Chuck Edwards

Chuck Edwards filed a formal complaint with the Office of Congressional Conduct against the House Ethics Committee's chairman and ranking member. He alleges they circumvented the committee's own rules when recommending his censure. He continues to dispute the findings against him.

The House voted 413 to 2 to censure Chuck Edwards, the strongest punishment short of expulsion, over the Ethics Committee's findings of inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers. Edwards denied the allegations and pleaded with colleagues to judge him on the facts before the vote. He and Representative Ralph Norman cast the only votes against the resolution.

Chuck Edwards announced he was withdrawing from his 2026 reelection campaign two days after the House Ethics Committee recommended his censure. He said he would complete his current term and described serving Western North Carolina as the honor of his life. The decision came amid the committee's findings and the surrounding harassment allegations, which he has denied.

The House Ethics Committee recommended that Chuck Edwards be censured after concluding there was substantial evidence of persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers. The committee said it did not find evidence that he propositioned them or engaged in sexual activity with them. The report prompted significant political fallout, and Edwards's office and campaign maintained his innocence.