Sen. Ben Cardin has aired his disappointment over reports that a now-former staffer had taken part in filmed sexual activities in a Senate hearing room.
The Maryland senator spoke two days after Democrat congressional aide Aidan Maese-Czeropski, 24, was fired over the emergence of the tape – which was reportedly filmed in Hart Senate Office Building room 216.
The video depicts a graphic sex act between two men, and was reportedly leaked after being ‘shared in a private group for gay men in politics.’
While not confirmed to be one of the men, Maese-Czeropski was publicly connected to the congressional hearing clip, and is no longer employed by the Senate. In a post to social media, he admitted he’d shown ‘poor judgement.’
Approached for the first time since Capitol Police launched a full-fledged investigation Monday evening, the 80-year-old Democrat said he’s ‘terribly angered’ and ‘disappointed’ by the reports.
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Sen. Ben Cardin aired his disappointment Monday evening over reports that a now-former staffer had taken part in filmed sexual activities in a Senate hearing room
The video depicts a graphic sex act between two men, and was reportedly leaked after being ‘shared in a private group for gay men in politics’
The Maryland senator spoke two days after his old congressional aide Aidan Maese-Czeropski, 24, was fired over the emergence of the tapes
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‘I understand the Capitol Police are doing an investigation,’ Cardin told reporters in DC Monday evening, saying his office is ‘absolutely’ cooperating with local law enforcement.
‘My knowledge of this was over the weekend,’ Cardin added, as the scandal continues to the roil the House.
‘When I learned about it, [I] made sure that he was separated,’ he continued, not mentioning Czeropski by name.
He also expressed confusion how the staffer – who appeared in a 2020 campaign video with Joe Biden – had somehow booked the room, but reiterated how is no longer with the senator’s office.
‘He left the Senate employment, and the appropriate steps were taken from the point of view of our office,’ the veteran official who plans to retire after this term said.
When asked to not go into detail about how well he knew the staffer, Cardin refused, claiming it was a personnel issue.
Asked about how he felt upon initially hearing the news – first reported by the Daily Caller – Cardin conceded, ‘I was angry. I was disappointed.’
He went to label the ill-advised flick as ‘a breach of trust.’
Asked about how he felt upon initially hearing the news of the ill-advised amateur firlm in Hart Senate Office Building Room 216 , Cardin conceded, ‘I was angry. I was disappointed.’
Hours before the story broke, reports surfaced that an unnamed Cardin staffer had posted a social media photo of himself nude in a Hart hearing room
Cardin on Monday expressed confusion how the staffer – who appeared in a 2020 campaign video with Joe Biden (seen here) – had somehow booked the room, but reiterated how is no longer with the senator’s office
‘I was angry, disappointed. It’s a breach of trust. All of the above,’ he said. ‘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 and the Senate staff.’
The scandal, meanwhile, first erupted Friday, when the Caller published the clip with the blurred-out faces of the two men having sex in room 216.
The location, steeped in history, has played home to several high-profile hearings over the years.
It was the site of a series of Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings that helped shape America’s legal landscape, and was the venue for the 9/11 Commission.
But last week, as confirmed by Fox News, it was the setting for something much less stately – a sordid sex scene filmed from one of the participants’ POV.
The clip quickly made it rounds on social media, and people quickly began to peg Czeropski – who Cardin on Monday indicated has yet to apologize – as responsible. Those claims, Capitol cops have since confirmed, are still unproven.
Hours later, on Friday night, Maese-Czeropski put up a post to his now-private LinkedIn stating that while he had shown ‘poor judgement’, he ‘would never disrespect my workplace.’
Hours later, on Friday night, Maese-Czeropski put up a post to his now-private LinkedIn stating that while he had shown ‘poor judgement’, he ‘would never disrespect my workplace.’ He was fired on Friday
‘This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda,’ the statement read.
‘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 to me in these matters.’
Contacted by DailyMail.com Saturday morning, Maese-Czeropski’s mother, Magdalena Rivera Maese, said her son had been left distraught by the scandal.
‘You don’t want to know how he’s doing,’ Maese said in an interview.
In a statement Monday evening, Capitol Police told DailyMail.com it is ‘still investigating’ the sex tape, and that there was ‘nothing new to report’ at this point in their investigation.
Hours before the Caller broke the story, the Spectator reported an unnamed Cardin staffer had posted a social media photo of himself nude in a Hart hearing room.
Those reports have not been substantiated, as Capitol cops continue to investigate.
Cardin’s office, meanwhile, on Friday issued the following statement, citing a rash of reports from ‘right-wing’ outlets.
‘As this is a personnel matter and under review, we will not be commenting further at this time,’ the office said.
Cardin, meanwhile, announced his retirement at the end of his current term in May. As for Maese-Czeropski, he did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s attempts to contact him.