The House Ethics Committee recommended Monday that the full House censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), after finding he engaged in routine unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his congressional office.
A censure is a formal expression of the House’s disapproval of a member’s conduct. It does not entail expulsion, and requires a simple majority vote.
Edwards has rejected the notion that any of his conduct was meant as a sexual or romantic advance. The committee said his pattern of behavior would “lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such.”
Edwards did not immediately return a request for comment.
The panel said Edwards gave the young women expensive gifts, commented on their appearance and dress, invited them to intimate dinners and vacations, and sent notes detailing his affection. Investigators, however, found no evidence that Edwards explicitly propositioned any person under his employ or engaged in any sexual activity with them.
“Both women were uncomfortable with his behavior (which they attempted to communicate) but were put in an untenable position by virtue of his status as their boss and a Member of Congress,” the Ethics Committee said in its report. “Rep. Edwards was at minimum blind to that reality, and at worst, dismissive of the impact his inappropriate conduct had on the careers and well-being of two women on his staff.”
Members of the House may not engage in sexual harassment or unwanted advances toward their staff.
The committee said Edwards admitted that some of his behavior included in the investigation could be seen as inappropriate. He cooperated with the investigation and waived specific procedural steps after seeing a draft of the report. That allowed the panel to move straight to a recommendation for a House-level sanction. The committee maintains Edwards has yet to acknowledge or take responsibility for the alleged harm.
The investigation began after the committee in April asked individuals with information about sexual misconduct by House members or staff to file a report. It then received information about Edwards’s interactions with women in his office and began a confidential review. The panel later publicly confirmed it was probing allegations that he may have created a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.
Investigators interviewed 16 witnesses, including Edwards, and reviewed nearly 1,500 pages of documents before adopting the report on July 22.
Edwards has represented North Carolina’s 11th District since 2023. Before serving in Congress, he served in the state Senate and worked as a businessman. He brought several staffers from his state Senate office into his congressional office, including the two women in question.
One held an internship with him while she was still in college. She later became his scheduler. The other worked as a legislative staffer. Both served on his team for several years. The committee concluded that Edwards treated the two differently from other staff in ways that made them, and colleagues, uncomfortable.
Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier said in a statement that the panel determined there was considerable reason to think Edwards violated House rules relating to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces. They said the committee plans to bring a privileged resolution for consideration and a vote by the full House.
Lawmakers are on August recess, so any floor vote on the censure resolution won’t take place for at least several weeks.
