A Democratic Senate staffer has lost his job after he reportedly filmed himself having sex in a Senate hearing room.
The staffer allegedly filmed himself having sex in the Senate Judiciary Room of the Hart Office Building, The Daily Caller reported Friday. The report included a graphic video of the sex act, which had reportedly been sent to a private group chat for gay men in politics and was later leaked.
The Daily Caller did not identify the staffer in the story, but several news outlets later reported that one of the individuals in the video was Aidan Maese-Czeropski, a staffer who worked for Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). The sex act depicted in the video took place on the desks of Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chris Coons (D-DE), Politico reported.
Cardin’s office released a statement to Politico on Saturday that said Aidan Maese-Czeropski was no longer a staff member.
“Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate,” the statement read. “We will have no further comment on this personnel matter.”
Capitol police are investigating the incident, the Advocate reported.
Maese-Czeropski released a statement Friday on LinkedIn in response to 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 wrote. “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 characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters.”
Former Republican congressman George Santos, who was recently booted from office for alleged ethics violations, responded to Maese-Czeropski’s statement, posting on X, “Having sex in a United States government building and filming it is the reason you got heat. You being gay and having gay sex NO BODY gives a rat’s a*s.”
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said the staffer in the video could face legal trouble.
“Obviously, the videotape will result in the termination of any staffers involved. However, the question is any possible criminal charge,” he wrote. “We have previously discussed porn videos shot in churches or other locations. Such porn shoots in church have also raised calls for prosecutions in other countries. Staffers have access into such rooms, but the question is whether this unofficial use would constitute trespass. It also uses an official area for personal purposes, though it is not clear if there were any commercial benefits garnered from the video found on various sites.”
Others expressed disappointment that private matters were leaked to the media.
“You definitely shouldn’t have sex in the Senate Hearing Room, and you definitely shouldn’t film it,” Billy Binion, an editor for the monthly magazine and website Reason, posted on social media. “But this also needs to be said: Whoever leaked that video is an absolute snake.”