US Congressman Chuck Edwards has withdrawn his re-election campaign after a House ethics investigation recommended that he be formally censured over allegations of inappropriate conduct involving two female employees.
Edwards, a Republican representing western North Carolina, announced his decision on Wednesday, two days after the House Ethics Committee concluded that he had engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct”.
The bipartisan committee said its investigation found no evidence of sexual contact or explicit sexual propositions, but detailed a pattern of behaviour involving inappropriate comments, personal gifts and actions that crossed professional boundaries.
In a statement on social media, Edwards said he would complete his current term, which ends on January 3. “After much prayer, thoughtful reflection, and many conversations with my family, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards wrote, This decision has not come easily.”
The House Ethics Committee on Monday recommended that the full House of Representatives vote to censure Edwards, a formal reprimand issued to lawmakers found to have violated congressional standards.
In its 25-page report, the committee said Edwards cooperated with the investigation but noted that some relevant messages had been deleted from his phone.
Investigators said some deleted messages were later recovered, including one involving a photograph of multiple ice cream options allegedly sent to a female staff member’s home, with the employee responding that the gesture appeared excessive.
The report also said Edwards purchased gifts worth more than $1,000 for staff members, including jewellery, designer handbags, guns, shoes, flowers, electronics, household items, vacations, performance tickets and private dinners.
Investigators also found that Edwards paid for a female staff member and her friend to travel to New York City to watch the Broadway musical Hamilton following the employee’s breakup.
The committee said Edwards repeatedly commented on female employees’ appearances, including describing them as “breathtaking” and making remarks about one employee’s weight.
The report concluded that his actions did not align with congressional rules designed to prevent sexual harassment and unwanted advances towards House staff.
Although Edwards denied that his conduct was intended as romantic or sexual, the committee said his behaviour could reasonably have been interpreted as sexual advances.
Edwards has denied wrongdoing, and the ethics committee’s findings do not constitute a criminal conviction.
The congressman, a businessman before entering politics, was elected to Congress in 2022 after defeating former Representative Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary.
Cawthorn, who is now seeking another Republican nomination for a House seat in Florida, had previously faced his own allegations of sexual misconduct.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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