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U.S. Capitol Police are closing their investigation into a sex video involving a Congressional staffer that was recorded in the Hart Senate Office Building.
While it is likely that the encounter violated congressional policy, there is “currently no evidence that a crime was committed,” USCP said in a statement Thursday. The two persons of interest identified in the investigation were uncooperative, they noted, and investigators “are willing to review new evidence should any come to light.”
The Senate staffer, who was fired after the sex tape surfaced, exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and refused to talk to authorities, the statement said.
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The former Senate staffer, who was employed by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), allegedly filmed himself and an unidentified man having sex in a room used for a Supreme Court Justice’s confirmation hearing. The tape made the rounds in Washington’s group chats in December, rocking the Capitol just days before Christmas.
There have been rumors of members’ “cages” — office storage areas — being used for more discreet rendezvous, sources told Semafor’s Kadia Goba last month.
The sex scandal was the second time in two years that an explicit video filmed in the Capitol has prompted an investigation.
Reports of “purported, unbecoming behavior” of a senior staffer for Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) were investigated in 2022, Semafor reported, though no “conclusive evidence” was found. Videos from the alleged encounter circulated on Snapchat at the time.