A Republican congressman allegedly creeped on two young female staffers.
North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards, 65, allegedly exhibited inappropriate behavior towards two female staffers in their 20s that crossed professional boundaries and cultivated an uncomfortable work environment, three sources told Axios.
Among the GOP lawmaker’s transgressions were inappropriate remarks, hiring decisions, and his purchasing of gifts, a person familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post.
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into the congressman last week over unspecified allegations.
In a handwritten letter sent by Edwards to one of the staffers, which was reviewed by Axios, the congressman said she was “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," the letter read. “Your kindness, encouragement, and light-heartedness have written a complex chapter in my heart that I will never stop reading.”
Edwards has been married for 46 years.
Axios’ sources also alleged that Edwards took the two staffers out for one-on-one dinners, complimented their outfits, and gifted one of them a custom puzzle that, when solved, revealed a photo of Adam Sandler and an invitation to one of the actor’s comedy shows.
Edwards told The Assembly before an event on Tuesday that the allegations were “horses--t.”
“In the mountains we have to shovel horses--t,” he told the outlet. “In D.C. I have to deal with horses--t. And these allegations are more horses--t.”
The congressman did not deny the letter nor the gifts in his in-person comments to the publication. When questioned if he’d engaged in a romantic relationship with a staffer, he responded, “No,” according to The Assembly. “I have no reason to resign. I have done nothing wrong.”
“They are baseless allegations designed to impact the campaign driven by those who want to settle old political scores,” Edwards’s campaign consultant Paul Shumaker told the Daily Beast. “We welcome the ethics inquiry because it allows for facts to be entered into the record, not public allegations designed to drive media interests.”
Edwards’s congressional office did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The lawmaker’s district, North Carolina’s 11th, has seen its fair share of controversial congressmen.
Madison Cawthorn, who represented the district from 2021 to 2023, was marked by a number of scandals, including sexual misconduct, insider trading, and trying to bring a gun through airport security—twice. He lost his May 2022 primary to Edwards and vacated his office two months early.
Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also represented the district for eight years before he was indicted in 2023 on charges of election interference in Georgia.
Edwards’s office has one of the highest turnover rates on Capitol Hill, with 59 percent turnover last year, Axios reported, citing LegiStorm. The House’s average turnover rate was 27 percent.
The former state senator is up for re-election, facing Democratic farmer Jamie Ager in a race the Democrats view as a pickup opportunity. However, the Cook Political Report currently ranks the seat as a “likely Republican” district.
Ager responded to the news that his opponent was under investigation in a post on X on Thursday.
“Our leaders should be held to the highest standards. Corruption or abuses of power in any way are unacceptable,” Ager, 48, wrote. “The people of Western North Carolina deserve to hear from their representative about what these allegations are.”
