The men who shot and performed in a gay sex video in the Hart Senate Office Building in December will not face criminal charges, the U.S. Capitol Police announced Thursday, because they could not find evidence that a crime had occurred.
“After consulting with federal and local prosecutors, as well as doing a comprehensive investigation and review of possible charges, it was determined that — despite a likely violation of Congressional policy — there is currently no evidence that a crime was committed,” the department told Fox News in a statement.
The Senate staffer involved — Aidan Maese-Czeropski, who worked in Democratic Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin’s office — had access to the room where the video was made, so no illegal entry was apparently committed.
And since neither man in the video would speak with investigators, police couldn’t generate evidence of any other crime being committed.
“The Congressional staffer, who has since resigned from his job, exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and refused to talk to us,” the statement said. “Our investigators are willing to review new evidence should any come to light.”
The Daily Caller said the video was initially shared “in a private group for gay men in politics.”
Should these people have been charged with a crime?
Yes: 94% (30 Votes)
No: 6% (2 Votes)
At the time, CNN wrote that it “reached out to Cardin’s office and was directed to a statement posted by Aidan Maese-Czeropski on LinkedIn.”
That statement said, in part, “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 judgement, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace.
“I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters,” Maese-Czeropski wrote.
When the video first became public, a representative for Cardin’s office said: “We have seen the media reports. As this is a personnel matter and under review, we will not be commenting further at this time,” according to Newsweek.
As time went by, that comment was replaced with more ominous wording.
“Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate. We will have no further comment on this personnel matter,” the statement said, according to the Washington Examiner.
Cardin announced on May 1, 2023, long before the video scandal broke, that he would retire from the Senate at the end of his current term.
“From an early age, my family and my faith instilled in me the spirit of helping our community and that we all have a responsibility to make the world around us a better place,” Cardin said in the announcement. “These values have always been present in my home and have driven my years of public service to Maryland and the nation.”
An Important Message from Our Staff:
In just a few months, the world is going to change forever. The 2024 election is the single most important election of our lifetime.
We here at The Western Journal are committed to covering it in a way the establishment media simply will not: We will tell the truth, and they will lie.
But Big Tech and the elites don’t want the truth out. That’s why they have cut us off from 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone cut your monthly income by 90%. That’s what they’ve done to people like us.
As a staff, we are asking you to join us to fight this once-in-a-lifetime fight. Without you not only will The Western Journal fail, but America will fail also. As Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
Will you support The Western Journal today and become a member?
A Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.
This is the time. America will live or die based on what happens this year. Please join us to get the real truth out and to fight the elites, Big Tech, and the people who want America to fail. Together, we really can save the country.
George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of “WJ Live,” powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.
George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English as well as a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.
