The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday it is investigating Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., over allegations that he “may have created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.”
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The announcement follows reports that Edwards was being scrutinized over interactions with much younger female staffers that left them feeling uncomfortable.
Edwards previously called the allegations “baseless” and said in a statement to NBC News on Thursday that he welcomed an investigation.
“As I have stated, I welcome any investigation and plan to comply fully with the Committee,” he said. “I am confident the investigation will expose the facts, not politically motivated fiction.”
A report in Axios this week, citing four sources familiar with their interactions, said one now-former female staffer complained to others about the married Edwards pressuring her to go out to dinner with him and to get drinks. She later shared her concerns with his chief of staff.
When the staffer left, the website reported, Edwards wrote her a note telling her she’d “written a complex chapter in my heart.”
He also gifted her a custom puzzle that revealed an image of Adam Sandler, along with a handwritten note inviting her to go to one of Sandler’s shows with him, the site reported.
Politico, citing two people with knowledge of the inquiry into Edwards, reported earlier this month that he was being probed over an alleged relationship he had with a subordinate and alleged sexual harassment of staff.
NBC News has not independently confirmed the allegations.
NBC News asked Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., about the allegations in the Axios reports, and he called them “serious” and “concerning,” but added that Edwards says they are “all untrue.”
“I will say I am consistent, whether it’s a Republican or a Democrat, a friend or foe, we have to allow due process to play out. We cannot allow mere allegations to be a determining factor here,” Johnson said.
Democrats have targeted Edwards in the midterms, looking to unseat the two-term Republican from North Carolina’s 11th District seat.
The Ethics Committee is a bipartisan committee, made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and it “noted the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
The probe comes at what’s been a busy time for the committee. It was investigating both Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, on sexual misconduct allegations last month when they both resigned. Both have denied wrongdoing.
The panel is also investigating Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., over allegations of “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence” and campaign finance violations. Mills has denied wrongdoing.
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