The bipartisan House Ethics Committee said Monday it has found “substantial evidence” that GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards repeatedly made unwanted advances toward two of his female staffers and is recommending that the full House vote to punish him on the floor.
The panel determined “there was substantial reason to believe Representative Edwards violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.”
The extraordinary statement, which is the result of a months-long investigation, marks the first time the panel has recommended the House censure one of its own members since 2010.
A censure resolution is one of the most severe forms of punishment in the House, though does not remove a member from the House and carries no explicit penalties beyond a public admonition.
The congressman denied that his behavior was “intended as a sexual or romantic advance,” according to the committee’s report, which also said that it found no evidence that Edwards, 65, “engaged in sexual activity” with the women.
