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Did Madison Cawthorn cheat on wife? Rep with history of sex abuse divorces Cristina Bayardelle

Republican confirms divorce after just eight months of marriage, says time in Congress to blame: 'not the lifestyle we planned for'

Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn has confirmed split with his wife, Cristina, after just eight months of marriage. On December 22, the Congressman issued a statement via social media confirming the divorce, saying his duties as a politician were to blame. "That change has been both hectic and difficult, it's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for," he said. 

At first glance, there appears to be little to the story, but diving deep, several questions have been raised. Back in February 2021, the Congressman was accused of molesting and slut-shaming over 20 women when in college, leading to allegations he was a sexual predator. But despite those widespread allegations, Cawthorn continued his relationship with Cristina Bayardelle, and the two got married in April 2021. Since those allegations came to the fore, they have been frequently brought up in the many controversies Cawthorn found himself in, such as his 2020 speech to the Republican National Convention.

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On December 14, Cawthorn was also one of the 11 GOP Representatives who has their phone and social media records subpoenaed by the January 6 committee. It's the latest controversy he's found himself in. 

Did Madison Cawthorn cheat on his wife?

Officially, Cawthorn and Cristina have said life in Congress is the reason for their split. "We realized that balance was not attainable and that we had irreconcilable differences between
us," he said in a statement, adding that "but overnight our lives changed" with his election win. But unofficially, there appear to be some rumors online that there could be another reason. Of course, the Congressman has refused to comment on these rumors, so they should only be treated as such.

"During his brief time at the college Cawthorn established a reputation for predatory behavior," a letter by Patrick Henry College alums said when he first began campaigning for Congress. During his brief stint at the institution, he quickly racked up allegations from multiple women he went out with. The allegations have never involved cheating though, it has mostly been predatory behavior and misconduct. Nonetheless, social media has quickly added cheating to the list of allegations against Cawthorn, as they criticized the Congressman in light of the news. It's unclear where the allegations originated from, but Twitter was quickly filled with tweets about Cawthorn cheating.

One user tweeted in response to a tweet by Cawthorn, "Divorced yet, you cheating liar? Jeez, even your wife can’t stand you." Another replied to his statement with, "LOL he caught her cheating, didn't he." One user straight up asked, "Was he cheating on her?" Another trolled, "Did you or your wife cheat? That’s the only reason to divorce otherwise it’s a sin in God’s eyes, Madison." "Madison Cawthorn, as a Christian, surely knows that Jesus only allows divorce when a wife cheats on her husband or when a man beats his wife. Which was it, @RepCawthorn?" another asked.

Cristina too hasn't addressed the cheating rumors, instead telling Fox News, "The lifestyle shift into public life has been strenuous, and many aspects of the transition have been unexpected. I want to live in the world he creates, I just don’t want to be married to someone changing the world." So it appears there's no ill-will between the two as they split, and that the allegations of cheating are nothing more than the work of trolls.