Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) has accumulated a series of social media stumbles since he’s been in office. He’s been the internet’s main character of the day when he misquoted Founding Fathers, when he was surprised that a sovereign nation has the right to self-govern, and when he denied visiting Adolf Hitler’s house even though he’d posted proof on Instagram.
Cawthorn’s mentions took another hit this week when he tried to attack President Joe Biden but instead reminded everyone about one of his own faux pas.
The freshman representative from North Carolina tweeted, “What’s the biggest lie a politician ever told? Biden said the $3.5 trillion spending bill will cost zero dollars.”
(Biden’s administration has said that he meant the bill won’t add to the national debt because it’s to be funded with increased tax revenue, including higher taxes on the rich.)
Rather than serve as the “gotcha!” Cawthorn hoped it would be, his tweet reminded many that he claimed he was heading to the Naval Academy prior to the car accident that paralyzed him.
As the Asheville, North Carolina-based investigative news nonprofit AVL Watchdog reported, Cawthorn’s campaign website said, “Madison was homeschooled in Hendersonville and was nominated to the Naval Academy by Rep. Mark Meadows in 2014.”
“However, Madison’s plans were derailed that year after he nearly died in a tragic automobile accident that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair.”
AVL Watchdog found that Cawthorn’s plans to attend the Naval Academy were actually derailed when it rejected him before the accident.
“…[I]n a 2017 sworn deposition obtained by AVL Watchdog, Cawthorn admitted his application to the Academy had already been rejected before the crash,” it reported.
People wasted no time pointing this out after Cawthorn tweeted the question about the biggest lie ever told by a politician.
“One of the biggest lies I’ve heard was you lying about getting accepted to the Naval Academy. As a veteran myself, that’s a real crappy thing to do,” replied @Amy0227.
Some brought up other times Cawthorn has reportedly played fast and loose with the truth, such as when he claimed to be training for the Paralympics.
Apparently unfazed, Cawthorn continued attacking Biden on Twitter on Thursday.