The House Ethics Committee on Monday recommended that Representative Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, be censured after a months-long investigation concluded he “fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment” of two young female staffers.
The bipartisan panel published its 20-page report after voting on July 22 to issue the findings. The committee found “substantial reason to believe” Edwards broke House rules by singling out the two unidentified aides for special treatment that made them uncomfortable and damaged relations with other employees in his office. A censure is the strongest punishment the panel can recommend short of expulsion, and it amounts to a public shaming on the House floor.
The House is in recess. The censure vote would not happen until at least September. If approved, Edwards would be required to stand in the well of the chamber while the text of a rebuking resolution is read aloud.
The investigation did not uncover evidence that Edwards propositioned the staffers or engaged in sexual activity with them. The committee wrote that the congressman “acknowledged at least some of the behavior at issue could be viewed as inappropriate,” but “has not acknowledged or taken responsibility for the harm he caused.”
Gifts, texts, and a hostile office
Edwards, 65, took office in 2023 after winning his seat in 2022 by ousting the scandal-plagued Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary. A former state senator, he left most hiring decisions to his chief of staff but insisted on bringing “three young women” into his operation, according to the report. The committee identified one as “Staffer 1,” who was still in college, and a second as “Staffer 2,” who was in her early 20s.
Both women received what the report described as “lavish and recurrent gifts.” The items included jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop, a cell phone, a KitchenAid mixer, vacations, and one-on-one dinners. The committee wrote that “a member of Congress should not single out a staffer and isolate them from other staff, make frequent comments regarding that person’s appearance and weight, send messages in the middle of the night, text staff deeply personal and seemingly romantic thoughts, intrude on personal occasions without invitation, pay for personal vacations, and spend thousands of dollars on gifts for staffers.”
Edwards brought Staffer 1 to a White House event without telling the rest of his staff. He texted her in advance that he was “so excited about tonight” and wanted it to be “perfect.” After the event, the staffer said Edwards tried to “pressure” her into continuing the night together, which the congressman told the committee he did not recall.
He invited both staffers to private dinners. At one point he told Staffer 2 to ensure the event was not put on his calendar by his office scheduler. He sent both women personal texts later in the evening about planning events together or expressing personal sentiments. He also planned elaborate trips with the two staffers, together or individually, at one point suggesting to Staffer 2 that they “go to Annapolis for lunch, meditate by its water, stroll about town, find a day spa, see a movie, or wipe out the casino.” “I’m probably over thinking being impulsive but I really want you to enjoy our time together nearly as much as [I] know [I] will,” he wrote in a text message released by the committee.
Both staffers later resigned because of his behavior, but gave Edwards other reasons when they departed. The committee found the behavior affected office morale. One senior aide told investigators Edwards “lashes out at everyone on the team except” the two women. The congressman denied yelling at his staff. Another staffer said they told Edwards an “unfair standard existed” in his office, which he said was caused by employees being “jealous.”
The Las Vegas trip and the confrontation
Even after she left his employment, Staffer 2 agreed to a trip to Las Vegas with Edwards. She told the committee she felt pressured to do so in part because he had influence over her being hired for another job in civil service. He paid for her flights, accommodation at the Bellagio hotel, and a show at the Sphere. After receiving a bouquet of flowers upon arrival, she texted Edwards that the message made her uncomfortable and asked whether the trip was meant to be anything it was not. Edwards responded that he was sorry it made her uncomfortable and that nothing was meant by it, calling it a “cute play on the name of the arrangement.”
The report said both women attempted to communicate their discomfort with their boss’s behavior. A senior staffer eventually spoke to Edwards on their behalf. That staffer testified that Edwards “got very angry” and said she “didn’t understand the unique relationship” he had with the two women. In his interview with the committee, Edwards asserted he understood “sexual harassment.” The report states he “seemed to believe that by avoiding inappropriate physical touch, explicitly sexual comments, and occasionally telling staffers that they were free to put up boundaries with him, he had immunized himself from such a charge.” The committee wrote, “That is not the case.”
Edwards cooperated with the investigation. It included 16 witness interviews, including the congressman himself, and over 1,500 pages of evidence.
A spokesman for Edwards’ reelection campaign, Paul Shumaker, said committee staff “has taken it upon themselves to write their own rules based upon an interpretation that is inconsistent with the written rule of law or House rules.” He said “Representative Edwards looks forward to having his name cleared and will work to ensure that the full light of day is brought on this process and that every member of Congress and the public can see the attempt to harm the Congressman who has brought no harm to others.” The campaign also said the findings “completely exonerate” the congressman. In a separate rebuttal, lawyers for Edwards said the panel had failed to demonstrate that the staffers expressed their discomfort to him, and that he has been denied the opportunity to challenge the factual allegations guaranteed to him under House rules. They also said the congressman “sincerely regrets that his behavior created discomfort” for either of the two staffers.
Edwards was already viewed as vulnerable in his western North Carolina district ahead of the November midterm elections. Last week the election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated his race a “toss-up,” a sign of improving Democratic chances. His Democratic opponent, Jamie Ager, said “my heart goes out to the young women who took these roles to serve our community,” and that “we deserve leaders with the moral character western North Carolina can be proud of.”