn is not mentioned in the lawsuit.
Cawthorn was once seen as a rising star in the Republican party, but over the past year, multiple scandals have rocked the 26 year old’s political career, causing even members of his own party to distance themselves from him.