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 on Saturday morning, 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 on Friday 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.