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Madison Cawthorn responds to report that he misled people about his past


FILE -{&nbsp;}Madison Cawthorn defeated Lynda Bennett to complete an upset for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional District. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
FILE - Madison Cawthorn defeated Lynda Bennett to complete an upset for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional District. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
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The GOP nominee in the 11th Congressional District denies he misled voters about his past.

Cawthorn spoke to News 13 about reports he brands as 'left wing attacks.'

Six years ago he was nominated to the Naval Academy by Congressman Mark Meadows. Cawthorn has said all along those plans were derailed after an accident left him paralyzed.

But an Aug. 11 report from AVL Watchdog, a local nonprofit news team, says it obtained a 2017 deposition in which the candidate said he had already been rejected by the academy before that life-changing crash.

"I never said I was appointed or accepted to the academy, I knew that I'd only been nominated at that point," Cawthorn said. "I fully expected to be accepted and to be appointed, but at that point I hadn't received it. So I've been very careful never to mischaracterize who I am as a person. "

Back in June, Cawthorn shocked many by beating Lynda Bennett, who was backed by President Trump. Since the primary, he's been under the political microscope.

MADISON CAWTHORN DEFEATS TRUMP'S PICK IN NORTH CAROLINA GOP HOUSE PRIMARY

"I welcome increased scrutiny because I don't have anything to hide," he said, addressing other issues on the often bumpy campaign trail.

Another report called him out on his Instagram posts about a visit to Eagles Nest in Germany, which was Hitler's retreat. Some claimed the posts have white nationalist undertones.

"As of right now, I completely and wholeheartedly denounce any kind of white nationalism, any kind of Nazism. We fought a war where the American people went to war to end the scourge of Nazism across this country and I'm very thankful for that because it's evil and its vile," said Cawthorn.

Last month, he made headlines after strongly criticizing the reparations resolution passed by Asheville City Council, calling it a racist policy.

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"I think any time we characterize and issue by race, or by class, or by physical ability, it's almost always based in a racist sentiment or an elitist sentiment," he said. "I don't want anything handed down to me because I'm in a wheelchair."

His opponent in the race is Democratic nominee Moe Davis. The Davis campaign points to an EMC Research poll that indicates it's a virtual dead heat, with 42% of respondents supporting Cawthorn and 40% favoring Davis.

"Our campaign remains focused on the issues of critical importance to Western North Carolina, from healthcare to broadband access, jobs, the environment and veterans care. Certainly, Mr. Cawthorn’s posts were troubling," Davis said in a statement to News 13

Cawthorn says he believes the controversial reports about him will have no impact on the election, saying it won't deter him from his end goal.

"I'm not gonna back down to the mob, I'm not gonna bend my knee," he says. "Thankfully I have a backbone that's literally reinforced with titanium."

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