North Carolina U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards could soon face censure if the U.S. House of Representatives listens to the recommendation from the House Ethics Committee.
Edwards, a Republican who represents Western North Carolina in Congress, faces a call for censure after the House Ethics Committee began an ongoing investigation into his conduct inApril, according to reports from Axios. The allegations, Edwards engaged in sexual harassment and fostered a toxic work environment.
Here's what is happening, why Edwards is being investigated and what censure means in Congress.
Why does the House Ethics Committee want to censure Chuck Edwards?
The House Ethics Committee has called for the censure of Edwards due to allegations from staffers that he sexually harassed them. Here's what committee chairman Republican Michael Guest
said in a May 14 statement.
"...allegations that Representative Chuck Edwards may have created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment in violation of the Code of Official Conduct.
"The Committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred. No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules."
An Aug. 3 report stated that Edwards sent inappropriate messages, bought gifts and more to two female staffers. Read the full story at citizen-times.com.
What is censure?
Censure has long been viewed as a punishment of last resort.
It admonishes someone for something that is perceived as a serious wrongdoing and informs the public of formal disapproval of the wrongdoing. It typically is an official reprimand or judgment with condemnation, according to Merriam-Webster. Many organizationscensure people, usually those in leadership roles, but we mainly hear about lawmakers facing censure today.
What does censure mean in Congress?
Censure of lawmakers comes just one step below expulsion and usually is triggered only for the most grievous wrongdoings. While there is no practical effect that comes from the censure, it is a severe reproach from one's colleagues.
Votes for censure used to be few and far between, but have become commonplace amongst today's congressional members.
Have members of the U.S. House of Representatives been censured before?
In the past five years, there have been many calls for censure of a lawmaker in Congress, but only a few are actually censured. The most recent person to be censured in the House was Rep. Al Green, D-TX, in 2025 for his conduct during President Donald Trump's address to Congress. The House found that Green “disrupted the proceedings of the joint address and was a breach of proper conduct.”
Since 2020, four other members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been censured besides Green, according to the history archives of the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Paul Gosar in 2021 because he “posted a manipulated video on his social media accounts depicting himself killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joseph Biden.”
- Adam Schiff in 2023 due to“misleading the American public and for conduct unbecoming of an elected Member of the House of Representatives.”
- Rashida Tlaib in 2023 for “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”
- Jamaal Bowman in 2023 “forced the evacuation of the Cannon House Office Building and disrupted the work of the Congress as a vote was underway on the floor of the House.”
Is Chuck Edwards running for re-election?
Edwards was in full swing for his re-election campaign for his third term in Congress, but announced on Aug. 5 that he is dropping his bid for re-election.
Cory Hillman contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Chuck Edwards could face censure in Congress. Why and what it is
