Internet demands 'more punishment' as Ben Cardin's office fires Senate staffer over scandalous clip

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND: A wave of outrage erupted online after Maryland Senator Ben Cardin’s office fired a staffer who was accused of filming himself having sex in a congressional hearing room.

The Senator’s office sacked 24-year-old Aidan Maese-Czeropski on Saturday, December 16, less than a day after a lewd video showing two men having sex in a Senate hearing room surfaced on social media.

The explicit incident, which took place in the same room where senators grill prospective justices of the Supreme Court, is currently being investigated by the Capitol Police.

The footage, first exposed by the Daily Caller, was allegedly shared in a private group for gay men in the political scene, and reportedly appeared on a since-deleted account on X, according to Daily Mail.

What did Ben Cardin's office say about Aidan Maese-Czeropski’s ouster?

Maese-Czeropski came under fire after he was widely named on social media as one of the men in the footage. But a spokesperson for Cardin’s office later confirmed to Politico that the aide “is no longer employed by the US Senate”.

Maese-Czeropski, who featured with Joe Biden in a 2020 campaign video, has since shared a statement of his own, saying he'd never disrespect his workplace.

“This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda,” he wrote in a long post on LinkedIn.

“While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgment, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace. Any attempts to characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters,” the statement continued.

He concluded, “As for the accusations regarding Congressman Max Miller, I have never seen the congressman and had no opportunity or cause to yell or confront him.”

Contacted by DailyMail on Saturday morning, Magdalena Rivera Maese, Maese-Czeropski's mother, implied that her son has been disturbed by the incident, stating, "You don't want to know how he's doing."

Maese-Czeropski has been employed by Cardin's office since October 2021, as per his LinkedIn profile. Prior to this, he held a position as a climate researcher for Friends of the Earth and was a field organizer for the Democratic Party in Virginia.

Internet disappointed after Aidan Maese-Czeropski’s ouster

Maese-Czeropski’s ouster has garnered immense social media attention, with users demanding more punishment for disrespecting a federal building.

“That’s it? There should be much more punishment for desecrating a federal building,” one user slammed. As his LinkedIn post made its way to X before he was fired, one person wrote, “Fire him immediately. Not because he's gay, but because he did it in his workplace. The gay part is irrelevant,” the second user fumed.

“What is wrong with people? No respect, no morals,” a third person attacked while the fourth user wrote “He needs to be fired first thing Monday morning. Don’t even give him a chance to resign. Just fire him the second he comes into work.”

“This is wrong and disgusting if it is true. He should be released immediately but I don’t like that people want to put the blame on the whole for the actions of one person for political points. The actions of a staffer should get blamed to the president or senator or family is,” the fifth user said.

“Now charge him with sex Crimes in a Sacred Public Government Building….” one more demanded.

However, people were not satisfied even after he was fired. After the news surfaced on X, one person declared, "That's it? There should be much more punishment for desecrating a federal building."

Another asked, "How are there not charges pending? This has to illegal no?" "He should go to jail," a third asserted.

One more person said, "Still not good enough of a consequence," and another added, "And charges were filed? They can’t just get away with this shit."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.