2023 U.S. Senate sex tape scandal
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| Date | December 15, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Hart Senate Office Building |
| Location | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Outcome | Senate staffer loses his job |
In December 2023, a video was released showing two men having sex in a United States Senate hearing room. One of the men shown in the video was alleged to be a legislative aide to Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland. The day after the video was released, Cardin's office released a statement saying that the man in question was "no longer employed by the U.S. Senate".[1]
Incident[edit]
On December 15, 2023, right-wing online news outlet The Daily Caller published a video and still images depicting two men engaging in anal sex in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.[2][3][4] The video, which is eight seconds long,[5] was filmed, presumably with a cell phone, from the perspective of the penetrative partner, who was over the receptive partner.[6] The latter was "hunched over the dais behind which senators would typically sit when conducting official business and questioning witnesses",[6] specifically in the seats of Senator Amy Klobuchar[7] and Senator Chris Coons.[8]
The video appears to have been shared within private groups for gay men involved in politics, before being leaked to The Daily Caller.[9][5] Although the staffer's face was blurred in the video posted by The Daily Caller,[5] the identity of the receptive partner was rumored online[9] and said to be a staffer of Senator Ben Cardin.[6] The man in question had previously published pornographic videos and images under a pseudonym on Twitter.[4] It was later alleged that other staffers within Cardin's office – including his chief of staff – were aware of "seminude photographs" of the man on his public Instagram page.[10]
Aftermath[edit]
Following the video's leak, the Senate staffer posted a statement on his LinkedIn profile. He wrote, in part: "While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgement, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace. Any attempts to characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated, and I will be exploring what legal options are available."[11] He did not directly address the allegation that he appeared in the video.[11] The day after the video was published, Cardin's office said that the individual was no longer an employee, in a statement that described the situation as a "personnel matter" that would not be commented on further.[12][13][14] Cardin later said he was "angry [and] disappointed" by the incident.[2] On Twitter, many users were unconcerned with the notion that the incident displayed a lack of respect toward the Senate: a Jezebel article summarized the online sentiment as "the American people have all already been fucked in that room."[15]
The United States Capitol Police were reported to be investigating the situation.[16]
In the days that followed the incident, reports of other incidents involving Congressional staffers engaging in sexual activities on Capitol grounds were revealed, including one from 2022 that allegedly includes a male staffer from the office of Republican Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington state.[17]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Oliver, David. "DC is buzzing about a Senate sex scandal. What it says about the way we discuss gay sex". USA Today. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Weaver, Al (December 18, 2023). "Cardin 'angry', 'disappointed' with ex-staffer after sex tape reveal". The Hill. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ↑ Bowden, John (December 18, 2023). "Senate aide at centre of lewd video scandal loses job". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kane, Christopher (December 15, 2023). "U.S. Senate staffer filmed in gay sex act in Senate hearing room". Los Angeles Blade. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Roush, Ty (December 16, 2023). "Porn Scandal Roils Capitol—Democratic Staffer Out After Being Linked To Video". Forbes. Whale Media Holdings. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Wiggins, Christopher (December 15, 2023). "U.S. Capitol Police Investigating Video of 2 Men Having Sex in Senate Hearing Room". The Advocate. Pride Media. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (December 19, 2023). "Senator 'disappointed' in staffer allegedly filmed having sex in hearing room". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Bade, Rachael; Lizza, Ryan; Daniels, Eugene (December 16, 2023). "Playbook: Senate staffer out after sex tape scandal". Politico. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nash, Charlie (December 15, 2023). "Congressional Staffer Filmed Porn in Senate Hearing Room: 'Appears to be Unprotected Sex'". Mediaite. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Keys, Matthew (December 18, 2023). "Exclusive: Staffer who made sex tape in Senate office building received promotion, warning in November". The Desk. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Marcos, Coral Murphy (December 16, 2023). "Senate staffer loses job after allegedly having sex in hearing room". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Terkel, Amanda; Thorp V, Frank (December 16, 2023). "Senate staffer alleged by conservative outlets to have had sex in a hearing room is no longer employed". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Baska, Maggie (December 17, 2023). "Gay Senate staffer loses job after allegedly having sex in hearing room". PinkNews. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ CBS Baltimore Staff (December 16, 2023). "Aide to Maryland senator leaves job following allegations of sexual misconduct in Senate building". CBS News. CBS News and Stations. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Cheung, Kylie (December 18, 2023). "A Sex Tape Is One of the Least Offensive Things to Happen in That Senate Hearing Room". Jezebel. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ↑ Shoaib, Alia; Dogson, Lindsay (December 17, 2023). "Senate staffer fired after X-rated video appeared to show him having sex in famous Congress hearing room". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Goba, Kadia (December 20, 2023). "U.S. House quietly investigated separate sex tape scandal". Semafor. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
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