A super PAC associated with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. accused Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., of "lying" about his past in a new political ad released just last week.
"Madison Cawthorn lied about being accepted to the Naval Academy to get elected," the 30-second spot, first reported by Axios, narrated. "Now, Cawthorn's been caught lying about conservatives. In perpetual pursuit of celebrity, Cawthorn will lie about anything."
"An attention-seeking embarrassment, Cawthorn's antics help him but hurt us. Lying about conservatives, stolen valor, Madison Cawthorn lies for the limelight," it added.
The ad, which reportedly cost the senator $310,000, was released on YouTube last Thursday, and references a number of the freshman congressman's dubious claims about his past – most notably that he was accepted into the Naval Academy before becoming paralyzed in a 2014 car accident.
RELATED: Will Madison Cawthorn be barred from Congress? N.C. election board says maybe
The ad also suggests Cawthorn "lied about conservatives," an apparent allusion to the congressman's recent allegations that he'd been invited to orgies by several of his GOP role models. Those remarks earned the young conservative much scorn from much of his party. Last month, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., firmly claimed that Cawthorn had "lost my trust."
The Super PAC ads in Madison Cawthorn's primary have started...
— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) April 21, 2022
"Results for NC" was formed in 2013 as a pro-Thom Tillis group. It won't have to disclose its donors this cycle until after the primary but previously received big money from Bill Foley and Reynolds American. pic.twitter.com/Q8s4FSNits
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Tillis has endorsed Cawthorn's primary opponent, state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who has also been backed by a number of other Republicans, including North Carolina state Sen. Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore.
"Madison Cawthorn has fallen well short of the most basic standards Western North Carolina expects from their representatives, and voters now have several well-qualified candidates to choose from who would be a significant improvement," Tillis said last month.
Last week, Cawthorn, staunch religious conservative, took a beating over recently-surfaced photos of him wearing lingerie in what appeared to be a party setting. The photos were first reported by Politico.
The End of Men@TuckerCarlson https://t.co/rfNVs8gPPt
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 22, 2022
RELATED: "He's just a bad person": Ex-staffer caught on tape blasting "habitual liar" Madison Cawthorn
After the pictures were released, Cawthorn suggested that they were part of a left-wing smear campaign.
"I guess the left thinks goofy vacation photos during a game on a cruise (taken waaay before I ran for Congress) is going to somehow hurt me?" he tweeted. "They're running out of things to throw at me … Share your most embarrassing vacay pics in the replies."
Cawthorn is facing a crowded field of re-election opponents, with seven GOP candidates in the running.
