(NewsNation) — A day after a North Carolina congressman alleged other lawmakers invited him to an orgy and did drugs in front of him, an experienced Capitol Hill reporter said the portrayal of Washington, D.C., as the new “Sin City” is not a widely held belief.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) made the claims on the podcast “Warrior Poet Society.” Cawthorn is in his second year in Congress.
Judy Kurtz told Dan Abrams the attitude in Washington is closer to what you see on HBO’s “Veep” than Netflix’s “House of Cards.”
A transcript of her conversation on “Dan Abrams Live” is below, edited for clarity.
Dan Abrams: So bottom line, have you heard about these these orgies and drug-fueled events?
Judy Kurtz: Dan, I thought that the first rule of Washington’s underground sex and cocaine party scene was that we don’t talk about Washington’s underground sex and cocaine party scene. Listen, there are a lot of state secrets here in D.C. But if there are wild sex parties going on with lawmakers, they’re keeping those under wraps more than the nuclear codes at this point.
Abrams: Right. Because part of what you do right is suss out what people are saying, what people are whispering about, in D.C., right? And the bottom line is that, at least as of now, you haven’t heard about these drug parties, or the sex parties?
Kurtz: I’ve covered the inner workings of Washington for The Hill for more than a decade. I’m from Washington. This isn’t breaking news. There (is) sex, there are drugs in D.C. But that being said, everyone that I’ve talked to said, Washington isn’t really like “House of Cards.” It isn’t some dark and sinister drama. It’s more like “Veep.” It’s more full of absurdity, of goofiness, of weird situations.
Abrams: So, House Minority Leader McCarthy is not happy about this. What is your sense about why he’s upset? Is it because of the the way that Cawthorn framed this that suggests that it’s Republicans who are involved in this? Or is it just broadly his comments?
Kurtz: Oh, yeah, his conference colleagues are ticked, because it doesn’t make anyone look good, whether it’s true or false. McCarthy, my guess will be, will sit down with him and tell him as much. But look, Cawthorn also has a history of saying provocative if not outrageous things. It’s questionable, at the least, for him to say something like this and use this kind of language without any evidence or naming names. But, to tell you the truth, Dan, I don’t know if I really want to see evidence of geriatric lawmakers engaging in those activities.
Abrams: Yeah, I don’t want to see the evidence, but I kind of wanted this all to be true. I gotta tell you, I was like, “Wow! D.C. is so much more exciting than I knew. I didn’t realize how much they like to party there.” I’m not saying I want to see pictures. I’m just saying that when I saw this, I was like, whoa, that’s pretty interesting.
Kurtz: I’m sorry to disappoint. Cawthorn, like, like many politicians these days, it’s all about building a brand getting clicks, getting your name out there and differentiating yourself from other lawmakers. And this might be an example of that. It certainly got our attention. And he’s proven that in Congress, he might be more of a media force than a legislative force.
Abrams: Yeah, it is a little hard to believe right? That that some senior 60-to-70-year-old legislator is, like, “By the way, me and the wife we’re gonna go have a little orgy. Thinking maybe you want to join?” I mean, it just does seem a little far-fetched. Judy Kurtz. Thank you for coming on the show and bursting our bubble.
Kurtz: I’ll report back if anything changes.
Abrams: Yes, please do and then and some people here are gonna want to know where it’s happening, as well.