Democrat says GOP lawmaker Madison Cawthorn brought weapon to school board meeting

A Democratic candidate running against Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) claims the freshman congressman brought a weapon to a school board meeting, according to Citizen Times.

On Monday, September 13, Jay Carey took to Twitter with a photo of Cawthorn attending a meeting for the Henderson County Board of Education. During the meeting, the lawmaker criticized the COVID-19 mandate, but Carey noticed Cawthorn had what appears to be a knife.

"(Rep. Cawthorn) must have feared for his life, seeing as he brought a knife to the meeting," tweeted Carey, a resident of Hendersonville.

Speaking to the Citizen Times, Carey offered a brief assessment of what he saw. The Democratic candidate made it clear he is "100% certain" Cawthorn had a knife in his possession.

"I'm 100% certain it was a knife," he told the Citizen Times. "I was 20 years in the military. Attention to detail is my bread and butter and what kept me alive."

Following Carey's post, the Super PAC FireMadison.com also posted about the alleged weapon offering more clarity on it.

"The weapon allegedly smuggled into the Henderson County board of education meeting by [Rep. Cawthorn] has been identified as a MicroTech Borka Blade, beloved by mall ninjas worldwide," the Super PAC tweeted.

The Super PAC submitted letters to Henderson Sheriff Lowell Griffin and Polk Sheriff Tim Wright as the organization's president, David Wheeler, called on law enforcement to address the knife incident and conduct an investigation.

"Allowing a member of Congress to flout the laws of North Carolina should not be tolerated," Wheeler said.

Under North Carolina state law, Cawthorn could be facing a criminal misdemeanor for the weapon. The publication reports: "Bringing a knife to an 'educational property' is a Class 1 misdemeanor, according to North Carolina General Statute 14-269.2 "

Editor's note: This story originally stated that Madison Cawthorn is a veteran. He is not a veteran, but has pushed a narrative that he was headed to the Naval Academy but his "plans were derailed ... after he nearly died in a tragic automobile accident that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair."