GOP Rep Scott: Investigate Rep. Madison Cawthorn's accusations, discipline if proven false

Rep. Austin Scott reacted Thursday to fellow GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn's claims about lawmakers' illegal and inappropriate activities, saying the allegations should be investigated and the freshman congressman should receive disciplinary action if they are found to be false.

Last week, Cawthorn said on a podcast interview that he had been invited to an orgy and seen lawmakers do cocaine.

Scott, of Georgia, told the John Solomon Reports podcast that Cawthorn "made extremely serious accusations when he said that he witnessed a member of Congress doing cocaine – that's obviously a felony, it needs to be fully investigated.

"If the accusation is found to be true, then that member needs to be disciplined. And we have had members found to be doing that before and those people have been expunged from Congress."

However, if the accusation is found to be false, Scott said, then "Mr. Cawthorn, candidly, needs to be disciplined for making a false accusation."

"I think it is in Congressman Cawthorn's court to make a public apology – a public acknowledgement – that it was a false statement," Scott added. "And as I said before, if he does not do that, if he maintains it as his true statement, then the accusations that he made need to be fully investigated. And if it's found to be true, the member needs to be disciplined.

"And if he does not publicly retract his statement, and the investigation shows that his accusations were not true, then I think, you know, Mr. Cawthorn should be disciplined for making the false accusations."

After meeting Wednesday with Cawthorn, of North Carolina, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said there was "no evidence" to support the congressman's claims.

Cawthorn didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.