Sen. Ben Cardin says he’s ‘angry, disappointed’ over lewd video of former staffer

Sen. Ben Cardin shared how livid he was after a video of his former staffer performing lewd acts in a Senate hearing room was released.

“I was angry, disappointed. It’s a breach of trust. All of the above. It’s a tragic situation, and it’s presented a lot of anger and frustration. I’m concerned about our staff and the way that they feel about this and the Senate staff,” the Maryland Democrat told reporters Monday.

Aidan Maese-Czeropski, 24, purportedly filmed himself having gay sex in the hearing room in the Hart Senate Office Building. The video was posted online Friday.

The room appears to be the Senate Judiciary Committee room best known for Supreme Court confirmation hearings, lower court appointments and Justice Department and FBI oversight hearings.

The incident reportedly took place on the dais between where Democrat Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Chris Coons of Delaware sat at a recent committee hearing markup.

The staffer was fired, and U.S. Capitol Police are investigating the video.

The incident shocked the office of Mr. Cardin, 80, who is retiring at the end of 2024.

Mr. Maese-Czeropski has threatened to take legal action after he was identified on social media as the staffer in the video.

In a LinkedIn post that has since been taken down, he wrote, “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.”