Over the weekend, a video of two men having sex in what appeared to be a Senate hearing room went viral. Originally posted by the Daily Caller — the media outlet co-founded by Tucker Carlson — the video spread far beyond the outlet’s usual audience and onto the social feeds of anyone with a passing interest in politics, drama, and/or really obvious jokes on the website formerly known as Twitter.
According to the Daily Caller, the video was originally shared in a “private group for gay men in politics.” Social media users were quick to suggest that Aidan Maese-Czeropski — a staffer for Democratic senator Ben Cardin of Maryland — was one of the men in the video. On Friday, Maese-Czeropski released a statement on LinkedIn that did not refer to the video directly but mentioned that this was a “difficult time” for him.
“I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda. While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgement, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace,” Maese-Czeropski wrote. “Any attempts to characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters.”
Cardin’s office has since told Politico that “Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate.”
Shortly before the sex tape was released, the Daily Caller reported that Maese-Czeropski was also the staffer who said “Free Palestine” to Republican representative Max Miller. Maese-Czeropski denied this allegation, writing in his LinkedIn statement that he has “never seen the congressman and had no opportunity or cause to yell or confront him.”
Obviously, you should probably not have sex at work, especially if you work in the Senate. But if there is one lesson to be learned here, it’s that not all group chats are created equal; some of them are not to be trusted with your best material.
