
Roger Stone, a longtime trusted and ally of Donald Trump, came out in defence of right-wing MP Madison Caathorn on Thursday in a way the congressman himself would probably like not to protect.
Speaking to Alex Jones' InfoWars, Stone added to the growing controversy over Mr. Cawthorn's claim that he had been invited to by veteran figures on Capitol Hill and that he witnessed when other lawmakers took cocaine, claiming he could confirm that both practices still applied in Washington.
"I can tell you first hand that these parties happen. I can tell you they keep happening," Stone said.
His claims are only likely to stir up the growing hostility that members of the House of Republicans and Senate parliamentary groups have begun to openly express to 26-year-old Cawthorn, the youngest member of Congress.
The North Carolina congressman's comments, made earlier this week, erupted on social media after they were published in a video interview and followed the launch of disciplinary procedures against Cawthorn on the part of Republican leaders in Congress.
"Some of the people who lead the war on drugs in our country see them as they consume it themselves. This is hypocrisy," the lawmaker said.