House censures Rep. Chuck Edwards for conduct toward former female
staffers
[September 02, 2026]
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards,
R-N.C., following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded
he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward
two young female staffers in his office.
A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct
that does not meet the threshold for expulsion from office.
The 413-2 vote was just the latest instance of the House grappling with
revelations about lawmakers’ behavior toward female staffers, a trend
that prompted House leaders to launch a bipartisan review this year
focused on making Capitol Hill a safer job environment for women.
Rep. Michael Guest, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said the
Edwards case did not involve what he called “quid pro quo sexual
harassment,” but rather conduct and behavior that created a hostile work
environment.
“While Representative Edwards denies that his conduct was intended to be
sexual or romantic, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable
person to interpret it as such,” Guest said.
Guest said that behavior included providing the aides with lavish gifts,
making comments about their appearance and dress, sending notes
regarding his affection and inviting them to intimate dinners and
vacations. He also said Edwards was aware that the women were
uncomfortable with his behavior.
Edwards apologized to the two women, who are no longer on his staff, for
actions that put them in an uncomfortable position. He said his
intentions were “only grounded in what I understood our friendship to
be” and said he admired them. He also apologized to his wife and family,
saying they carried a burden they did not create or deserve.
But he also forcefully rejected the committee’s most damaging
conclusions and the recommendation that he be censured. He emphasized
that the investigative report itself concluded there was no evidence he
engaged in sexual activity or explicitly propositioned any staff member.
“I am imperfect. I have made mistakes, but I do not believe I committed
sexual harassment,” Edwards said on the House floor. “The factual
findings of this investigation do not justify branding me as though I
did.”
Edwards was one of the two lawmakers who voted against the resolution.
The other was Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.
Edwards told reporters after the vote that he had expected the result
would not go his way. House Speaker Mike Johnson sat with Edwards for a
few minutes before the vote and told him how he thought it would go.
“It would not have been politically expedient for anyone to vote against
a resolution accusing someone of sexual harassment,” Edwards said.
Edwards stood in the well of the House as the censure resolution was
read. When he left the chamber, he remained highly critical of the
Ethics Committee’s findings and at one point said the investigation was
“very much akin to a Russian show trial.”
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Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., who is under threat of censure, is met
by reporters as he walks to a closed-door meeting with Republican
lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP
Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Edwards becomes the 29th member in the history of the House to be
censured. He was asked about that distinction after the vote and
said he lived a terrific life before he got into politics.
“I look forward to getting my life back,” Edwards said.
Edwards is serving his second term in Congress representing a
district in western North Carolina. He chose not to seek reelection
after the committee issued its report.
Edwards is the latest in a line of ethics cases this Congress
Earlier this year, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep.
Tony Gonzales faced calls for their expulsion before they stepped
down.
And last month, the Ethics Committee announced it was reviewing
allegations that Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., may have engaged in
inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer. He said he would
cooperate with the investigation but his actions were consensual in
nature and didn’t violate the law or House Ethics rules. He also
apologized to his family and constituents.
House members are prohibited from engaging in sexual harassment or
making unwanted advances toward their subordinates. The Ethics
Committee said that despite the absence of an explicit proposition,
a reasonable person could interpret Edwards’ “intimate and effusive
attentions, where he prioritized the personal over the professional,
as thinly veiled advances.”
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, the committee’s ranking Democratic member,
said the investigation spanned more than four months and included
interviews of 16 people and a review of nearly 1,500 pages of
documents.
He said Edwards provided the two women with jewelry, designer
purses, shoes and flowers and commented on their appearance. He also
sent deeply personal letters and even skipped a vote series to
decorate a Christmas tree at the home of one of the staffers.
“These are not innocuous, isolated instances,” DeSaulnier said.
“They are part of a sustained, unprofessional and inappropriate
conduct by Representative Edwards toward two young women he
employed.”
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M. said Edwards’ behavior was
“outlandish and disturbing.”
“If we don’t take action today, there is no opportunity for these
women to receive justice,” Leger Fernandez said.
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