Madison Cawthorn should name those politicians he accuses of cocaine-using and orgy-attending, or admit that he "made it up," Republican figure Trey Gowdy has insisted.
Former congressman Gowdy, speaking on his Fox News show Sunday Night in America, urged Cawthorn to "give us the names" or withdraw the remarks entirely.
"If you're being invited to cocaine parties by colleagues, tell us who invited you. Who used illicit drugs in front of you? Who broke the very laws they passed, and expect us to follow? Which of your colleagues believes he or she is above the law?" Gowdy said.
Cawthorn has been criticized by several GOP figures for having said his colleagues in Washington D.C. asked him to "come to an orgy" and that he had witnessed others "do a key bump of cocaine."
Gowdy added: "If you're being invited to NC -17 parties and watching people do cocaine, then you are hanging around with the wrong people. But you should name them, so their constituents know what they are doing on the people's time. And If none of what you described really happened, you need to admit that too.
"Congress has enough problems with making things up, Congress isn't well regarded," Gowdy added. "So, either tell us who you saw doing cocaine and who invited you to sexually explicit parties, or admit what we suspect, which is that you made it up. And then ask yourself where fairness and honesty fall on the list of qualities we should be looking for in members of Congress."
Last Wednesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that Cawthorn had told him the cocaine and orgy allegations were untrue.
"This is unacceptable. There's no evidence to this," McCarthy told reporters of his meeting with Cawthorn, the House's youngest member at 26 years old.
"That's not becoming of a congressman. He did not tell the truth."
On Friday, Cawthorn released a statement blaming "the left and the media" for attempting to stir up controversy with his remarks. He did not retract them.
"Corruption and unethical activities exist in Washington. It's an indisputable fact. If you don't think that's true, you've not witnessed the Swamp," Cawthorn said.
"The left and the media want to use my words to divide the GOP. They are terrified of Republicans taking back the House and seeing Leader McCarthy become Speaker McCarthy. Their efforts to divide us will fail.
"I will not back down to the mob, and I will not let them win. I will continue fighting for many years to come."
Cawthorn has been contacted for further comment.
