Aide to Maryland legislator no longer with Senate after widespread leak of sex tape

Following the widespread leak last week of a sex tape filmed in a hearing room, a legislative aide to U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin has left his job as a Senate staffer.

On Friday, the Daily Caller, a conservative new website, published portions of a cell phone video that shows two men engaging in sexual activity in Hart Senate Office Building Room 216, the room used by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier, The American Spectator identified one of the men as a staffer for Cardin, but neither it nor the Daily Caller identified the staffer.

Cardin's office released a statement Saturday saying that aide Aidan Maese-Czeropski has left his job.

"Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate. We will have no further comment on this personnel matter," Cardin's office said in a statement Saturday.

In an email Monday, the senator's office emphasized to The Baltimore Sun that they had no further comment.

The room has served as the backdrop of a series of historical happenings, including U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings.

According to a Saturday report by Politico, Maese-Czeropski posted a statement to his LinkedIn account Friday alleging that he was attacked for being gay "to pursue a political agenda," and that he planned to look into what legal recourse is available to him.

As of Monday afternoon, Maese-Czeropski's post was deleted and his account appeared to be deactivated.

Maese-Czeropski could not be reached for comment.

According to a congressional staff handbook on the U.S. Senate employment office website, a legislative aide meets with constituents and agency staff, and assists lawmakers in preparation for hearings and other legislative meetings.

Cardin, who has a career spanning over 60 years in Maryland politics, announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection in 2024.