A US Senate staffer has been caught starring in an amateur gay porn video filmed on congressional property, extremely graphic footage leaked online suggests.
The scandal came to light on Friday in a report from the Daily Caller, which cited the video it had obtained. Footage shows the staffer, wearing nothing but a jock strap, engaging in anal sex with an older man while on a table. The location was identified by the outlet as the Judiciary Room, located at the Hart Senate Office Building.
The outlet did not identify either the staffer or the other man, stating only that the video had been shared online in a “private group for gay men in politics.” The aide has also reportedly posted obscene imagery on a now-defunct public account on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) under the pseudonym ‘Andre’.
Netizens, however, was quick to get to the bottom of the affair, identifying the staffer as Aidan Maese-Czeropski, a legislative aide for Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin. That claim was further reinforced by Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), who identified Maese-Czeropski to the Daily Caller as the person who interrupted him earlier this week during an NBC News interview, saying “Free Palestine!”
That was disputed by Cardin’s office, which told the outlet that Maese-Czeropski was unlikely to be the person who confronted Miller. “Having seen press reports, I understood this was a House staffer. Also, the person you mention is much more junior than an LD, so perhaps there was a mix up in identification, as well? Additional information would be of help,” the Daily Caller cited the office as saying, noting that it did not respond to any further inquiries.
Maese-Czeropski apparently addressed the scandals in a post on his LinkedIn profile: “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 judgment, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace,” he said, adding that any attempts to describe his actions otherwise are “fabricated” and may result in him taking legal action.
The staffer also strongly denied Miller’s allegations about the pro-Palestine episode, stating that he had “never seen the congressman and had no opportunity or cause to yell or confront him.”
On Saturday afternoon, Cardin’s office released a brief statement on the incident, announcing Maese-Czeropski’s termination. “We will have no further comment on this matter,” it said.