Sen. Ben Cardin says Capitol Police investigating former staffer's alleged sex tape
Washington — Sen. Ben Cardin said Capitol Police are investigating after news reports linked one of his former aides to a sex tape that was allegedly filmed in a Capitol Hill hearing room.
The Maryland Democrat told reporters Monday that he was "angry" and "disappointed" by the incident.
"It's a breach of trust," he said. "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."
Capitol Police said Saturday they were aware of the incident and "looking into" it.
The Daily Caller published parts of the video on Friday that allegedly shows two men having sex in a Senate hearing room. CBS News has not independently obtained the video or confirmed the identity of the individuals involved.
After it was reported that one of his staffers was involved, Cardin's office released a statement saying: "Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate."
In a statement on his LinkedIn account, which has since been deleted, Maese-Czeropski said, "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 judgement, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace," he said. "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 said he was unaware of his former aide having any other disciplinary issues, and he had not talked to the former staffer when asked if the staffer had apologized.
"I can't talk about other staff, but I have not talked to him," Cardin said.
Alan He contributed reporting.
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Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
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