GOP Rep Embroiled In Sexual Harassment Probe Drops Reelection Bid

Republican North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards announced Wednesday he would no longer seek re-election after investigators concluded he engaged in inappropriate conduct.

The House Ethics Committee recommended Monday that Edwards be censured after finding that he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate behavior toward two female staffers. Edwards announced he ended his re-election campaign and would complete his term.

“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term. Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America,” Edwards said.

The report detailed what investigators described as a pattern of conduct that crossed professional boundaries with two former female staffers who worked for him when he was in the state Senate. Edwards allegedly handed these staffers “lavish and recurring gifts,” including more than $1,000 worth of jewelry, vacations, designer handbags and one-on-one dinners.

The pattern of conduct gave “the appearance of a sexual or romantic advance,” the report said.

“Taken individually, many of Representative Edwards’ actions were at minimum inappropriate; a Member of Congress should not single out a staffer and isolate them from other staff, make frequent comments regarding that person’s appearance and weight, send messages in the middle of the night, text staff deeply personal and seemingly romantic thoughts, intrude on personal occasions without invitation, pay for personal vacations, and spend thousands of dollars on gifts for staffers,” the Ethics Committee wrote in the report. “That Representative Edwards did all these things to two young staffers, repeatedly over a sustained period, was beyond inappropriate.”

One of the staffers told a friend she felt “scared low-key” because she felt Edwards no longer viewed her as just a friend, according to the report. The congressman arranged a surprise birthday performance for her and said it was “from a special someone.”