Cawthorn moves to Florida; fails to hand over constituent casework, Edwards says

Former far-right Western North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn has moved to Florida, doing so without passing on important information about constituent problems.

That is according to a social media post by Cawthorn and the Republican who replaced him as 11th District representative.

Cawthorn bought a $1.1 million house in southwestern Florida in August, three months after losing the primary but more than half a year before he finished his two-year term.

As first reported in the Raleigh News and Observer, Cawthorn said in a Jan. 4 Instagram post that he had moved to the state where he bought the Cape Coral house. That was one day after his term officially ended.

In the post, he talked about his support for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, an alternative GOP nominee for the speaker position claimed eventually by Kevin McCarthy after a voting process made historically long by far-right opposition.

More:With Madison Cawthorn's offices closed, Chuck Edwards offers constituent aid

"There are many reasons I moved to Florida. One of the big contributing factors is that I know Byron Donalds is a leader in this state. That means this state will always be on offense to safeguard our future. Byron for Speaker," Cawthorn wrote.

Cawthorn's N.C. voting record shows him still registered in Henderson County. The Citizen Times has reached out to Cawthorn.

But before leaving office and moving out of state Cawthorn failed to pass on important information about constituents seeking help, newly sworn-in Rep. Chuck Edwards said. Members of Congress typically help those living in their districts with issues ranging from difficulty getting Social Security checks to problems with veterans' benefits. When they leave office they pass along unfinished cases so the next representative can continue the assistance. House rules say the deadline to hand over the casework date was Dec. 23, according to a Jan. 9 release from Edwards.

"The office of former Congressman Madison Cawthorn did not transfer official constituent casework, which is standard practice for any legislative transition," the release said."Due to this lack of information, Congressman Edwards and his staff have no way of knowing which constituents had ongoing casework or other outstanding federal issues. Repeated attempts to reach Congressman Cawthorn and his staff were made over the past month, but no response or action was provided."

More:High-powered lawyer argued Madison Cawthorn not insurrectionist, now suing for big legal bill

“I ran on the issue of providing the best constituent service possible for the people of Western North Carolina. I ask that anyone with any pending casework contact my office immediately. In addition," Edwards said. "I would like to ensure that our veterans, the elderly, the infirm and others who need help get the full benefit of the services they are entitled to."

Cawthorn was backed by former President Donald Trump. But he lost in the primary after a more than a year marked by scandals and missteps, included a finding by the House Ethics Committee that he improperly promoted a crypto currency he owned.

He is set to appear in Mecklenburg County District Court Jan. 13 on a charge of carrying a loaded gun while going through airport security.

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government, and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095, or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Cawthorn moves to Florida, fails to hand over constituent casework