No Criminal Charges for Senate Aide Who Filmed Sex Tape
Capitol Police say there's "no evidence" to support criminal charges for a former Senate aide who filmed himself having sex in a hearing room.
The U.S. Capitol Police have determined no criminal charges will be filed in response to a viral video depicting two men having sex on a desk in a U.S. Senate hearing room.
The video came to light in December after reportedly being shared in “a private group for gay men in politics,” one of whose members subsequently emailed it to the right-wing publication Daily Caller.
The footage was also reportedly posted on a since-deleted NSFW “alt” account on X. It gained little attention until the gay whistleblower tipped off conservative media outlets that one of the two men in the video was allegedly a staffer for the office of a Democratic U.S. senator.
The staffer, who was identified by conservative media as Aidan Maese-Czeropski, an aide to U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), was subsequently fired.
Writing in a now-deleted post on his LinkedIn account, Maese-Czeropski made vague statements appearing to deny charges of having filmed the video, but admitting to exercising “poor judgment.”
In response, Capitol Police launched an investigation to see whether the men in the video had broken any laws, including a portion of the D.C. code prohibiting “lewd, indecent, or obscene acts” in public or two federal laws prohibiting “misuse of government property” and “criminal trespass on government property.”
But the findings of that investigation indicate that no criminal charges will be filed against the amateur pornographers — at least at this time.
“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,” Capitol Police said in a statement, as reported by the blog Joe.My.God.
“Although the hearing room was not open to the public at the time, the Congressional staffer involved had access to the room,” the statement continued. “The two people of interest were not cooperative, nor were the elements of any of the possible crimes met.
“The Congressional staffer, who has since resigned from his job, exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and refused to talk to us.”
There’s some ambiguity about whether Maese-Czeropski resigned or was fired — Cardin’s office only told Politico in a statement at the time that he was “no longer employed by the U.S. Senate” and declined further comment. It does seem that, as long as he keeps quiet about the incident, he will not face any charges.
However, should he talk or reveal more details about his tryst, Capitol Police may be willing to pursue charges against the former staffer and his paramour.
Senator Cardin previously complained about his staffer’s behavior to CBS News, saying he was “angry” and disappointed” by his former staffer’s actions and referred to the decision to film the sexual encounter as a “breach of trust.”
Some conservatives and anti-LGBTQ activists alternatively expressed outrage over the tape, or cracked jokes about Democrats lacking morals and the Democratic Party for supporting LGBTQ rights more broadly.
Still others pointed to the video as evidence of queer “depravity,” and argued that the incident had “defiled” the Senate, amounting to a worse offense than the Trump supporters who assaulted Capitol Police officers and threatened federal lawmakers in an attempt to reverse the results of the 2020 election during an attempted insurrection on January 6, 2022.
Following the Capitol Police’s statement, some conservatives expressed outrage that criminal charges would not be pursued.
“The Democrat’s staffer had open, video recorded sex in a federal Senate committee room and they are telling us that there was no charge for even indecency or public lewdness? All I know is, it is great to be a Democrat in this Administration, because apparently they will never hold anyone, including themselves, accountable,” whined former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) in a post on X.
The Democrat’s staffer had open, video recorded sex in a federal Senate committee room and they are telling us that there was no charge for even indecency or public lewdness?
All I know is, it is great to be a Democrat in this Administration, because apparently they will never… https://t.co/p65oj7rrhH
— Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) February 1, 2024
“BREAKING: “It’s official: The U.S. Senate is now open for gay sex orgies,” wrote a second user, followed by nauseous and vomiting emojis.
#BREAKING "It’s official: The U.S. Senate is now open for gay sex orgies." 🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮
Senate Staffer Who Filmed Gay Sex Video in Congressional Chamber Vindicated by Capitol Policehttps://t.co/C054qGEBgi
— Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640) February 2, 2024
“J6er gets 4 years in federal prison for putting his feet on top of Nancy Pelosi’s desk. A Democrat gay staffer films himself having sex hunched over a Senate hearing room dais, and gets no punishment. #2TierJusticeSystem,” complained another user.
J6er gets 4 years in federal prison for putting his feet on top of Nancy Pelosi’s desk.
A Democrat gay staffer films himself having sex hunched over a Senate hearing room dais, and gets no punishment.#2TierJusticeSystem
— Giordano Bruno (@GioBruno1600) February 2, 2024
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