The House Ethics Committee has recommended that the full U.S. House of Representatives censure Western North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) after finding he engaged in a sustained pattern of inappropriate conduct — sexual harassment and fostering a hostile workplace — toward two young female staffers that violated House standards.
The Aug. 3 report said Edwards gave the women costly and recurring gifts, commented on their appearance and weight, arranged private dinners and vacations, sent personal late-night messages and expressed affection that a reasonable observer could interpret as romantic. The committee said both women were uncomfortable but struggled to establish boundaries because Edwards was their boss and a member of Congress.
The committee conducted 16 witness interviews and reviewed nearly 1,500 pages of documents before adopting its findings July 22.
The report did not find Edwards engaged in sexual activity with or explicitly propositioned anyone on his staff. It also said the allegations did not involve quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Still, the committee concluded his behavior violated the spirit of House rules prohibiting sexual harassment and unwanted advances, along with the requirement that members conduct themselves in a way that reflects creditably on the House.
Gifts listed in the report included more than $1,000 in jewelry, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, electronics, vacations and performance tickets. One staffer said she felt obligated to wear a necklace Edwards gave her and that he expressed disappointment when she stopped wearing it.
The committee also found Edwards brought one staffer to a White House holiday event, bought her flowers after she said she did not want them and pressed her to continue the evening after the event. Other findings included private dinners, including one Edwards said should not be placed on his calendar, casino outings, spa treatments, elaborate day trips and poems written for a staffer.
Missing messages
Relevant messages were missing from material Edwards turned over, according to the report. The committee said some text chains were incomplete in ways that made the women appear more interested in communicating with Edwards than he was with them. Edwards testified that he sometimes deleted messages that might be misinterpreted or cause resentment.
Both staffers ultimately left Edwards’ office. The committee found Edwards knew or should have known by May 2025 that they were uncomfortable after a senior staffer raised concerns, but that his conduct continued.
Edwards disputed the committee’s conclusions and its proposed sanction in a 15-page response. His attorneys argued no staffer filed a complaint, the committee bypassed procedures that would have allowed Edwards to challenge evidence and the report did not establish a direct violation of federal sexual harassment law or House rules specifically governing sexual misconduct.
His most recent campaign financial disclosure shows two payments to Washington, D.C. attorney Andrew D. Herman, made on April 30 ― the same day news of the investigation broke ― and June 10, totaling more than $30,000.
“Representative Edwards sincerely regrets that his behavior created discomfort in any way for Staffer 1 or Staffer 2,” according to appendix B of the report.
His response maintained that the gifts were motivated by personal friendship, disputed the committee’s conclusions about deleted messages and argued that some conduct cited in the report occurred after one staffer had left his office.
Under the committee’s proposed resolution, Edwards would be ordered to appear in the well of the House while the speaker publicly reads the censure.
The censure is not Edwards’ first. In April 2024 Edwards was sanctioned for violating rules on mass mailings and franking privileges. Edwards’ reelection bid this November has become a tight race. His Democratic opponent, Fairview farmer Jamie Ager, is currently outraising Edwards by substantial margins. Last week, political analyst Larry Sabato moved Edwards’ 11th Congressional District from “leans Republican” to “toss up.”
Edwards' office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment by the Citizen Times.
Cory Vaillancourt is the Helene Recovery/Investigations Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Find him on X at @The_CoryV or on Signal, via email at cvaillancourt@citizentimes.com or at 912-508-5640.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: House panel recommends censure for Chuck Edwards over staff conduct
