Charlotte Observer calls for GOP to censure Cawthorn over ‘bloodshed’ remark

The Charlotte Observer is calling on the GOP to censure Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) over comments he made this week about political violence.

The newspaper’s editorial board said Republicans should condemn Cawthorn for warning of potential “bloodshed” if elections “continue to be rigged.”

“Cawthorn can no longer be dismissed as a silly Congressman braying from the mountains of North Carolina. His rhetoric is dangerous, not only to his party but his country. It’s time to stop ignoring him,” the editorial board wrote.

The newspaper warned that the statements Cawthorn made during a Macon County Republican Party meeting on Sunday could lead to dangerous outcomes.

“We now know such cuteness can be treacherous. We know what happens when Republicans tap into anger this way and fuel it with falsehoods and fiery accusations. We’ve seen how too many Americans are ready to believe the worst in our electoral system and are poised to be steered into action,” the board wrote.

The editorial board went on to say that Cawthorn has gone from referring to the Jan. 6 insurrectionists as “disgusting” to now calling them “political prisoners.”

“His fellow Republicans, including those in North Carolina, should respond,” the board wrote. “They should join Democrats in condemning Cawthorn and, in a bipartisan effort, censuring him in the U.S. House.”

The editorial comes two days after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) slammed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for not condemning Cawthorn’s remarks.

“Like he has several times this year, Minority Leader McCarthy is refusing to take action against a member of his conference who is calling for violence,” Pelosi’s office said in a statement. 

Luke Ball, a spokesman for Cawthorn, has argued that the first-term lawmaker’s remarks had been misconstrued and that he intended to promote the peaceful resolution of election integrity issues.

Cawthorn on Wednesday said he plans to introduce a resolution to condemn political violence.