The House Ethics Committee has recommended that North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards be censured over what it described as “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” The bipartisan committee released its 20-page report on Monday after investigating the Republican congressman for several months.
The committee said it found no evidence that Edwards propositioned the staffers or engaged in sexual activity with them. However, the report concluded that his conduct created serious concerns and rejected his assertion that avoiding inappropriate physical contact or explicitly sexual comments meant he had not engaged in sexual harassment.
What Did The House Ethics Committee Find?
The committee investigated allegations that Edwards, who took office in 2023, may have created a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.
According to the report, Edwards gave the two staffers “lavish and recurrent gifts,” including jewelry worth more than $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop, a cell phone, a KitchenAid mixer, vacations and one-on-one dinners.
The committee also found that Edwards commented on the staffers’ appearances, invited them to intimate dinners and vacations, and sent them notes expressing his “effusive affection.”
The report states that both women attempted to communicate their discomfort with Edwards’ behavior. It also says a senior staffer later spoke to him on their behalf, testifying that Edwards responded by saying she “didn’t understand the unique relationship” he had with the staffers.
In his interview with the committee, Edwards said he understood what constituted sexual harassment. However, the report states that he appeared to believe that avoiding inappropriate physical contact, explicitly sexual comments and occasionally telling staffers they could set boundaries protected him from such allegations, adding, “That is not the case.”
Edwards’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a rebuttal included in the report, his lawyers argued that the committee failed to show the staffers had directly expressed their discomfort to him. They also said Edwards “sincerely regrets that his behavior created discomfort” for either of the two staffers.
The committee’s investigation included 16 witness interviews, including Edwards himself, and reviewed more than 1,500 pages of evidence. It voted to issue the report on July 22.
Because the House is currently in recess, any censure vote would not take place before September. A censure is the strongest punishment the House Ethics Committee can recommend short of expulsion.