In public, Madison Cawthorn is photographed wearing women's lingerie

Madison Cawthorn, the embattled Republican congressman from NC who newly accused his GOP colleagues of inviting him to orgies, appears to be wearing lingerie in what seems to be a party setting, according to photographs obtained by POLITICO.

Cawthorn, 26, grew up in a traditional Baptist community in Henderson County, North Carolina, and has built his political persona on arch-traditional Christian principles and the importance of hypermasculinity.

The release of the two photos is the latest in a string of negative headlines for the freshman people of Congress in the run-up to his first re-election primary. North Carolina's primary election is on May 17. Cawthorn faces seven Republican challengers, all of whom see him as vulnerable.

Cawthorn, who was paralyzed from the core down in a car accident in Florida in 2014, has called Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug," suggested teetotaling Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has a drinking problem, also aracked up a string of traffic violations including speeding, driving with expired tags, also driving with a revoked license. He has court appearances scheduled in May and June.

A second person who was once close to Cawthorn and his campaign confirmed the photos' origin. The date of the picture is not sure, but they appear to show Cawthorn sitting in a wheelchair, indicating that the event occurred after his accident. He's wearing a distinctive pendant necklace in the photos, which has appeared in other Cawthorn images and videos. The photos have begun to circulate among political opponents.

Multiple requests for comment from Cawthorn spokesman Luke Ball went unanswered. Cawthorn responded to the story by tweeting that the photos were taken of him during a game on a sail before he was elected to Congress. "I guess the stranded thinks goofy vacation photos taken during a game on a cruise (taken way before I ran for Congress) will harm me?" They're out of ideas for things to throw at me... In the comments, share your most embarrassing vacation photos."