Politics

House Censures Embattled GOP Rep Chuck Edwards Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

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The House voted to censure Republican North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards Tuesday after an investigation concluded he engaged in inappropriate behavior.

The House Ethics Committee found on Aug. 3 that Edwards engaged in unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with two former female staffers and recommended that he be censured. Edwards apologized to his family and the two former staffers on the House floor Tuesday, but disputed the Ethics Committee’s findings prior to the House passing the censure with a bipartisan 413-2 vote.

“I want to say something directly and publicly to the two women who have been at the center of all of this. I am sorry,” Edwards said. “I’m sorry that my actions, my judgement or the way that I expressed a friendship ever put either of you in an uncomfortable position. My intentions were only grounded in what I understood our friendship to be and in genuine admiration and respect that I had for each of you. Not only as professionals, but as people.”

“I ask each of you, Republican and Democrat alike, to look beyond the headlines and examine what the committee actually found. I am not asking for special treatment, I am asking for fair treatment,” Edwards continued. “I am asking you to decide if the punishment before you is supported by the evidence proportional to the conduct actually established.”

Edwards allegedly gave two female staffers “lavish and recurring gifts,” including more than $1,000 worth of jewelry, vacations, designer handbags and one-on-one dinners, according to the Ethics Committee report.

One of the staffers allegedly told a friend she felt “scared low-key” because she felt Edwards no longer viewed her as just a friend. Edwards allegedly arranged a surprise birthday performance for her and said it was “from a special someone.”

The pattern of conduct gave “the appearance of a sexual or romantic advance,” the report said.

The committee opened the investigation in May after receiving complaints that Edwards engaged in sexual harassment and fostered a “hostile work environment.”

Edwards’ staff delivered “Dear Colleagues” letters to congressional offices Thursday arguing that the committee ignored key context when considering its findings.

“I am asking you to distinguish between the conduct that someone, examining isolated excerpts after the fact, might consider unconventional and conduct that actually establishes sexual harassment,” Edwards wrote in the letter. “That distinction is critical because of what the Committee did not find.”

Edwards announced on Aug. 5 he would not seek reelection after the committee released the report.

Several members of Congress faced sexual misconduct allegations over the past year. Former Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after several women accused him of initiating intimate contact without their consent.

Former Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned after the Ethics Committee investigated allegations that he engaged in an extramarital affair with a staffer, who later committed suicide.

The Ethics Committee opened investigations into Republican Ohio Rep. Max Miller and Democratic California Rep. Jimmy Gomez over allegations of domestic abuse and sexual misconduct.

Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green was the last member of Congress to be censured in March 2025 for interrupting President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.