A North Carolina Republican Congressman has been recommended for punishment after purchasing clothing for and commenting on the looks of much younger female staffers, violating sexual harassment rules. 

Congressman Chuck Edwards is accused of ‘failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers,’ according to a 25-page report from the House Ethics Committee. 

He has been recommended for censure, a congressional punishment in which the offender stands at the front of the House floor and is reprimanded by their colleagues.

The two staffers, both young females, had worked for Edwards for several years. 

‘Both women received numerous gifts from Representative Edwards, including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners,’ the report states.

The report also states that the Republican would persistently comment on the women’s appearances, a claim he didn’t deny when pressed by Ethics Committee investigators.

Edwards told investigators that on Capitol Hill ‘it’s almost an issue if you don’t make some comment about [one another’s clothing].’ 

The report claims Edwards commented on the weights of his young female staffers; he’d also called them ‘pretty’ or ‘breathtaking’ around the office. He claimed that the relationships were ‘platonic’ despite many feeling the relationships were ‘far from professional.’ 

North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, 65, has been recommended for punishment after the House Ethics Committee determined he broke sexual harassment rules when dealing with two female staffers in their twenties

Edwards has claimed that the relationships were platonic, and the report found no evidence to the contrary 

The investigators were unable to find any evidence that Edwards engaged in sexual activity with the staffers or explicitly propositioned them.  

‘Staffer 1’ in the document is said to have been just 19 years old when she first began as an intern for the Republican, who then offered her a job as his scheduler while she was still in school. 

‘Staffer 2’ worked with Edwards when he was a North Carolina state Senator, and then joined the lawmaker’s legislative staff once he won his congressional seat in 2022.

In one peculiar display of affection, Edwards sent approximately 30 tubs of ice cream, in various sizes and flavors, to the home of Staffer 1 in order to cheer her up. 

The staffer messaged the Congressman, noting how the large delivery ‘seems a bit excessive.’ 

The Republican replied: ‘You looked like you needed a lot of cheering up! My heart was breaking seeing you like that.’ 

Edwards also went out of his way to ‘cheer up’ Staffer 2 by purchasing her a trip to New York City after she went through a breakup. He also paid for one of his staffer’s friends to tag along, and for tickets to see Hamilton. 

He also performed yard work and chores for Staffer 2, paid for massages and spa treatments for her, wrote poems for her and cried at her going away party – making the staff uncomfortable, something Edwards himself acknowledged in his testimony. 

Edwards once sent roughly 30 pints of ice cream to a female staffer to cheer her up. The female aide called the gift ‘a bit excessive’ 

In another instance with the same aide, the Republican arranged for a singer to perform Ed Sheeran’s ‘Hills of Aberfeldy’ at her birthday party. The musician was to say that the performance came ‘from a special someone.’  

GOP House leadership will now have to decide whether to take the House Ethics Committee’s recommendation and censure Edwards. 

Even if Speaker Mike Johnson and others in command decide to move forward with a censure resolution, it will have to wait until next month when the chamber returns to Washington after the summer recess in September. 

Edwards’ office was contacted for comment.