WASHINGTON — Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., has been charged with driving with a revoked license and faces two pending citations for speeding.
The 26-year-old congressman was stopped last Thursday in Cleveland County by a North Carolina State Highway Patrol officer who conducted a traffic stop for a left-of-center violation on U.S. Route 74, according to First Sgt. Christopher D. Knox.
"During the course of the investigation it was determined that the driver’s license was in a state of revocation and he was subsequently charged with driving while license revoked," Knox said. "He was given a court date of Friday, May 6, in Shelby."
It is unclear why Cawthorn's license was revoked. His spokesman, Luke Ball, said in a statement to NBC News, "Our office expects the traffic matters to be resolved quickly and we remain focused on serving the constituents of NC-11."
The GOP congressman was also stopped last October in a white 2009 Dodge vehicle for driving 89 mph in a 65 mph zone in Buncombe County, and his court date is set for May 3.
He was stopped again on the evening of Jan. 8 in Polk County for driving 87 mph in a 70 mph zone. He was given a court date of April 18.
Driving with a revoked license is a misdemeanor that can carry a sentenced of up to 20 days in jail, although The Citizen Times in Asheville, N.C., reported the violation usually results in a fine or probation. The newspaper also reported that Cawthorn had been charged with driving with a revoked license in 2017, before he was elected to Congress, but the charge was ultimately dismissed.
Cawthorn uses a wheelchair because he was seriously injured in a 2014 car accident while riding as a passenger in the car of a friend who fell asleep at the wheel, according to his 2019 federal court filing against the auto insurance company.
