Madison Cawthorn Is Calling For Holy War — But Former Classmates Say His Behavior Is Pretty Unholy

A new video from Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) calls on like-minded Christians to stand against Democrats and fight against people “who hate the things we believe in.” Unfortunately for him, there are people who share many of his beliefs who have known him personally, and their experiences with him were enough to make them speak out.

First, here’s Cawthorn’s new video ad. In it, he describes Biblical figures as “influencing the government of their day to uphold Christian principles,” and goes on the declare that Christians should stand up against Democrats (despite the fact that many Democrats, including the president, profess a Christian faith, and that the U.S. Government is supposed to support religious freedom, not espouse or endorse one religious viewpoint).

Cawthorn now calls for holy war: “It’s time for us to stand up and declare boldly that, as men & women of faith, we have a duty to stand against tyranny .. It is time for the Amer. Christian church to come out of the shadows .. (against) people who hate the things we believe in.” pic.twitter.com/at7jXXm2gT

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 3, 2021

While the alarm sounds across social media about a(nother) government representative fighting to put the desires of one faith group over the equal rights for all Americans, the response has also resurrected certain stories about Cawthorn’s own behavior, which former classmates have described as — well, not quite in line with the values he’s claiming to represent.

Buzzfeed initially published it in February, only weeks after Cawthorn was sworn in as a U.S. Representative. Reporters had spoken to two dozen students from Patrick Henry College, where Cawthorn began attending in 2016, and his classmates paint him as a predatory creep who kissed and touched women without consent, called them derogatory names, and was known as someone that it was unsafe to be alone with.

Three women who attended college with Cawthorn described being invited on a drive, only to be locked into a vehicle while Cawthorn drove recklessly and quizzed them about sexual experiences. Women described him grabbing their thighs, and forcing them to sit in his lap, among other behaviors.

Patrick Henry isn’t a large college — it’s current total enrollment is listed as 344 students. It’s a religious school that requires all students to ” fully and enthusiastically subscribe” to a statement of faith that includes Biblical inerrancy, and defining mankind as “sinful by nature” — so Cawthorn wasn’t exactly attending school with classmates who are likely to be persecuting him for his faith.

Buzzfeed reported at the time that Cawthorn refused to address the specific allegations, only saying “I have never done anything sexually inappropriate in my life.”

Cawthorn might be seeking a Biblical war and uprising — but instead, thanks to his video making his name trend on Twitter, what he’s gotten is a revival of the allegations against him, and an assurance that anyone who missed them in February, with everyone’s focus on the Capitol insurrection attempt, has another chance to hear them.