Second Hill Staffer Was Investigated Over Gay Sex Videos
A former GOP House staffer was investigated over explicit videos in 2022, well before the recent Senate sex tape scandal.
The headline-grabbing sex scandal in which a U.S. Senate staffer allegedly filmed himself having sex in a hearing room marks the second time in less than two years that a Capitol Hill staffer was investigated over sexually explicit videos, a new report notes.
According to the online news source Semafor, a senior staffer who previously worked for Republican Congressman Dan Newhouse (Wash.) was investigated over a pair of X-rated videos last year — long before Aidan Maese-Czeropski, the former aide to U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) allegedly shot his own explicit video.
However, a subsequent investigation revealed “no conclusive evidence” linking the staffer to the videos in question.
In one of the videos, which were posted as part of a Snapchat “story” by a user named “AdamJ” with the handle “Anjackson2019,” a man is seen masturbating inside a House office building, which was identifiable due to the furniture and carpeting in the background, as well as a branded congressional mouse pad on the desk of the person depicted in the video.
In a screenshot from a second video provided to Semafor, two men are engaged in a sex act in an office setting. The participants’ faces were not visible in any of the screenshots.
After the videos surfaced and began circulating among Capitol Hill staffers, Newhouse’s office was told that one of their staffers was a suspected participant in the videos. This prompted an investigation into “purported, unbecoming behavior” by the staffer.
“As soon as the office was alerted, we immediately contacted the appropriate House entities to conduct an independent investigation,” a spokesperson for Newhouse told Semafor, adding that “the office will not be providing further comment on personnel matters.”
The staffer, whose name has not been released publicly, reportedly denied participating in the explicit videos in a telephone interview and series of text messages with Semafor. The staffer also disputed elements of the office’s characterization of the incident.
The staffer said he learned he was being investigated in June 2022, but was told by Rep. Newhouse in July that the investigation had concluded with “no evidence to the allegation.”
The staffer left in the fall of 2022 “on good terms” and for unrelated reasons to take a job outside of Washington, D.C.
According to Semafor, Newhouse reportedly praised the staffer’s work in material announcing his hire — an action that would seem to indicate there is no lingering resentment or “bad blood” between Newhouse and his former employee.
Regarding the Senate sex tape scandal, Maese-Czeropski, who previously denied participating in the video in a since-deleted post on LinkedIn, has since been fired.
Cardin told reporters that he was “angry” and “disappointed” by the incident after the scandal broke.
“It’s a breach of trust,” he said, according to CBS News. “It’s a tragic situation, and it’s presented a lot of anger and frustration. I’m concerned about our staff and the way that they feel about this.”
Cardin added that he was unaware of any past disciplinary issues with Maese-Czeropski, but said he had not talked to his former staffer when asked if he had received an apology.
Capitol Police have previously said they are aware of the incident and are investigating the matter.
Conservative legal scholar Jonathan Turley wrote on his website that there are “numerous charges” that could be brought against the former Cardin staffer if Capitol Police can prove that the staffer posted the explicit video.
According to Turley, charges could be brought against the staffer under a section of the D.C. Code prohibiting “lewd, indecent, or obscene acts” in public, or under two federal statutes prohibiting “misuse of government property” and “criminal trespass on government property.”
Regarding the possible D.C. Code violation, Turley wrote, “The question is whether [engaging in sex in the hearing room] is ‘in public’ in a locked committee room — any more than sex in a congressional office after hours would be viewed as ‘in public.'”
With respect to the federal statutes, Turley wrote that the “misuse of public money, property, or records” could hinge on whether Capitol Police argue that filming the video — presumably for public consumption — constitutes misusing government property for personal gain.
“The key factor is the fact that this videotape was made with the apparent intent to publish or to distribute,” Turley wrote. “Sex in congressional offices — by both members and staff — have long been known to occur on Capitol Hill. Yet, this was a public hearing room, albeit closed at the time, and a tape made for what appears public viewing.”
Lastly, Turley finds that any trespassing charges hinge on whether the staffer had the “lawful authority” to access the hearing room.
“The Capitol police can argue that access to a staff position does not mean a license for entry for any purpose,” he wrote. “Does a staffer have legal authority to enter any hearing room for any purpose? That could be a defense raised by counsel, but it would seem likely that any access is premised on an official function.”
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