Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is pictured outside the U.S. Capitol on May 12, 2026. The House Ethics Committee has recommended Edwards be censured.
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The House Ethics Committee has advised that Rep. Chuck Edwards should face censure due to “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”
The North Carolina representative has been under investigation by the committee for several months, which culminated in the release of a comprehensive 20-page report on Monday.
The bipartisan committee clarified that it found no evidence of Edwards having propositioned the staffers or engaging in any sexual activities with them.
In discussions with the committee, Edwards asserted his understanding of “sexual harassment.”
“[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 report reads. “That is not the case.”
The committee’s investigation focused on whether Edwards, who began his term in 2023, had fostered a hostile work environment or engaged in sexual harassment.
Edwards’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a rebuttal to the findings, Edwards’ legal team contended that there was insufficient evidence that the staffers had communicated their discomfort to him.
“Representative Edwards has been denied the opportunity to challenge the factual allegations guaranteed to him under House rules,” they stated in their response, adding that he “sincerely regrets that his behavior created discomfort” for the two staffers involved.
The report detailed interactions where Edwards allegedly showered the female staffers with “lavish and recurrent gifts” such as jewelry valued over $1,000, designer handbags, firearms, shoes, flowers, and electronic devices like laptops and cell phones, along with other items like a KitchenAid mixer, and offered them vacations and private dinners.
The report also noted that Edwards made remarks about the staffers’ appearances, invited them to personal dinners and trips, and sent them notes expressing “effusive affection.”
According to the report, both women tried to express their unease to Edwards, eventually leading a senior staffer to address the issue with him.
This senior staffer testified that Edwards, 65, remarked that she “didn’t understand the unique relationship” he had with the staffers.
Edwards cooperated with the committee throughout the investigation, which involved interviews with 16 witnesses, including Edwards himself, and the examination of over 1,500 pages of evidence.
The report was issued by the committee on July 22.
With the House currently in recess, any formal censure would be postponed until at least September. A censure represents the committee’s most severe recommendation short of expulsion, serving as a public reprimand on the House floor.
