Ethics panel recommends censure for GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards for ‘inappropriate conduct’

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee said Monday it is recommending that Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., be censured by the full House after finding that he “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”

“The Committee found that Representative Edwards violated the House Code of Official Conduct by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers,” the Ethics Committee said in its 25-page report following a months-long investigation into allegations against Edwards.

The bipartisan panel, led by Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and the ranking member, Rep. Mark DeSalnier, D-Calif., said Edwards denied that any of his actions were intended to be sexual or romantic in nature. He cooperated with the investigation, according to the report.

And the committee said it found no evidence that the congressman engaged in sexual activity with or propositioned any of his staffers. It also concluded that the allegations against Edwards “do not implicate quid pro quo sexual harassment” or violate “the ‘letter’ of federal sexual harassment law.”

But the panel added that “his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such, including providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, sending notes regarding his effusive affection, and inviting them to other activities as a way to spend time together.”

The committee added in its report: Edwards “has also refused to acknowledge the reality of the power imbalance between a Member of Congress and young staffers, even as his former staffers have been put through this difficult and emotional process with serious repercussions on their personal and professional lives. This shows a lack of self-awareness and accountability.”

Later in the report, the panel added: The Committee is concerned that the House regrettably lost two staffers because of Representative Edwards’ conduct. In this environment, where Members of Congress hold substantial influence, many individuals are reluctant to report misconduct when balancing the fear of reprisal against the potential for accountability.”

Edwards, 65, has not been in Congress long. A former state lawmaker, he ousted then-Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the GOP primary in 2022 but kept a low profile on Capitol Hill, unlike his predecessor , prior to the Ethics probe.

A censure is a formal disapproval by the House, but it’s a political black eye for a vulnerable member like Edwards. Cook Political Report has rated his race against Democrat Jamie Ager as “Lean Republican,” and Ager has significantly outraised Edwards this cycle.

The House is on its long summer recess, so a censure vote could not happen until September at the earliest.

Edwards’ office referred a request for comment to his campaign, which did not immediately respond. Edwards previously called the allegations “baseless” and said in a statement to NBC News in May that he welcomed an investigation.

His counsel wrote a 15-page rebuttal to the committee’s findings, calling them “unfounded.”

“Representative Edwards emphasizes that he has endeavored to comply with all applicable laws regarding his conduct during his time as a Member of Congress and before. Once more, he states his sincere regret if his conduct caused any staff member discomfort or was unwelcome,” they wrote.

The report detailed countless examples of strange and inappropriate behavior by Edwards. The two young women in the ethics report had worked for Edwards at the statehouse in Raleigh and joined his team in Washington after he was elected to Congress.

It said he lavished the two staffers with gifts, including “jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners.”

In one example, Edwards paid for one of the women, identified as “Staffer 2” and her friend to visit New York after the staffer’s breakup and bought them tickets to the musical “Hamilton.”

Staffer 2 also said she felt “obligated to wear” a necklace Edwards bought her. When she stopped wearing it, he commented how “disappointed” he was, she testified to the committee.

In another episode outlined in the report, Edwards brought Staffer 1 to a White House holiday event, hid the details from other staffers, bought her flowers, and texted her he was “so excited about tonight” and wanted the evening to be “perfect.” He then pressured her to continue the evening with him, Staffer 1 testified, something the congressman said he could not recall saying.

The committee said he also talked to Staffer 1 and others about going to strip clubs in Washington, D.C., citing interviews with four staffers.

The committee also said Edwards went to Staffer 2’s home to perform chores like yard work; one time, he went there to help decorate her Christmas tree and skipped House votes to do so.

“Here’s another offer I hope you’ll take me up on, unless you’ve made other arrangements,” Edwards texted her. “What if I skip votes and help you decorate your tree once you get home tomorrow?”

Edwards also wrote poems for Staffer 2, the committee said, including one that he read at her going-away party in his congressional office that was accompanied by a slideshow. He cried, and several staffers testified they felt uncomfortable.

The committee released a 60-page appendix of messages between Edwards and Staffers 1 and 2, as well as some photos of gifts he gave them.

Although Edwards provided the committee with some of the text messages between him and the two staffers, “many relevant messages were omitted and/or seemingly deleted from his phone,” the report said.

“When asked about the missing text messages, he testified that he would delete messages ‘at a whim’” and that he used multiple phones, the committee said.

According to the report, Edwards testified to the committee: “I wrote sexual harassment policy [in the corporate world]. I investigated sexual harassment many, many times. I lived a very cautious life.”