US Capitol Police said Thursday they would not press charges against two men who filmed themselves having gay sex in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room last year.
“After consulting with federal and local prosecutors, as well as doing a comprehensive investigation and review of possible charges, it was determined that — despite a likely violation of Congressional policy — there is currently no evidence that a crime was committed,” USCP said in a statement.
One of the men involved has been identified as Aidan Maese-Czeropski, a staffer for Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) who was fired after video of the tryst began to circulate on social media.
Maese-Czeropski invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during the investigation, according to Capitol Police.
“The two people of interest were not cooperative, nor were the elements of any of the possible crimes met,” the statement added. “Our investigators are willing to review new evidence should any come to light.”
The roughly eight seconds of filmed intercourse, first reported by The Spectator, were recorded in the same room where Supreme Court nominees are questioned by lawmakers.
The activity appeared to be a clear violation of DC law, which forbids “a person, in public, to make an obscene or indecent exposure of his or her genitalia or anus, to engage in masturbation, or to engage in a sexual act.”
The obscene encounter seemed to take place near where Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) sat for a markup shortly before the footage dropped.
Following the spread of the amateur porn clip, Semafor reported that in 2022, a top staffer for Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) was scrutinized over alleged “unbecoming behavior” that was circulated on Snapchat.
Ultimately, no “conclusive evidence” was uncovered.
Maese-Czeropski was previously featured in an ad for President Biden during the 2020 campaign.
“This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda. While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgement [sic], I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace,” the now ex-staffer wrote on LinkedIn last year.
“Any attempts to characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters.”
Maese-Czeropski did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.