Hearing room 216 in the Hart Senate Office Building. (Photo credit: Architect of the Capitol)
A gay staffer for U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate, his office told the Washington Blade in a statement Dec. 16, which followed reports that he had filmed amateur pornography in the workplace.
“We will have no further comment on this personnel matter,” Cardin’s office said.
The Daily Caller, a right-wing site founded by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, uploaded video and still images Dec. 15 that purported to show leaked cell phone video of the staffer engaged in gay sex in a Senate hearing room of the Hart Senate Office Building, which is not in the U.S. Capitol building.
Shortly thereafter, unverified posts on X and multiple conservative or right-leaning news outlets identified him as an aide working in Cardin’s office. The 80-year-old lawmaker announced in May that he would not seek reelection next year.
The staffer later issued a statement on LinkedIn that appeared to deny the allegations: “This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda,” he said.
The statement continued, “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.”
The Blade has not independently verified the video posted to social media.
The Washington Free Beacon reported the staffer had published other pornographic images and video content on X, with an account that used a pseudonym but was public.
Earlier this week, this same staffer was accused by Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller, who is Jewish, of aggressively confronting him over the conflict in Israel — charges he also denied in his LinkedIn post.
“As for the accusations regarding Congressman Max Miller,” he said, “I have never seen the congressman and had no opportunity or cause to yell or confront him.”
In a post on X following Friday’s coverage, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) used the incident to downplay the deadly Jan. 6 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
The congressman, from his official government account, included a cropped image from the pornographic video in his post.
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