A second staffer was filmed performing gay sex acts in the US Capitol building. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Another congressional staff member was filmed having gay sex inside the US Capitol building, according to reports.
Last week, a video was leaked of two men engaging in sex acts in what appears to the Senate building hearing room.
The footage, posted by right-wing outlet the Daily Caller which was quickly picked up by the mainstream press, was allegedly “shared in a private group for gay men in politics”. The staffer involved, who worked for Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, has subsequently been fired.
It has now come to light that this is not the first time sexually explicit material has been filmed in the building and there was another investigation around alleged sex acts being performed in an office setting in in the summer of 2022.
A spokesperson for Dan Newhouse, a Washington Republican, told Semafor an investigation was launched following “purported, unbecoming behaviour” by a senior staffer in his office but “no conclusive evidence” was found.
“As soon as the office was alerted, we immediately contacted the appropriate House entities to conduct an independent investigation,” the spokesperson told the political outlet, adding “the office will not be providing further comment on personnel matters.”
The unnamed staffer, who denied he took part in the explicit content, left his job in autumn 2022 on “good terms” and moved on for unrelated reasons to the investigation.
Since the sex scandal broke, senator Cardin has expressed his disappointment and described the junior aide’s action’s as a “breach of trust”.
The Democrat said on Monday (18 December): “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.”
Whilst the name of the staffer has not been officially confirmed, it has been widely reported to be Aidan Maese-Czeropski, who is no longer employed by the senator.
Maese-Czeropski worked for Cardin for more than a year and before they parted ways.
“Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the US Senate,” the Maryland Democrat’s office said in a statement to Politico.
“We will have no further comment on this personnel matter.”
In a now-deleted LinkedIn post, the former staffer wrote: “This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love, to pursue a political agenda.
“While some of my actions in the past have shown poor [judgment], I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace. Any attempts to characterise my actions otherwise are fabricated and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters.”