Madison Cawthorn claims Nancy Pelosi ‘has a drinking problem’ – even though she is sober 

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) told a room full of supporters that Nancy Pelosi has a ‘drinking problem’ – even though the House Speaker does not drink.  

‘Rules for thee but not for me I guess is Nancy Pelosi’s, that’s Nancy Pelosi’s campaign slogan,’ Cawthorn said, tearing into Pelosi – a figure who has often appeared in GOP campaign ads and fundraising pitches. The line is a favorite of House minority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.).

But Cawthorn went further, saying: ‘I’ll tell you I have to work with her every single day so please do pray for me. The theories of alcoholism are very true and it’s very sad,’ he said, according to video posted by Patriot Takes.

His line got chuckles during the event. 

Pelosi, 81, doesn’t drink, and hasn’t for years. Her daughter Christine attacked prior slurs about her mom’s alleged alcoholism in 2019, tweeting: ‘Republicans and their conservative allies have been pumping this despicable fake meme for years! Now they are caught.

‘#FactCheck: Madam Speaker doesn’t even drink alcohol!’ 

SLUR: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) in comments to supporters floated ‘theories of alcoholism’ about Speaker Nancy Pelosi, although the speaker doesn’t drink

She has been the subject of doctored videos in the past that have been manipulated to make it appear she slurred her speech. 

A 2020 video that showed her slurring her words and drinking from a plastic cup was revealed to have been altered. 

Pelosi did stumble a bit over the word ‘confabulator’ during the press conference in May 2020, when she was asked to comment on a Trump tweet accusing MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of murder.  

Her daughter, Christine Pelosi tweeted about another such video in 2019. “#FactCheck: Madam Speaker doesn’t even drink alcohol!’ she tweeted. 

Cawthorn took heat from some fellow Republicans after he called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky a ‘thug’ and said his government was ‘corrupt, incredibly evil’ even after Zelensky is fighting for his life amid the Russian invasion of his country. 

‘Remember, that Zelensky is a thug,’ the 26-year-old freshman Republican said in the short clip shared by WRAL while apparently talking about U.S. military aide to the besieged country. 

Fact-checkers have reported for more than a decade that Pelosi doesn’t drink

Pelosi sat behind President Biden during his March 1 State of the Union. After one such address by Donald Trump, she tore up his speech

Cawthorn got chuckles when he alluded to ‘theories of alcoholism’

Pelosi has been the subject of doctored videos suggesting she was drunk

The comments come after Cawthorn was captured on video disparaging Ukrainian President Zelensky as a thug, even as Ukraine suffers through an invasion by Russia

According to CNN, Cawthorn made the comments to a group of supporters in Asheville, North Carolina. 

About an hour after the video was first posted, the North Carolina lawmaker condemned Russia’s invasion on Twitter but then stunningly accused Zelensky of pushing ‘misinformation’ to pull Americans into the conflict. 

South Carolina Republican GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, like Cawthorn a Trump confidant, blasted the comments after they circulated. ‘Like 90 percent of the country is with the Ukrainians,’ Graham said. ‘So when you see a member of Congress say things like this, the one thing I want you to know, they are outliers in the largest sense possible on our side.’ 

Cawthorn is one of 17 lawmakers, 15 Republicans and two Democrats, who voted against banning Russian energy products in response to the invasion of Ukraine, calling the legislation ‘virtue signaling.’