North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards Drops Re-election Bid After Ethics Censure Recommendation
• North Carolina Republican Chuck Edwards announced he would not seek re-election days after a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct with female staff
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
• The bipartisan committee recommended the full House censure Edwards after finding he gave gifts worth over $1,000 and made repeated comments about female employees' appearances
• Edwards denied any wrongdoing, saying no behaviour was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, but the committee said a reasonable observer would interpret it differently
North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards announced on Wednesday that he would not be running for re-election, two days after a congressional ethics committee recommended he be formally reprimanded over allegations of sexual harassment involving two female members of his staff.
Edwards, who has represented the western part of North Carolina since 2023, said the decision followed prayer and conversations with his family. "After much prayer, thoughtful reflection, and many conversations with my family, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from my re-election campaign," he wrote in a social media post on Wednesday morning. He confirmed he intends to serve out the remainder of his current term, which ends on January 3.
Source: Getty Images
Ethics Committee Findings
The House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan body, released a 25-page report on Monday recommending that the full House of Representatives vote to censure the Republican congressman. A censure is a formal reprimand and does not carry criminal penalties.
The committee found that Edwards had "engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct" but said there was no evidence of sexual contact or explicit propositions made to any staff member. It noted, however, that some messages on his phone had been deleted, including one recovered from another source that showed a photograph of 30 different types of ice cream he allegedly sent to a female staff member's home. Her reply read: "this seems a bit excessive."
The report also documented a series of gifts Edwards gave to female staffers valued at over $1,000 (£742), including jewellery, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop, a mobile phone, a KitchenAid mixer, a robotic vacuum, vacations, and tickets to performances. He also funded a trip for a female staffer and her friend to New York City to see the musical Hamilton following her breakup.
In addition, the committee found he repeatedly commented on female employees' appearances, calling them "breathtaking" or remarking on one staffer's weight.
Edwards Denies Sexual Intent
Edwards maintained that none of his behaviour was intended as a sexual or romantic advance. The committee acknowledged this but concluded that his "pattern of behaviour would lead a reasonable observer" to view his actions as such. It said his conduct failed "to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers."
The BBC said it had contacted Edwards' office for comment.
Edwards, a business owner, entered Congress after defeating Madison Cawthorn in the 2022 Republican primary. Cawthorn, who is currently seeking a Republican nomination for a House seat in Florida, had previously faced separate sexual misconduct allegations of his own.
Source: Legit.ng
