Madison Cawthorn Facing Jail Time After Driving With A Revoked License—And It's Not The First Time

Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina could spend up to twenty days in jail after being charged with driving with a revoked license for the 2nd time, a Class 3 misdemeanor in his state.

According to The Asheville-Citizen Times, highway patrol pulled Cawthorn over in Cleveland County, North Carolina earlier this month.

And, the newspaper noted, this isn't the first time Cawthorn has faced similar charges.

In 2017, authorities charged Cawthorn with driving with a revoked license, though that charge was later dismissed. He also has a record for speeding: He was charged with speeding earlier this year after he drove 87 miles per hour in a 70-mile-per-hour zone and was previously brought up on the same charge in October 2021 for driving 89 miles per hour in a 65-mile-per-hour zone.

A court date for the misdemeanor has been scheduled for May 6. The two separate speeding citations, which took place in Polk and Buncombe Counties, are set to be heard on April 18 and May 3 respectively.

Many criticized Cawthorn in the wake of the arrest, with at least one person noting that he would not have been able to slide if he were not a member of Congress.

Others noted the hypocrisy of Cawthorn's insistence that people should have driver licenses in order to vote while driving with a revoked license himself.

The incident is not the first time Cawthorn has run afoul of the law, having generated headlines for behavior his critics have derided as reckless.

Cawthorn even has a history of unlawfully carrying weapons, as when he sparked controversy when he was accused of bringing a large knife to a school board meeting in his district.

Cawthorn, who appeared at the school board meeting to protest COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates, denied the allegations, saying he didn't "know anything about it."

Back in February, Cawthorn was stopped at the Asheville Regional Airport after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents discovered an unloaded Glock 9mm handgun and loaded magazine in Cawthorn's carry-on luggage.

Cawthorn's gun was confiscated. He was allowed to retrieve it when he returned to Asheville.