House Votes to Censure Rep. Chuck Edwards for Inappropriate Conduct

<p>Representative Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) was censured by the House on Tuesday after the Ethics Committee determined he failed to adhere to rules prohibiting sexual harassment and unwanted advances towards House staffers.</p><p>The censure represents a bipartisan rebuke, with both GOP leadership and a majority of Edwards' party members joining Democrats in imposing one of the House's most serious penalties.</p><ul><li>The Ethics Committee's findings followed reports that Edwards directed inappropriate attention towards two young female staffers in their 20s.</li></ul><hr /><ul><li>All Democrats and all but two Republicans voted to censure Edwards, who had previously abandoned his reelection campaign.</li><li>The last censure recommended by the Ethics Committee occurred in 2010.</li></ul><p>Edwards attempted to contest the censure by distributing a 22-page letter to lawmakers, arguing that the committee made an "extraordinary leap" in concluding that his actions constituted sexual harassment.</p><ul><li>Before the censure vote, he issued an apology to the two women involved, stating, "I am sorry. I'm sorry that my actions, my judgment, or the way that I expressed a friendship ever put either of you in an uncomfortable position."</li><li>He clarified, however, that "regret is not an admission of sexual harassment."</li><li>Edwards also apologized to his family for the embarrassment and scrutiny they faced.</li></ul><p>Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) emphasized the seriousness of the Ethics Committee's findings, stating that they took the investigation seriously. Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) noted that while Edwards denied any intent of sexual or romantic conduct, his behavior could reasonably be interpreted as such.</p><ul><li>The Ethics Committee's report corroborated several previously reported anecdotes, including gifts and outings that contributed to the findings.</li><li>Edwards had written one staffer a poem that he read aloud at her going-away party, which made several staffers uncomfortable, and he acknowledged that he could sense their discomfort.</li></ul><p>Edwards also sent one staffer a three-page handwritten letter expressing personal sentiments and invited her to a comedy show with a custom puzzle. During a government shutdown, he vacationed with her in Las Vegas, where he arranged for flowers in her hotel room, which she found uncomfortable.</p><ul><li>Both staffers received numerous gifts from Edwards, including jewelry, designer purses, and vacations, which the Ethics Committee cited as evidence of inappropriate conduct.</li></ul><p>The Ethics Committee concluded that the women were placed in a difficult position due to Edwards' status as their supervisor and a Member of Congress.</p><p>In a birthday celebration for one staffer, Edwards hired a singer to perform songs by Ed Sheeran, which led the staffer to feel uncomfortable and believe that Edwards viewed her in a manner beyond a professional relationship.</p><ul><li>Edwards also sent one staffer "approximately 30 different types of ice cream" to her home to cheer her up, but the committee noted that many relevant communications were omitted or deleted from his records.</li></ul><p>The Ethics Committee's report stated that Edwards has not acknowledged the power imbalance inherent in his position and the impact it has had on the lives of his former staffers.</p>