Speed Reads

all over the road

Rep. Madison Cawthorn charged for driving with a revoked license

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) was charged with a misdemeanor for driving with a revoked license last week after being pulled over by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, The Charlotte Observer reports.

Cawthorn was pulled over at 10:26 p.m. on March 3 after Trooper Tyler Gantt observed him crossing the center line in a 2019 Toyota, reports the Ashville Citizen Times. Gantt said Cawthorn was "polite and cooperative."

According to the Times, Cawthorn — who could face up to 20 days in prison for driving with a revoked license — is also "facing two pending citations for speeding" in two different North Carolina counties. Cawthorn was previously charged with driving with a revoked license in 2017, but the case was dismissed.

The controversial 26-year-old first-term congressman has also attracted the attention of law enforcement for attempting to bring a 9mm handgun on a flight last February and for bringing a large knife to a school board meeting in September, the Observer notes. He was not charged with a crime in either case.  

Cawthorn is currently seeking re-election. A group of concerned voters attempted to have Cawthorn removed from the ballot, arguing that he "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the United States when he spoke at the rally that immediately preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and is therefore disqualified from serving in Congress according to Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. A judge dismissed the motion on Friday, The New York Times reported.