Madison Cawthorn “illegally spent” $200,000 in campaign donations from Kevin McCarthy, billionaires and retirees: The outgoing Republican burned cash he had to pay back after a losing election, the report says
- The North Carolina legislature lost its main race in May after just one term
- Other Republicans poured millions of dollars into campaigning against him
- He reportedly spent money he had donated to his general election campaign, which he was expected to repay 60 days after his defeat
- Cawthorn is also late in submitting its latest quarterly financial filing for the campaign
- Failure to repay these donors is a serious violation of campaign finance
Outgoing Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on campaign contributions that he had to return after losing his feature race, it was reported Friday night.
Over the past year, the 26-year-old congressman’s campaign has indiscriminately spent funds earmarked for his November campaign, in violation of Federal Election Commission rules, according to the Daily Beast.
He was not to access it after losing his seat to North Carolina state Sen. Chuck Edwards at the end of a scandal-plagued campaign opposed by members of his own party.
“There was just no money,” a campaign source told the Daily Beast. “It was dollar in, dollar out.”
“Nobody ever did the math, which amazed me because the expenses were so outrageous.”
The report says he now owes $220,000 to some of his biggest donors, including the campaign coffers of Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Steve Scalise, as well as billionaires like Bernie Marcus and Steve Wynn.
Other supporters of Cawthorn’s victims are reportedly dozens of retired Americans from several states, including North Carolina, as well as friends and locals in his community.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s campaign reportedly handed out donations earmarked for a general election he never made it to
Cawthorn’s campaign is also more than a week late in filing its quarterly financial report, further fueling suspicions that there is information he wishes to keep private.
The most recent filing through late April, weeks ahead of his May 17 primary, shows the congressman’s one-term reelection bid is badly under water.
The Cawthorn for NC campaign committee ended with $137,598.90 in hand while owing $324,566.02, the April 1-27 filing said.
He had raised nearly $3.7 million since the campaign began in January 2021.
During that time, the campaign also defaulted on payments to several vendors, according to Friday’s report.
And his deadline to repay his general election donors reportedly passed more than a week ago.
Two of those donors are billionaire Steve Wynn and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who gave it to Cawthorn through his own campaign
“In practice, many people start spending this money in elementary school and pay it back; It’s a risk, but it might not be uncommon,” a head of ethics watchdog Common Cause told the Daily Beast.
But Cawthorn still has to pay it back, whether it’s his own personal money or soliciting more donations.
One option, a source said in the report, was to launch another campaign and funnel the money into it, which wouldn’t violate campaign finance laws.
But this source also said the outgoing congressman “didn’t want to run.”
Cawthorn conceded defeat on election night in May after millions of outside dollars and donations from North Carolina were used to bring him down.
The final months of his campaign have been marked by allegations of insider trading, inappropriate relations with an employee, controversial rhetoric and a slew of embarrassing photos and videos – including a clip of an apparently naked Cawthorn being poked in another person’s face.