GOP Rep. Facing Ethics Committee Investigation Partly Over Conduct Toward Female Staffers: Report
Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards is facing an investigation from the House Ethics Committee partly over his conduct toward female staffers, according to a new report.
Axios detailed that a scenario that influenced the probe involved the lawmaker telling a young female staffer that she had “written a complex chapter in my heart” before she was set to leave his office.
Three sources told the outlet they witnessed behavior that could be defined as inappropriate and crossed professional boundaries. They added that a staffer in her 20s repeatedly expressed discomfort about the lawmaker’s behavior while working for him and afterwards.
Edwards and one of the women spent time together in Las Vegas after she left office. He also sent her a handwritten letter, calling her “the most amazing woman.”
“I only wish I could explain the joy and meaning to me for the time we spent together at the office — but especially away from it,” a passage of the letter adds. Edwards has been married for decades.
The lawmaker also bought several gifts to another woman, including a purse, jewelry. And he would take both of them on one-on-one dinners.
Edwards reacted to the news about the investigation, saying: “I welcome any investigation, given the professionalism my staff has demonstrated and my commitment to serving the people of Western NC. Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”
Four lawmakers have been under investigation this year, and three have resigned from their posts. The latest one to do so was Shella Cherfilus-McCormick, who was set to face an expulsion vote in the Lower House.
Cherfilus-McCormick had been found guilty by the Ethics Committee of several charges, including funneling $5 million in Covid relief funds to her congressional campaign.
The other lawmakers who resigned were Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales. Swalwell had been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct from former staff members, leading to the end of his run for governor of California.
Gonzales, on his end, admitted earlier this year to having an affair with a staff member who later committed suicide. Gonzales, who was in his third term in Congress, initially resisted calls to resign but said he wouldn’t seek reelection.
However, that changed when a bipartisan effort in Congress to expel both of them gained momentum. Once it became clear that there might be enough votes to actually remove them from office, both resigned.
Republican Rep. Cory Mills is also facing an investigation from the Ethics committee as he stands accused of financial misconduct, campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct. He is also accused of threatening to release nude videos of an ex. He has denied all of them and vowed to stay in his post.
