Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards is lobbying his colleagues to vote against a possible censure over allegations that he repeatedly made unwanted advances toward two female staffers, asserting that familiar conduct toward his employees was not necessarily inappropriate.
“An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition,” the North Carolina Republican wrote in a letter, which a source provided to CNN after it was shared in a group chat for members of Congress. “A gift is not sexual misconduct. A compliment is not sexual misconduct. Poetry is not sexual misconduct.”
Edwards’ defense comes after the House Ethics Committee released an investigation earlier this month that found “substantial evidence” that the congressman made unwanted advances toward the staffers and recommended the House vote to censure him. Though Edwards has already abandoned his reelection bid, the letter, first reported by NOTUS, appears to indicate that he wants to avoid the rare rebuke by his colleagues. He insisted that despite the ethics committee investigation and findings, he never broke House rules, even if some may not approve of his behavior.
The congressman argued that the Ethics Committee “repeatedly relies upon interactions that it says ‘could be interpreted as romantic.’”
